map application [Map Application] The People's Republic of Ukhara

[Ukhara]

Nation on Eurth: The People’s Republic of Ukhara 
National Flag: 
Capital Name: Massanah
Capital Location: Massanah is a historic city and religious center, nestled in the mountains along a river (I can change this if the map location doesn't allow for this)

Starter Stats:

Population: 31,200,000 (2pt)
GDP per capita : $9,480 (0pt)
Land: (2pts)

Culture: 

Ukharan culture is based on a mix of Caananite and other Levantine cultures, although primarily with Caananite influences (particularly the Carthaginians and Israelites, although I was planning to pull from others as well). The country is currently run by a socialist government, but after the civil war it is largely pragmatic and while the country has a culture emphasizing the importance of community, it does not have a history of socialism. 

Climate & Geography: I am open to a variety of biomes, but ideally there would be some mountains and have access to the sea. My original thoughts were that a Levantine biome would be the most fitting, although I would also be open to a colder biome if it made sense and were more interesting (it sounds like it makes the most sense to group them with Middle Eastern cultures, so happy to do that!)

History: The earliest remnants of Ukharan civilization date back thousands of years. After several early iterations of a state,the Ukharans lived for centuries under foreign rule with only short reprieves. From ancient era conquests, to becoming a medieval vassal state, to industrial colonization, Ukharans had fought and lost in their homeland for millenia. Throughout its history, the Ukharans have maintained their culture, and in the 1900s finally reestablished an independent state. The state was quickly coopted by foreign supported authoritarians, with varying regimes ruling the country through the 2020s. Only in the last couple years has Ukhara freed itself from these authoritarians and reestablished an Ukharan republic. (Ideally I would be able to find some countries who would be willing to have a history where they were overlords or colonizers of Ukhara, but I have not discussed with anyone yet; hopefully I could build out my history once I figure out where I will be located).

Front Desk:

 

Desired Location: Not sure if it is still open, but I was thinking the area to the east of Mantella and Hisanallah and along the Byzantine Sea would be best, but I have not discussed with either nation and am open to other thoughts! 
Other Critical Information: N/A

Additional City #1: Bidon Nazor, on the coast, ideally along a river
Additional City #2: Bevalem, somewhere in the interior of the country
Additional City #3: N/A

 

Edited December 5, 2024 by Ukhara (see edit history)

[Orioni]

Good morning @Ukhara,

Looking around for a place that fits your criteria:

• mountains
• river
• by the sea
• Levantine biome
• Semitic culture
• Socialism

The first location that comes to mind is this area in Europa, next-door to Hisanallah (@Ateenia) and Bashan (@Gallambria).

[Ukhara]

Thanks for the prompt response! That does look like the right spot in terms of cultural alignment (given that Bashan appears to follow a Hebrew archetype) and I think the climate fit would be good.

Do you have a sense of how to make the borders? My only concern here frankly is with the aesthetics of the peninsula; I am having trouble aligning a border to make it look appropriate, since the peninsula to me has a bit of a funky look. That's not to say that it isn't the best spot, but just to highlight that I have some reluctance that maybe could be assuaged if someone can make the borders look good (I have been playing around with it, but it all looks odd to me). 

I am not sure if you have thoughts on the other side of Hisanallah along the Byzantine Sea as an appropriate place, which would have more of an Iranian climate it appears, but could also work. Honestly, a bit of a worse geopolitical position it looks like and would be farther away from Bashan which is maybe a reason not to do that (although, to be fair, I do plan to have my culture be separate from the Hebrew analogue, but very possibly could be related cultures). 

[Orioni]

1 hour ago, Ukhara said:

I am not sure if you have thoughts on the other side of Hisanallah along the Byzantine Sea as an appropriate place, which would have more of an Iranian climate it appears, but could also work.

Yes, I considered that location as well, but thought perhaps the hot desert climate wasn't what you were looking for. Of course, since you suggested it yourself, can can consider it as option number 2.

Mind, to have some mountains and rivers, one needn't go up too many kilometres.

Coincidentally, your potential neighbour @Miiros shares a similar flag design.

[Ukhara]

Alright, I think the spot you highlighted is probably best (i.e. option 1). Is there a way to take a look at some potential borders? I am not sure how much of the claim is appropriate based on the 2 pts I put into land area. 

[Tagmatium Rules]

The peninsula itself is over 307,000km2.



So you could probably push out either to the river that flows into the bay to the north of the peninsula or something else.

[Ukhara]

Oh that's bigger than I thought; yea maybe to the river? My concern is just that cutting it off in the middle of that peninsula would look a little weird. 

[Tagmatium Rules]

So I've done a couple of alternatives to try to get you towards the 450K km2 limit in points that you chose as part of your Vision Statement. The first one is just the peninsula, the second is with the island that is to the peninsula's north. Of course, the number is between 250K km2 and 450K km2 for two points. It's a limit and not a target and we try to go for something that makes sense (and looks good), rather than push it to the extreme.

Option 1:

This is 387,886km2 and covers the peninsula and beyond, up to the river and the border with Hisanallah, your nearest neighbour. It's kind of squarely in the middle of your points in land - 387K of the 250-450K that you have available. I think the river makes quite a nice natural border, without doing anything weird like hopping across bodies of water.

Option 2:

I tried to see what I could do with squeaking a bit more land area out, so I included the small island to the peninsula's north as well. I don't know if that's a bit forced or not. It could always been something that you aim for in the future. This measures out at 397,680km2.

If you're not super happy with either of those options, then we can always try something else. I don't really want to try to leap across the bay to north of the peninsula's root, as I feel that's a bit forced and not really a natural border.

[Ukhara]

I agree that the river provides a good natural border! 

I am conflicted on the island, but leaning towards leaving it out. While I think it would be fun to give Ukhara more of a reason to be active in the Raga Sea, I think that historically it would have made more sense for a foreign power to have broken it off. Maybe I will use it as RP fodder in the future as Ukhara gets its economy back on track and wants to expand its influence. 

Option #1 above please! 

[Tagmatium Rules]

3 minutes ago, Ukhara said:

I agree that the river provides a good natural border! 

I am conflicted on the island, but leaning towards leaving it out. While I think it would be fun to give Ukhara more of a reason to be active in the Raga Sea, I think that historically it would have made more sense for a foreign power to have broken it off. Maybe I will use it as RP fodder in the future as Ukhara gets its economy back on track and wants to expand its influence. 

Option #1 above please!

No worries! Thanks!

To be honest, with where the end of your peninsula is, you do have a good reason for be active in the Raga Sea. You could close the access pretty well.

I'm glad I could help. This is the first time I've done one of these

[Tagmatium Rules]

The final part is the agreement of your possible new neighbours.

I'm going to ping @Ateenia (Hisanallah) and @Gallambria (the owner of Bashan). They have five days (until 13-12-2024) to throw up any concerns, otherwise you're good to go.

[Gallambria]

Approved on my end - we will discuss cultural ties at a later time.