Merala

Merala, officially the Federal Revolutionary Republic of Merala (Castrian: República Federal Revolucionaria de Merala; RFRM) is a country in the southern portion of Antigonia, It is borded to the north by Temischa; to the south and west by the Cirenian Ocean; and to the east by the Gulf of Merala. Merala also controls the overseas territory of Paraíso, which is west of the Vazandian territory of Verico and north of Aurania. Merala covers 4,587,176 square kilometers (1,771,118.555 sq mi) and has approximately 200 million inhabitants, making it one of the world’s largest countries by area and population, and the most populous Castrian-speaking nation. It is a federation comprising 50 states and Anochtepec, its capital city and largest metropolis. Other major urban areas include Los Diablos, Mezieres, Pineda, Chequescha, Santa Teresa, Canales, and Baragua.

Pre-Contact Merala traces its origins to 8,000 BCE and is identifies as one of the cradles of civilization; it was home to many advanced Notogonian civilizations, most well-known among them the Winic and the Totlecs. In 1517, the Verdesan Empire conquered and colonized the territory from its base in Anochtepec, which then became known as New Verdesa. The Catholic Church played an important role as millions of indigenous inhabitants converted. These populations were heavily exploited to mine rich deposits of precious metals, which became a major source of wealth for the Verdesans. Merala became an independent with Acronian support after the successful Meralan War of Independence against Verdesa in 1800.

The nascent country established itself as a semi-presidential federal parliamentary republic, quickly forming trade relationships with major Elysian powers and it also signed the first equal treaties with Auchoian countries, with the Meralan Peso becoming one of the first global currencies. Despite this, Vazandian disputes over Meralan property and the status of Paraíso led to the Princes’ War in which Vazandian nobles attempted to seize Meralan land using mercenaries, but were expelled thanks to a combined effort by Merala, Acronia and Aurania. The following years were marked by the rise of Belisario Tasoyo, who became president in 1868 and consolidated power for himself and the Progressive Party, establishing a dictatorship characterized by rapid industrialization, modernization, political repression, corruption and widening economic and social inequality leading to the Meralan Revolution and the establishment of a socialist state in 1920. Merala played a major supporting role in the Second Great War, and the Post-War era saw the implementation of a computer-assisted centrally planned economy, and political strife that led to major democratic reforms.

Merala is an industrialized country, and it ranks highly on the Human Development Index. It is one one of the world's leading exporters of oil and has the second-largest economy in Antigonia. The large economy, area, population and politics make Merala a regional power and as an emerging power. Its citizens enjoy one of the best telecommunications networks in the world, coupled with excellent healthcare and education systems. Merala also has high standards of public infrastructure, but there is a stark inequality between its cities and its remote indigenous areas.

Merala ranks first in Antigonia and highly in the world for number of World Heritage Sites. Merala is an ecologically megadiverse country, ranking highly in the world for its natural biodiversity. Merala receives a significant number of tourists every year, in 2019, it was the most-visited country in Antigonia and one of the most-visited in the world with 45 million international arrivals. Merala is a founding member of the Congress of Nations, the Vastava Pact, the Council of Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Community of Petroleum Producing Countries.

Etymology
The southern Meralan coast was discovered by Acronian explorer Jean-Marie de Blanquefort, who was hired by the Verdesan crown to explore and settle territories in its name. Whilst he originally named the land “Nueva Verdesa” (New Verdesa), a name that was adopted in a royal decree on September 16 1517, the origins of the term Merala surfaced from a typo he made on a letter to the court notifying them of his discoveries:

"La tierra es verde y fértil, cubierta de preciosas maderas y llenas de extraordinarias bestias. Los nativos son gente dócil y honesta, casi civilizados. Es posible amaestrar estas nuevas tierras que he nombrado en honor a su reino con su ayuda, sin tener que caer en los excesos de previas conquistas. Es por la gracia de Dios que se nos ha bendecidos con estas tierras del mer [mar] allá."

"The land is green and fertile, covered of precious woods and full of extraordinary beasts. The natives are docile and honest people, almost civilized. It is possible to conquer these new lands I have named in honor of your kingdom with their help, without having to fall into the excesses of previous conquests. It is by the grace of God that we have been blessed with these lands from the mer [sea] beyond."

This typo quickly became the subject of ridicule in the court and the general public, with the lands often being referred as Mer Allá rather than Nueva Verdesa. The term Merala properly appeared for the first time in a Verdesan newsbook called La Nota (The Note) during the conquest of the Totlec Empire in 1519:

"Se buscan marineros y soldados estúpidos para luchar contra enemigos notorios por comer corazones en las tierras de Merala"

"Stupid sailors and solders are wanted to fight against enemies notorious for eating hearts in the lands of Merala"

The name Merala became the colloquial name of New Verdesa. The declaration of independence signed on December 8 1786 by the deputies of the Congress of Paso del Norte made the name official, something that all constitutions since have upheld.