Acronia

The Union of Acronian Kingdoms, commonly known as Acronia, the Acronian Union, the AU, the UAK, or the AK, is a  and  in Atlas. Comprising 20 provinces further organized into 90 departments, mainland Acronia is situated on the Elysian subcontinent on the westernmost stretch of contiguous Vesperia, with its immediate island holdings jutting out westward from the Acronian Sea into the Fale Ocean. Beyond its main territory, Acronia also comprises 1 overseas province, the Acronian Far-East Territories, and 3 overseas autonomous districts: Astonbury; Juk Long; and Valdiu. The nation shares land borders with Colgasia and Verdesa to the east, Odentia and the Lyonine Empire to the southeast, as well as Chilokver via Juk Long. The nation is flanked by the Gulf of Acronia and the Fale Ocean to the west, the Edenian Sea to the south, and the Mistral Sea to the north. Encompassing roughly 1.05 million square kilometers (approximately 650 million square miles) and populated by 208.5 million people, Acronia occupies 5 time zones, possesses land on 3 continents, and is the 11th largest nation by area in Atlas. Possessing a diverse climate ranging from subtropical to tundra, Acronia is a highly mountainous country, with 60% of its territory above 1,000 meters above sea level. The Acronian Union's highest point is Aegran Ridge, which stands at an altitude of 6,828 meters.

Acronia is a highly urbanized country, with 80.59% of its population concentrated in and around urban centers. The Union's capital city is Lionsgate, which shares its status as the nation's principal cultural and commercial center with the largest metropolitan area in Acronia by both population and area, Defense. Other major urban areas include Redbanks, Astonbury, Delancey, Fyrestone, Olloix, and Sierre. As the nation with the third-largest amount of CONESCO World Heritage Sites in the world, Acronia is one of Atlas' foremost tourist destinations, with Defense consistently ranking as the most tourist-visited city in the world.

Geography
The Free Union of Acronius's territory includes a group of four islands known as the Acronian Overseas Territories (also referred to as 'mini-Acronius by many Acronians) off the coast of the Neo Philippine Empire, as well as land in northwestern Strøltenheim (also referred to as 'the mainland' by many Acronians') separated into thirty different. The mainland is split in half by the Anneau River, which historically served as both the border between the First Republic of Acronius and the Chancellory of Acronius, and continues to separate the two up to this day as an border between the  and  in Acronius, and disgorges into the Fale Ocean.

Two principally mountainous regions exist within the Free Union. The Khionan Mountains dominate the northeastern area of the nation, with its culminant point of elevation being Aegran Ridge, which stands at 5,986 meters. Several major cities, namely Aiguebelle, Arleaux, Azemont, and Vaumont, are situated within the mountain range. The Flaxen Mountains are situated in the west of the nation, along the border with Adampia, and is one of the most mineral-rich areas on the continent, with minerals such as and  abundant and extracted from several mines owned and operated by various corporate entities. The Great Northwestern Tundra covers a large amount of the centre of Acronius, with Lake Bruxelles and Dead Sands covering most of the Free Union's eastern coastline. Forests and grasslands make up the remaining southeast areas of the nation.

Military
Equipment of the Acronian Military Forces 1st Special Operations Group 5th Special Operations Group

Major cities
Acronia is a highly urbanized country, with its largest cities in terms of metropolitan area population in 2015 being: Defense (25,850,073); Lionsgate (13,234,442); Redbanks (11,171,442); Astonbury (9,034,812); Delancey (8,878,239); Fyrestone (8,634,812); Olloix (8,007,652); Sierre (7,553,320); and Thégra (6,788,239). Acronia also participates in the governance of its three autonomous districts: Astonbury; Juk Long, and Valdiu. was a perennial political issue throughout most of the 20th century. In addition to being the longtime center of Concordian Acronian civilization, Lionsgate was historically the largest settlement in Acronia as a whole, with the principle city of Gramercian Acronia being Thégra. However, with the rapid development of the Defense metropolis in Montfort in the 1960s, an extreme bout of perennial flight resulted in an enormous wave of Gramercian migration to the city, resulting in Defense becoming the most populated city in Acronia by 1990 - with every other Gramercian city amongst the twenty largest cities in Acronia between 1960 and 1990 experiencing notable losses or stagnation in population growth.

Religion
Historically, Acronia has been one of Vesperia's foremost cradles of Christianity, with Catholicism and the Church of Acronia traditionally monopolizing the national population.

The majority of Acronia's current population describes itself as irreligious in some manner, especially as either or. According to a census in January 2015, only 45.6% of Acronians described themselves as a person of faith, with 42.2% of the population claiming affiliation with a specific religion and the remaining 3.4% of the population identifying as ). This effectively makes the Acronian Union one of the most atheist nations in Atlas. The most predominant religion in the Union is (3.2%), with   (1.9%), and  (1.2%). The First and Fourth Amendments of the Golden Edict guarantee religious freedom, and prevents legislation favoring any religion over another. In addition, discrimination based on religion is illegal, with the sole exception of.