Republic of Layreth

Layreth, officially the Republic of Layreth (Layrish: Rawpublick Lyreth) is a state in northwest Europe. Layreth is situated geographically close to the British Islands. It is bordered by Belgium to the north and France to the south.

It is a Founding Member of both the European Union and the Union of Cities XL Journals. Layreth has close relations with France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. Layreth has always been a strong pillar of Europe's water resources due to the large water reserves under the ground. It has a rich history and culture, but it has never been a strong influence to other nations. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Layreth established a small empire colonizing several islands on the Indic Ocean, such as the McHare Islands, Mauritius, and Jahoss. Today the only colony that remains is the McHare Islands.

Layreth is a semi-presidential republic. It posesses the 16th largest economy by nominal GDP, and has a fairly high standard of living. It has a very high life expectancy at 80.3, ranking 13th worldwide. Layreth is a founding member of the United Nations, and also a member of the G20, the NATO, OECD, and WTO.

Layreth Independence War
The Layrethian people were first recognized as an apart culture around the 11th century. They settled mostly along the Waven and Gewyl Rivers. They had a powerful army and important cities, as well as a variety of different dishes and an apart cuisine. The Layrethians declared war on France in the late 11th century. This war is now known as the Layreth Independence War. Several cultures supported Layreth, such as the British, the Bretons, and the Germans. Layreth used primarily the cavalry, as it was the most effective and more common army type in Layreth. Big naval battles were fought between the French, the British, and the Layrish, such the Battle of Barawn. Bretons and Layrethians also made great land battles. After 15 years, Layreth finally became independent and crowned its first king, King Hwail I. The country was peaceful during the last centuries.

Colonization Era
In the Colonization Era Layreth settled over a small part of land along the Chesapeake Bay, in modern-day Maryland. That area was called New Waven and would be invaded years later by the British. They also annexed Jahoss, an island in the Caribbean, which would later become independent after a long time of Layrethian rule, Mauritius, which they kept for a short time before the French conquered it, and the McHare Islands, the only colonial territory still belonging to Layreth.

World Wars
In the first World War Layreth acted as an neutral power due to its complete lack of army. Dupont, through, was bombed on 22 December, 1908. Layreth recruited a small while powerful army the following years, and when World War II began Layreth became an Ally. Germany invaded Layreth and bombed Port Hawson and Dupont on March 17th 1933 and December 13th 1934, respectively. Layreth began attacking Germany later and expulsed them from Layreth. A massive monument was erected both in Dupont and Port Hawson to remember the victims of the bombing. Heavy reconstruction took place in both cities, and it lasted five years for the cities to return back to normal. Ten years later, Layreth recovered its good relations with Germany, and it is currently a trade partner. Thomas Harris is at the time a close friend of chancellor Angela Merkel.

1st Republic
After nearly a thousand years of monarchy, Layreth suffered slight republican movements and manifestations around 1910, shortly after the bombing of Dupont. The revolts grew and war began February 21st, 1913, with the bombing of three docks of Port Hawson and the Steel Monument in Chatham Park, Mattesburgh, which was never reconstructed. The Republican movements of the east of the country, with headquarters in Dupont, attacked some smaller cities such as Asgawn, Jalwyth and Clawst. The "Monarchists", based in Garl, made some attacks on Dupont, such as placing multiple so-called "traffic bombs", which were basically traffic lights with bombs in it. They caused some serious damage, but the Republicans attacked Garl with a bomb in the local Bus Depot. After this, the Monarchists sent troops to the east, without success. The Republicans answered to this with the cavalry, and put an end to the war with the bombing of a fireworks factory in Garl. Layreth became a republic on July 3rd, 1914.

Administrative divisions
Layreth is divided into ten Regions (Régions), each administred by a Governor. They all are divided into municipalities (Kwells), and further subdivided into districts. As of 2008, there are 521 municipalities.

Each Region has a capital and an "arcel" (Arzyl). Arcels house the Region's parliament, while the capital acts as a de facto cultural or historical center. Some regions' capitals are arcels at the same time, such as Hywrel, where Garl plays both roles.

Territories (Tawyns) also exists, currently only one, the McHare Islands. In this form administrative division there is no parliament nor arcel. It is also not administrated independently, it is directly ruled by the federal government.

Territories of Layreth
Don't panic about the excess of layrethian flags, it's only temporary