Meshtla

Selvia (Spanish: Selvia, Miskiso: Meshtla), officially the Democratic State of Selvia (Spanish: Estado Democrático de Selvia), is one of the states that form the Republic; located in the central-eastern zone of it, with an area of 31,848 square kilometers. Formerly a colony of Spain, it’s new post-independence life is marked by strong tensions between the different ethnic groups and fierce opposition to the Spanish colonial legacy in all spheres of public and private life. During the last census (2017), it was established that the state had a population of 657,842.

Selvia is geographically isolated from its surrounding states thanks to mountainous ranges, and it’s centered around the Selvian Sea. Although the former capital (and still largest city), San Jacinto, is located in the southeast of the country; the current capital, Kunaÿpé, has shifted most political and economic activity to the northwest.

It borders Minlành, Hampton and At-Turab on the north; Alania on the east and southeast; and Nova Catalunya and Tir Na GCorcaighNua on the west.

Originally, a subsistence economy, the state has found prosperity in oil producing in the past years; although the wealth is still very unevenly distributed. There is an ongoing pro-independence movement lead by the current governing party: The Selvian Independence Coalition (SI).

'''1.              Geography and Demographics  

1.1.              Administrative divisions

Selvia is divided into fourteen provinces. Each province has a capital and is further divided into municipalities. The latest census (2017) also revealed some interesting numbers and patterns regarding the ethnic composition of the provinces. Both the Tlaa and the non-Tlaa tribes of Selvia are concentrated on the northwest of the country (although the former prefer the coast and the latter the mountains); the Afro-descendant Selvians are concentrated on the north; the European Selvians are concentrated on the south; and the Miskiso form the majority in most provinces (except for Ororo, Aiake and Waÿpé). 1.2.                Languages

The fact of belonging to a specific ethnic group tells a lot about the mother tongue of a Selvian. In order to identify oneself as a member of a given ethnic group, one must have as mother tongue the language (or any of the languages) associated with that ethnic group (as per the laws regarding the 2017 Census):

Miskiso: Miskiso, Meshtlan.

European Selvian: Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Basque, Portuguese, Asturian.

Tlaa: Meshtlan.

Afro-descendant Selvian: Miskiso.

Other tribes: the 10 languages associated with the non-Tlaa tribes (Güia, Ichang, Mfule, North Kaiake, South Kaiake, Sesũ, Bakaian, Arakaian, Le’e, Poutl).

Therefore, any person whose mother tongue wasn’t any of the aforementioned, would be catalogued as ‘other’ in the Census. On the other hand, the census had to break down the Miskiso and European Selvian groups to gather linguistic information about both.

In conclusion, the linguistic reality of Selvia can be summarized by the following table. It is worth noting that even though Spanish is an official language, it is only natively spoken by less than 6% of the Selvian population (and any native speakers of English, the other official language, are grouped under ‘other languages’ and are less than 0,71% of the state’s population). This situation has been used as one of the arguments for Selvian independence and a new state policy regarding languages. 2.             Transportation

Transport in Selvia heavily relies on roads, given the relatively small distances between the major cities and the lack of infrastructure for railroads (as of July 2017, there are no kilometers of railroads but there is one project to link Kunaÿpé and San Jacinto) and efficient harbors. The only airport of the state is the one that serves San Jacinto (Mario González del Río Airport of San Jacinto), but there is a project of creating an international airport near Kunaÿpé. There is a heliport near Ÿw̃ande.

There are only two highways in the state:

N-1 = Kunaÿpé (Km 0), Florida (Km 47), San Martín (Km 95), San Jacinto (Km 192).

N-2 = Kunaÿpé (Km 0), Tlapae (Km 26),Giná (Km 88), Sotaw̃ (Km 138).

In order to reach other provincial capitals, some substandard highways (locally called ‘stateways’) are used.

S-3 = Kunaÿpé – Iagu (103 kilometers)

S-4 =Sotaw̃ – Karara (84 kilometers)

S-5 = Tlapae – Shakã(88 kilometers)

S-6 = Florida – Villanueva (110 kilometers)

The only mainland provincial capitals not linked through highways or stateways are Araucaria and Emouba; and not coincidentally, both are classified as the poorest and less developed cities of the state (in fact, next to Iagu, they are the three smallest cities of the state). In recent years the locals have pushed for an extension of the state’s road network, but so far, no action has been taken (Araucaria is reached through roads connecting Arauga Province with Shasinte Province; Emouba is reached through roads connecting Aiake Province with Waÿpé Province).