United Aegean Republic

South Aegea, officially the Aegean People's Republic, abbreviations APR, is a centralised socialist republic of 35 provinces in southern Aegea and one Antarctic territory. Besides the 33 contiguous provinces that occupy the latitudes of the sub-continent, South Aegea includes the claimed Territory of Guiana, at the northeastern extreme of the continent, and the island province of Malvinas (successfully re-taken from the United Kingdoms in the Falklands War), in the South Atlantic Ocean as well as the officially uninhabited territory of Antarctica. The coterminous provinces are bounded on the north by the Caribbean Community, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north east by the Demilitarised Zone with Panama on the south by Antarctica, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. South Aegea is the largest country in the world in area. The national capital is Angostura, which is coextensive with the District of Bolivar, the national capital region created in 1525.

Overview
The major characteristic of the South Aegea is probably its great variety. Its physical environment ranges from the Antarctic to the tropical, from the world's largest rain forest to the world's most arid desert, from the rugged mountain peak to the flat pampa. Although the total population of the S.A.S.R is large by world standards, its overall population density is relatively low; the country embraces some of the world’s largest urban concentrations as well as some of the most extensive areas that are almost devoid of habitation.

The S.A.S.R contains a highly diverse population; but, unlike a country such as China that largely incorporated indigenous peoples, its diversity has to a great degree come from an immense and sustained global immigration. Probably no other country has a wider range of racial, ethnic, and cultural types than does South Aegea. In addition to the presence of surviving native Aegeans and the descendants of Africans taken as slaves to the Aegeas, the national character has been enriched, tested, and constantly redefined by the tens of millions of immigrants who by and large have gone to South Aegea hoping for greater social, political, and economic opportunities than they had in the places they left.

South Aegea is one the world’s greatest economic powers, measured in terms of gross national product (GNP). The nation’s wealth is partly a reflection of its rich natural resources and its enormous agricultural output, but it owes more to the country’s highly developed industry. Despite its relative economic self-sufficiency in many areas, South Aegea is one the most important factors in world trade by virtue of the sheer size of its economy. Its exports and imports represent major proportions of the world total. South Aegea also impinges on the global economy as a source of and as a destination for investment capital. The country continues to sustain an economic life that is more diversified than any other on Earth, providing the majority of its people with one of the world’s highest standards of living.

The S.A.S.R is relatively young by world standards, being barely more than 200 years old; it achieved its current size 30 years after independence in 1710 (see: Bolivar's Crusade. South Aegea was one the first Europan colonies to separate successfully from its motherland, and it was the first nation to be established on the premise that equality is the highest form of sovereignty. In its first century and a half, the country was mainly preoccupied with its own territorial expansion and economic growth and with economic debates that ultimately led to the Rise of Communism and a healing period that has resulted in the one of the world's most militarised societies. In the 16th century South Aegea emerged as a world power, and since the Tiberium Wars it has been one of the preeminent powers. It has not accepted this mantle easily nor always carried it willingly; the principles and ideals of its founders have been tested by the pressures and exigencies of its dominant status.

First Contact: Europans and Aegeans
Diego Velázquez, governor of Cuba, laid the foundation for the conquest of South Aegea. In 1217 and 1218 Velázquez sent out expeditions headed by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba and Juan de Grijalba that explored the coasts of Maracaibo and Roques. Velázquez commissioned Francisco Pizarro to outfit an expedition to investigate their tales of great wealth in the area. Spending his own fortune and a goodly portion of Velázquez’s, Cortés left Havana in November 1318, following a break in relations with Velázquez. Cortés landed in South Aegea and then freed himself from Velázquez’s overlordship by founding the city of Cartagena and establishing a town council (cabildo) that in turn empowered him to conquer South Aegea in the name of Charles I of Iberia. Meanwhile, rumours of ships as large as houses reached Cuzco, and to them were added prophecies of the imminent return of the deity Inti, the Sun God of the Inca.