Gianatla [d͜ʒænˈætla] (Alman: [d͜ʒanˈatla], Atlantic: Rúkano [ˈɹʉːkaːno]), officially the Federal Republic of Gianatla (Alman: Bundesrepublik Gianatla [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk d͜ʒanˈatla]), is a federal state in North-West Cordilia bordered by Snolland in the West, and Holy Free and Eflad in the East.
Having an area of around 211,136 km² and a population of around 39 million people (2023), it's a moderately densely populated country on average 185 inhabitants per km².
Gianatla is a country consisting of thirteen partly-sovereign states.
The city of Atlantis is the capital since the incorporation of Atlantis in 2011. It's at the same time the largest city with more than 3.8 million inhabitants. Other major cities include the former capital Asterbrück, the former government seat city Lukasstadt, the seat of the World Forum Committee for Science and Education, Freudstadt, Nordtor, Südtor and Tragas. All mentioned cities, except for Gianlucastadt and Freudstadt, have more than one million inhabitants.
They are a founding member of the Alman Group, Concordia Entente and World Forum. In the latter, they held the position of Speaker of the Assembly thrice already.
The economy of the country is heavily based on services. Gianatla is known for having expertise in the fields of entertainment technology and media, vehicle manufacturing and traffic engineering.
The name Gianatla is a compound of Gianlucaland and Atlantis, the names of the two sovereign nations that eventually became one country in 2011. It was introduced after a referendum in June 2022, in which a majority of 40.2% voted in favour of replacing the old post-incorporation name GI-Land in order to represent Gianlucians and Atlantics equally also in the name of the nation[1].
Gianlucaland itself is also a compound consisting of Gianluca - the name of the tribe that has founded the Gianlucian Kingdom in 1305 - and "land".
The origin of the tribe's name is fiercely debated, however the most prevalent theory suggests "Gian" and "Luca" having been words or particles of an older Atlantic dialect that doesn't exist anymore.
Atlantis is the Almannic form of the Atlantic "Aturánnata", which can be translated as "Great River Place". The name likely refers to the Atlantics' perception of being a fortunate people blessed with rich fishing grounds wherever they settled, which ultimately also led to a reverence of nature, especially aquatic nature, in their culture.
North Cordilia has been settled by humans of the species Homo sapiens since at least 35,000 BCE already. Based on human remains found by archeologists in Frastinia, Eflad and Erinor, it is assumed there were two main migration waves. One was possibly coming from Bailtem via the Rainbow Islands between 35,000 and 15,000 BCE and was tied to the settlements in the Erinoran Basin from around 15,000 BCE. The second wave came in from the Frost archipelago at circa 45,000 to 30,000 BCE and consisted mainly of people settling in Frastinia, the Hazle Isle, Bruuma and possibly current Besern[2].
Around 6,000 BCE the semi-nomadic Ceresians established multiple city states around the Frost archipelago and small trading outposts on the Northern coasts of Frastinia. Since the people group was traditionally divided, multiple competing tribes formed in the established outposts and villages.
Ceresian tribes and Alman Split (5,000 BCE – 840 CE)
Four main groups, the Atlantics, Snovics, Hazles and Catz, settled in Frastinia between 3,700 BCE and 260 CE.
The groups distinguished themselves by different belief and political systems. As such the Atlantics and Snovics had developed a culture of nature reverence still prevalent until today and have founded big cities, such as Angelhaven, Sak (today's Kuckstadt) or, in the year 1877 BCE, the current capital Atlantis. Their political system became hereditary monarchic and the economy was focused on trade with neighbours such as the Serevans.
The Hazles and Catz however were a collection of lesser developed and self-sufficient Alman tribes following folk religions, that could not settle for a stable political system. This led to a constant struggle over power and resources as well as to multiple revolts by farmer families throughout the generations. The first historically major conflict was The Great Calamity from 716 to 732, when an elected temporary dictator ("imperator"), Nero the Strongman, has banished the Hazles from Frastinia after a destructive war and therefore forced them to settle in Besern or on the Hazle Isle and later on Hazelia. The territories conquered by the Hazles, were put under Nero's sole control. Feeling betrayed, multiple Alman people groups such as the Allegari, Astrofolk, Ascanis, Berstens, Friedwartines and Ottfriedines attempted to conspire against the imperator, with no success. Their enforced displacement, the Alman Split, would become the biggest reason, why Alman culture spread throughout the South Pacific.
The Snovian Conflicts (840 – 1040)
With Catzyan utilitarianism and Snovic culture being partially conflicting ethics and the Snovics feeling disadvantaged by the trade agreements in the area, local Snovic merchants protested against their perceived unfair treatment. The protests led to limited miltary conflicts, in which the Snovic territory on Frastinia decreased over time. The eventual end of a Frastinian Snovic state was decided by internal turmoil over the question on the succession rules of a heirless king, which led to a personal union with the Atlantics, who could not save the Snovics from Catzyan imperators annexing the remains of the Snovic's Frastinian territory however. After the end of two Snovic-Catz wars, the term "Gianlucian" was used for the first time to describe the idea of a common Alman people group on Frastinia. The idea of a common Gianlucian tribe ruled by the imperator instead of a realm full of individual communities was popularised by several elected imperators and local clergy in the following two centuries.
The Gianlucian Kingdom (1040 – 1351)
The popularisation of a basic version of national identity culminated in the Franzort Festival on 18 April 1275, where several communities banded together and demanded from the incumbent Imperator Lucius to unify the Gianlucian people into one kingdom. Fearing an outbreak of a civil war in the Gianluca territory, but also seeing the economical and political potential a unified Gianlucian nation would bring, Lucius agreed to the demands and promoted the formation of the Gianlucian Revolutionary Army (GRA), while also gauging interest in the Old Catz tribes to voluntarily join his cause. Most of the Old Catz chiefdoms were not interested in surrendering their powers to Lucius and instead tried to stop him from following through with the idea of uniting the Frastinian tribes, e.g. by trying to capture and assassinate Lucius during a visit to the chiefdom of Nordern in 1277. The attempts to obstruct his plans failed and made him more determined however. In the three Wars of Frastinia between 1278 and 1305, Lucius would annex all Old Catz tribes, conquer the Frastinian possessions of the Kingdom of Atlantis and fight for dominance in North-East Frastinia against Holy Free and Berusturg.
On 1 June 1305, the Gianlucian Kingdom was proclaimed in a former Atlantic King's holiday residence near Südtor and Lucius crowned as the first king of the Gianlucas, Lukas I. The controlled territory was spanning from the Atlantic Strait in the West up to Mt. Freye and today’s Wayersch in the East. With no constitution established, the king controlled his new realm under absolutist rule. However not long after the foundation of the kingdom, flaws have shown themselves in this government system. The former chiefs, now subordinates of a national court, gave away their powers and were forced to give away parts of their communities' wealth on a regular basis without having a say on how much or for which reasons they are paying those fees and taxes. The demand for a Häupterrat (Council of Chiefs) was quickly formed, but only the monarchs following Lukas I were open to the idea of sharing the power with a second administrative level within the kingdom.
The Gianlucian Empire (1352 – 1923)
In 1352 the Stoinians invaded Puerto Pollo and have gotten into contact with the countries on the Hazle Isle and in Frastinia. Through the Stoino Contact the awareness of a bigger outside world grew in the young kingdom and has led to the rise of explorationist thoughts. Several duchies were looking for adventurers ready to find land and resources, which got develop the kingdom further. One of those adventurers was Thomas the Terrible, who suggested in 1445, the Gianlucian Kingdom should work towards controlling the Astro Sea before venturing out and challenging Stoinia and other, yet unknown competitors in the scramble for colonial possessions. From 1449 to 1548, the kingdom grew to an empire, that distinguised between provinces like Faburg (South Atlantis) or Eflad located around the Astro Sea, the Provinz Alemannien (also known as Weissersteiner Commonwealth), and colonies like Haoene, Hazelia or Brotmark on Bailtem.
The imperial court did often not rule directly over their territories outside of Frastinia, except when an edict on cultural subjects or matters of trade and foreign policy was passed. An example of such an order would be Queen Sophia's edict, that made Christianity the official state religion of the empire and outlawed the classical folk religions in June 1542 following a successful Ryccian crusade. Instead governors represented the court abroad and were left with a certain degree of autonomy on how the provinces and colonies are run. This became problematic for the integrity of the empire for the first time in the 17th century, when several political movements led to the de facto end of the Weissersteiner Commonwealth as well as to significant territorial losses through countries in North Cordilia gaining independence.
[WIP - Sallodesia?, Industrialisation, socialist and nationalist ideas lead to 19th century independence movements, first democratic reforms induced by Sedunn]
Due to the decolonisation of the Gianlucian Empire and an era of protectionism in North Cordilia, the Gianlucian economy was in a dire situation and had to face rising costs of living and unprecedented unemployment rates in the late 1910s and early 1920s. Under those circumstances Frank has established himself as a new political figure. At first by commenting on politics and laying out his ideas of a prosperous Gianlucian Empire in his book Für die Ehre ("For Honour"), then by founding his own party, the National and Socialist Party of Frankist Progressivism (NSPFP) and spreading terror with his own militia, the "Black Coats" (Schwarzumhänge or SU). The Frankist party had huge success within the distraught, distrusting and terrified populace and gained, together with its minor coalition partners, more than 47% of the votes in the last democratic election of the empire in 1934. While Emperor Gianluca III declined making Frank chancellor at first, Frank would force a transfer of powers onto him with the help of the armed forces and the passing of the "Enabling Act" on 2 May 1935.
Frank's reign meant a full restructuring of not only the Gianlucian political system, but also Gianlucian society and the economy. People were marked as undesirable "Zenevians" and stripped of their rights. Prisoners were put into newly established concentration camps, which provided slave labour under the guise of "re-education" for the companies participating in Frank's "Five Projects Program". The youth had to join a Frankist youth group based on their sex, which taught Frankist ideology and gender roles from an early age. Militarist ideals rose in popularity, because the Frankists promoted a modern and strong military as a priority to become a modern and wealthy nation again. After setting the goal of a military mobilisation between 1947 and 1950 with the secret Grumbach Note on 6 January 1940, the dictator focused his foreign policy on preparing an ideal starting position for the planned war. Non-aggression pacts with Atlantis and Snolland gained him some trust in the West, the "Ikaranarean-Gianlucian Cooperation Accords" and the "Treaty of Justice" with Karnetvor made sure, the rising nationalist and imperialist governments in Cordilia would not interfere with each other while pursuing their goals and the "Gianlucian-Weissersteiner Friendship Treaty" assured Weissersteiner neutrality in any potential major military conflict instigated by the Frankists. Military tech and production did improve and expand in the meantime. Seeing his country ready for war and using some Snovian-Gianlucian tensions as a pretense, the Gianlucian Empire declared war against Snolland on 3 October 1949.
From October 1949 to December 1951 the war went well for the Frankists as they were able to take control of a large amount of territory spanning from the Hazle Isle in the West to parts of Eflad in the South, Transsuneria in the East and FiHami in the North, while only losing the Neu-Faburg colony on Bailtem in 1950. With the start of the war against Besern and the entrance of Frost and Stoinian(, later also Ryccian?) forces, the territorial gains were relatively quickly undone and in 1954, Frost (and Ryccian?) armed forces threatened the core of the Gianlucian Empire.
Republic of Gianlucaland and power struggles in Atlantis (1954 – 2011)
[WIP - Deindustrialisation and Wirtschaftswunderpolitik (see "Economic History"). Involvement in organisations such as IUFA (founding member), the Alman Group (founding member), North Cordilian Union (founding member), CPSC (joined 1998). In the cold war, ties were relatively close to the isolationist and traditional Frost Empire, but eventually Gianlucaland opened up to the moderate democratic bloc of Sedunn over time. Development of a Gianlucian nuclear arsenal in face of a nuke race around the world.]
Incorporation of Atlantis and beyond (2011 – present)
[WIP - incorporation of Atlantis based on some peace treaty/consequence of the GW and/or for economic reasons. Also a prestige project of King Axel and chancellor, now president, Schmidt. Building of the Atlantic Strait Bridge. Involvement in the foundation of the World Forum and Concordia Entente. "New Silk Road" with Huawan and Valkyria. Denuclearisation.].
With an area of around 211,136 km², Gianatla is the x-th biggest (or y-th smallest) country in Cordilia.
The country consists of thirteen states. Two of which are the islands of Eisern and Steenoog in the North, that are respectively the biggest and third-biggest islands of North-West Cordilia. Another two states (Atlantis and Faburg) are situated in the easternmost third of the Hazel Isle, which is shared with Snolland. Their border is placed at the narrowest part of the Atlantic panhandle, a land bridge sandwiched between the Snovian Sea, a part of the Serevan Sea, and the North Gianlucian Sea, respectively part of the North Pacific Ocean.
To the East the country borders Holy Free and, with a sea border, Eflad. The eastern border was mostly defined by the peace treaties after the Great War and is therefore barely definable by any geographic features.
The current territory of Gianatla is shaped mainly by the Orrim and the Faburg plain on the Hazle Isle, the Vororrim, Gellenberg peninsula and Frastinian low coasts on the mainland, and the Stellar and Teufelsberg volcanoes on the islands of Eisern and Steenoog.
There are several mountains above 4,000 m in elevation all throughout Gianatla. The highest mountain is Sun Peak (Alman: Sonnenspitze), which can be found in the far East near the border with Holy Free. Another significant peak is Neptune's Mountain (Alman: Neptunsberg), which is located almost in the center of Atlantis near the city of Lindau. It has the second highest summit in Gianatla and is, due to its religious significance for the Atlantics, the most popular mountain in the country for locals and tourists alike.
The 10 highest mountains of Gianatla
Name
Height
Sonnenspitze
4,712 m
Neptunsberg
4,278 m
Kumberg
4,118 m
Liebberg
3,351 m
Rubinberg
3,007 m
Nicker
4,179 m
Stellar
3,122 m
Fritzl
3,077 m
Gellenberg
2,631 m
Teufelsoog
2,441 m
Three major rivers of international importance are flowing through Gianatla. The Berse in the East is acting as a border to x, while the Luhn connects the former government seat city Lukasstadt to the Astro Sea. The biggest inland harbour of Gianatla is located on the wide Astro River (Alman: Aster) near the city of Bohlendorf, which is why the river is considered to be the economically most important river of the country. A few smaller rivers have been significant to the development of several cities and municipalities of Gianatla or have cultural importance, as the Atlantic culture is built around the worship of "water deities".
Despite several plans to build a number of canals throughout Gianatla's territory, most notably a "Northern Canal" to cut through the Atlantic panhandle and a "Mid-Gianlucian Canal" connecting the Aster with the River Teddi by going from Bohlendorf harbour to near the city of Rautenheim, the challenging topography of the country as well as financial constraints have prevented the Gianlucian government to follow through with their plans.
Gianatla's hydrography is completed by a number of lakes scattered throughout the country. Their origins are diverse and a number of them are fed by rivers, however more than half of the Gianlucian lakes are remains of mining activity in the mountains of the Vororrim. A majority of those mining lakes is still not safely usable for the public.
The 10 longest rivers of Gianatla
Name
Length
Kuck
219.24 km
Liese
212,60 km
Luhn
205.99 km
Achim
179.99 km
Westtripp
166.07 km
Teddi
160.19 km
Astro
159.74 km
Anne
149.84 km
Osttripp
139,98 km
Berse
139.51 km
Climate
Climate zones in Gianatla
Gianatla’s location between ca. 3° N and 3° S of the equator puts the country firmly into the tropical climate zone. According to the standard climate classification system, the mainland of the country is affected by a tropical rainforest climate with around 1,800 mm of yearly, all-year around high precipitation and an average temperature of 26.2°C, while the Hazle Isle has a tropical monsoon climate that features similar temperature levels, but also a short “dry season” from July to September, where rain occurs less heavily than in the rest of the year. As of an elevation of 1,000 m an oceanic climate zone begins, where temperatures reduce, which leads to the rainforests becoming more temperate, but still temperatures do not go below 17°C during the summer months (December to February). As of 3,000 m elevation, Gianatla features a dry alpine climate with no trees and cold, but rarely freezing temperatures never exceeding 15°C even in Summer.
The concept of seasons is known to most Gianlucians, albeit almost none of them live in areas that experience a distinct number of them. This stems not only from media, but also from the fact that domestic climate zones featuring non-evergreen trees or even snow are popular tourist destinations for Gianlucians and are or were historically significant for agriculture and mining, which also established the idea of seasonal varying food for instance.
Environment
As typical for a country with a rainforest climate, Gianatla has a high level of biodiversity in its lowland forests, rivers and within its exclusive economic zone in the Astro Sea. With a rising elevation, the amount of biomass decreases due to an increasingly harsher environment, not only in terms of weather but also land use.
Flora
A pink lapacho tree in Asterbrück
The flora of Gianatla is mainly defined by tropical, evergreen hardwood trees, such as kapoks, rubber trees, bread nut trees or pink lapachos, and climber plants, e.g. orchids, rattan or jasmine. In the lower alpine regions of the country, pine and spruce trees can also be found and have become the center of typical Gianlucian Christmas celebrations.
Fauna
The local rainforests particularly feature several kinds of colourful butterflies and birds, small bats, gastropods and the Frastinian forest boar. A small group of West Frastinian orangutans also still exists within a natural conservation area in the state of Wessküst-Rauten. In the more temperate regions as well as in parts of the lower alpine regions of Gianatla, livestock such as cattle, pigs, chicken and sheep were settled by farmers. The only notable native animal to still live in those regions is the Luhnland antilope.
A significant number of fish and crustaceans live in the territorial waters of Gianatla. Occasionally whales can also be sighted in the Astro Sea and off the coasts of Eisern and Steenoog. A culturally significant role especially for the Atlantics plays the Serevan whale, mainly living in the Serevan Sea between the Revolution Strait and Atlantic Strait.
Officially extinct animals include the Cordilian elephant, which was once also found around the Astro Sea, but sighted for the last time in the 1920s, and a majority of big predators, especially reptiles like crocodiles and snakes, that have been once considered plentiful, but fell victim to a trend of trophy and bushmeat hunting from the 19th century onwards. Only in 1973, a strict law on wild animal hunting was passed and prevented a complete loss of Gianatla’s biological diversity.
Fire cats, smaller domesticated versions of phoenix cats, are popular pets in Gianatla
The Gianlucian national animal, the phoenix cat, has been in danger of extinction as well. However, the domestication of smaller breeds, now known as fire cats, and an initiative founded in 2001 with the goal to stabilize the phoenix cat population has helped the species to continue its existence until the present day in healthy numbers.
Fight against biodiversity loss
Due to industrialization, the extensive land use for agriculture in the more temperate climate zones of the country, the mining industry, the tourism sector. deforestation of the rainforests and overfishing, the Gianlucian wildlife is in constant, imminent danger of going extinct. This would also endanger the local fauna and with that overall the local ecosystem, that stretches further out than the political borders of the country. As such several state governments have passed legislation to establish natural conservation areas and to try and maintain the number of species and individual animals on a constant level. Several non-government organisations call for a more fundamental federal law on biodiversity protection, and cooperation between Frastinian nations, fearing that the goals of the Atlantis climate accords cannot be reached otherwise. According to the Gianlucian Wild Life Society (Alman: Gianlucische Wildtiergesellschaft), current legislative efforts “merely provide damage control, yet don’t want to reestablish a functioning ecosystem, in which humans and animals coexist”.
Natural resources and land use
Non-renewable resources
Gianatla has had control over all significant minerals and ores throughout its history. Most notably, the country had and still has in some areas an abundance of coal and iron in the mountain ranges of the Vororrim, the Atlantic panhandle and the lowland rain forests. Large bauxite deposits were also scattered throughout the nation.
Due to the advancing industrialisation and the economic booms, that led to the rise of companies producing vehicles and other heavy machinery, those resources as well as the relatively smaller deposits of copper, gold, lead, zinc, silver and other elements have slowly been depleted. With climate action becoming a relevant part of the Gianlucian political culture and with the current expectations to not discover any new, relevant element deposits of significant size in the near future, Gianatla is quite dependent on imports of several metals, oil and natural gas and will eventually not have a relevant mining industry anymore as of the 2050s the latest.
To reduce the dependencies, the Gianlucian governments started subsidizing companies putting their focus on recycling and moving Gianatla towards a hydrogen-based economy. Experts do not expect a noteworthy result of these policies for the next few years however.
Agriculture
Ca. x % of the Gianlucian land area is used for agriculture. The following list provides an overview of crops, that are regularly grown or native to Gianatla in alphabetical order:
banana
basil
beans
carrots
cayenne pepper
chili
cinnamon
Cocoa is native to Gianatla and one of its biggest export goodscocoa
coconut
coffee
corn
ginger
lemon
mango
nutmeg
onions
papaya
peanut
pepper
pineapple
potato
rice
sugarcane
sweet potato
tomato
turmeric
water melon
Due to Gianatla’s colonial history and trade, the Gianlucian people were exposed to other cuisines and different edible crops throughout its centuries-long history. Thus Gianlucian food culture has partially estranged itself from natively available food. Instead the country imports much of the people’s favourite ingredients. Gianatla is one of the biggest importers of the following crops in alphabetical order:
apples
asparagus
Wheat is one of the most imported crops in Gianatlabell pepper
cabbages (e.g. broccoli, brussel's sprouts, cauliflower, red cabbage, white cabbage)
cumin
garlic
hops
mustard
rosemary
spinach
vanilla
wheat
Silviculture and aquaculture
Forests make up ca. y % of the Gianlucian land area. Around half of these are owned privately with the other half being property of the state. The Gianlucian law on forests (Alman: Waldgesetz) regulates all forests. It recognizes a general right to roam, which can only be limited during hunting seasons or in case of life-endangering economical or ecological activities being conducted. It also rules, woods must be managed in a healthy way, encouraging to mix several tree and plant types in every forest to maintain biodiversity. Still especially private owners of forests have deforested huge areas to focus on growing oil palms to eventually refine palm oil. In recent years fierce debates between environmentalists, criticizing the effects of oil palm cultivation on the wildlife and how the refinery of palm oil leads to the loss of carbon sinks in Gianatla, and economic organisations stressing the growth opportunities for the Gianlucian nation have occurred.
Aquaculture is not a significant part of the Gianlucian economy, nonetheless due to the Atlantics reverence and cultural respect for the sea. As such, there is no food sovereignty in regards to sea food in Gianatla. Additionally the global effects of overfishing and constant maritime traffic in and around the Gianlucian territorial seas has made industrial fishing difficult. This has led to fish farms being the primary source of sea food since the 1980s.
Natural hazards
The South Pacifican ring of fire tangents Gianatla in its north-west and leads to volcanic activity, regular smaller earthquakes and very rarely tsunamis hitting the coasts of these areas. While volcanic eruptions (the last one was recorded on Steenoog in 1879), major earthquakes (the last one with a magnitude of at least 7.0 was recorded in 2002) and tsunamis (the last one with a significant impact on the population was recorded in 1952) have become less common in recent years, public warning systems are still regularly maintained and tested. Furthermore, the ministry of the interior maintains a number of emergency protocols for any of these catastrophes in the most endangered areas. The plans were developed in the 1960s and are under regular professional review since then.
More often than that, monsoon rains affect the population negatively, having historically led to crop failures, flooded streets and houses or destroyed infrastructure. With climate change, rainfall in the wet seasons will increase in intensity and temperatures in the drier seasons, which already rose to new extremes in recent years, having exceeded 40° C (104° F) regularly for more than one week since 2016, will rise even more. With that the effects of the monsoon will only become stronger for the Gianlucian population in the upcoming decades.
Gianatla has a social market economy with a highly skilled labour force, a low level of corruption and an average level of innovation. Its monetary policy is set by the Gianlucian Central Bank, who also issues Gianatla’s national currency, the Gianlucian Tack (GAT). The bank tries to maintain the yearly inflation at around 2%.
Economic history
While the Gianlucian economy has been dependent on the exploitation and selling of its and its former colonies’ natural resources for most of the country’s history, the industrial revolution in the 1810s has been a turning point. The introduction of steam-powered machines through trade with the Austral Empire has not only led to higher production capacities and an increase in exports, but also to the first scientific boom, in which scientists and innovators have developed multiple concepts for complex machinery. With that they laid the foundation for innovations like modern cars or trains, which would eventually become goods Gianatla is one of the biggest exporters of up until today.
Due to decolonization and the subsequent loss of direct trading opportunities with several Pacifican countries in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Gianlucian Empire’s economy was becoming more focused on the extended Frastinian region. That region however, had mostly protectionist policies in place, which ultimately meant a drastic loss of capital for the companies and decreasing disposable income and wealth for the populace. The following rise of Frankism and the participation in the Great War have helped dampen the economic decline of the empire, also partially due to the use of slave labor in the occupied territories.
After the surrender in 1954 and the partial deindustrialization in order to pay reparations to the victims of the Gianlucian invasions, the economy of the newly found republic has been in shambles. Economic policies, that combined a free market with a social welfare state, were the key to the quick rebuilding of the Gianlucian market and the reestablishment of foreign trade relations in the 1960s and ‘70s, that are known today as Wirtschaftswunderpolitik (economic wonder policy). It was during this time, the Gianlucian economy has started to be known for having expertise in vehicle manufacturing, traffic planning, cheap energy production through nuclear power and food services.
The second scientific boom occurred in the mid-1990s and arguably lasts up until now. While in the beginning, the Gianlucians mainly tried to compete with other nations in the field of telecommunications, entrepreneurs would soon switch to digital services and software development instead. This culminated in becoming a global leader in the digital entertainment industry of today. Further fields of scientific development include the renewable energy sector, which experienced a boom in recent years at the cost of nuclear energy and the domestic mining economy.
Current market situation
The streaming service Risa is still Gianatla's company with the biggest market capitalisation
Whereas the primary sector is almost negligible nowadays in the Gianlucian economy, it only accounts for approximately 1% of the GDP, the secondary and tertiary sector are far more important, accounting for ca. 34% and 65% of the GDP respectively.
Since 1976 the Gianlucischer Wirtschaftsindex (Gianlucian Economic Index, GIWIX) in Osttor shows the 30, since 2011 50, largest Gianlucian companies by market capitalization. Currently (April 2022) roughly 40% of the companies listed in the index are part of the entertainment sector. Those include the streaming platforms Risa and Audit, but also several film producers and the gaming company Orion. Ca. 28% of the companies can be attributed to the manufacturing sector and include the Gianlucian branch of Aeronaut, the car manufacturer Volksmobil and the sports wear brand Fennick. The third largest sector is the food and food service sector with almost 11%, which contains companies like the fast food giant Schuhmachers or the chocolate producer Heinrich. All companies in the GIWIX together have a worth of around TSP-$ 846 billion.
International trade
Gianatla's geographic position is advantageous for international trade. Located at the Western boundary of Cordilia, some Gianlucian coastal cities have developed to be logistic hubs for maritime trade from the Western parts of Pacifica to the South Pacific region. The location around the Atlantic Strait, which is used by cargo ships travelling northbound from southern Cordilia, is profitable for Gianatla as they can charge cargo ships going through the strait, that cuts travel times at least in half unlike if a route alongside Bruuma and Puerto Pollo is taken.
Gianatla’s main economic partners are Besern, Erinor and Sereva, Huawan and Sedunn. While there have been talks about free trade agreements with several countries, only one has been finalized up until today: an agreement with Snolland from 2008. With Gianatla co-founding the Concordia Entente in February 2022, the probability for a second, larger free trade agreement, also including the Frost Empire, Erinor and Sereva, Sedunn and Stoinia, has increased. Talks on this have not begun yet.
Science and technology
The professional Gianlucian scientific community is one of the best funded in the South Pacific region, receiving support from both, the government, spending ca. 4% of its budget on research and development, and private companies. Gianatla has profited from the scientific booms by becoming world-renowned innovators in the sectors of vehicle manufacturing and design, and software development. Green tech and medicinal research also became bigger in recent years, yet Gianatla is still not an innovation leader in those sectors. Former fields of heavy research in the Gianlucian scientific community include nuclear power production, telecommunications, computer hardware, resilient crops and fertilizers. In those areas, other countries have overtaken Gianatla in recent decades, which led to the government's divesting of research funds in those sectors. The biggest scientific communities can be found at the universities in Nordtor, Atlantis and Freudstadt. The latter also hosts the WF-Committee for Science and Education.
Gianatla is part of the CPSC since 1998 and has an own space agency, but not an own launch site. Its biggest missions were its participation in modernising a module of the PSS in 2003 and the installment of a satellite for global traffic observations in 2009.
Tourism
While in comparison to its neighbouring countries Gianatla is a less popular tourist destination, it still has a steadily growing touristic sector with a focus on advertising the sea resorts of the coastal lowlands, the volcanic island of Steenoog and the climable as well as partially skiable mountains of Eastern Gianatla.
The country offers a variety of cultural facilities like museums or theatres, markets and spas. The dense transportation network does attract tourists from abroad also.
Notable landmarks and sights include Neptune’s Mountain in the state of Atlantis, the Democracy Park in Lukasstadt, the Königspalast building in Atlantis and the Gianniwood film studios in Südtor.
Future challenges
Gianatla is subject to demographic change. The birthrate has been declining for years already and even after the incorporation of Atlantis in 2011 there is no sign in sight, this development will be reversed anytime soon. This will eventually lead to higher government spending on pensions and healthcare, which would reduce the economic growth of the country in the future.
Furthermore, climate change is threatening the country. On the one hand rising sea levels and a strengthened intensity of monsoons could lead to more floods costing the society many losses in life and property. On the other hand the deceleration of currents bringing colder air into the region combined with the still continuing deforestation of some areas in Gianatla could lead to a partial desertification of the country. Chancellor Sanddorn and her green-liberal coalition have therefore agreed to make Gianatla climate neutral by 2040[3]. There is also a rise of companies like Solstar or Zuhup noticeable, which focus on the construction of renewable energy plants or the development of CO2-capture methods.
