Dem
Dem
池 | |
|---|---|
| Country | Qgam |
| Founded | c. 0 CE |
| Government | |
| • mayor | Kiy Sam |
| Population (2017) | |
| • Total | 1,601,088 |
| Demonym(s) | Dem lo |
| Time zone | -2 |
Dem (Qgam Dzwo: 池, /dɛm/) is the second largest, and southernmost major city in Qgam, as well as the capital and largest city of Twam Kheaw Province. It is located along the banks of the Smaa River.
The City of Dem is considered to be the focal point of Nuar culture in Qgam, as it has the highest concentration of ethnic Nuar in all of Qgam.
Etymology
The name of Dem is officially written with the Kwang character meaning "pond", but the word itself originates from the Nuar word ḏem meaning "river bend".
History
Dem is estimated to have been founded approximately 2,000 years ago by the Nuar. It quickly grew into a powerful city-state which held power in the region for several hundred years before, after a number of military defeats, eventually becoming a tributary of the Qãłū , which itself subsequently became a tributary of Yatsi Kingdom. The Yatsi kingdom itself was then eventually conquered by the Qgams in 773. As a tributary of Yatsi, Dem also quickly fell under Qgamic rule.
After the Qgamic conquest, many ethnic Nuar migrated to Dem, and it gradually became the centrepoint for Nuar culture. The Nuar language slowly died out throughout Qgam, and Dem became the last holdout of the language, until it eventually ceased to be spoken in the 16th century.
Dem now functions as Qgam's second city, and, considering the extreme northern location of Qgam's capital city Hwam Deanĝ Ruom, Dem serves as the de facto capital of southern Qgam, being the centre of education and business in the region.
Geography
Dem straddles the Smaa River. It is a regional trade hub, and many materials are shipped along the Smaa River to and from Ham Year, which has a number of international maritime shipping connections.
Climate
Dem is located within a Warm-summer humid continental climate zone, and it boasts some of the warmest summers of all of Qgam, with temperatures regularly reaching 24 degrees Celsius in July. Its winters are also relatively mild, dropping to an average of -5 degrees Celsius in January.
| Climate data for Dem (Dem City Hall) (1935-2015) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.8 (53.2) |
13.4 (56.1) |
19.2 (66.6) |
28.2 (82.8) |
31.0 (87.8) |
33.7 (92.7) |
36.0 (96.8) |
36.2 (97.2) |
31.7 (89.1) |
24.2 (75.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
14.3 (57.7) |
36.2 (97.2) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 0.2 (32.4) |
0.9 (33.6) |
4.8 (40.6) |
11.7 (53.1) |
17.7 (63.9) |
21.2 (70.2) |
24.1 (75.4) |
23.9 (75) |
18.9 (66) |
12.9 (55.2) |
6.4 (43.5) |
1.8 (35.2) |
12.04 (53.68) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.4 (27.7) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
1.6 (34.9) |
7.4 (45.3) |
12.9 (55.2) |
16.6 (61.9) |
19.7 (67.5) |
19.6 (67.3) |
15.0 (59) |
9.4 (48.9) |
3.7 (38.7) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
8.41 (47.14) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −5 (23) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
3.1 (37.6) |
8.1 (46.6) |
12 (54) |
15.2 (59.4) |
15.3 (59.5) |
11 (52) |
5.9 (42.6) |
1 (34) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
4.76 (40.63) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −29.9 (−21.8) |
−28.7 (−19.7) |
−16.9 (1.6) |
−14.5 (5.9) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
0.6 (33.1) |
4.7 (40.5) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−2 (28) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−16.8 (1.8) |
−24 (−11) |
−29.9 (−21.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 59.9 (2.358) |
49.0 (1.929) |
45.9 (1.807) |
39.9 (1.571) |
47.0 (1.85) |
56.9 (2.24) |
73 (2.87) |
82.3 (3.24) |
77.7 (3.059) |
63.2 (2.488) |
62.7 (2.469) |
63.6 (2.504) |
721.1 (28.385) |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
Culture
As mentioned above, Dem is the focal point for Nuar culture in Qgam. There is a rather unique food culture that follows Nuar traditions, such as deep fried meat pies and and many different types of dumplings.
Dem also hosts the largest of the caci field games, a type of informal or semi-formal athletic competition that is held in the summer months. For many centuries, these sporting events have been a staple of Nuar culture, and they have remained an important part of southern culture. Many people come to Dem in the summer to participate in large or small competitions, and to partake in the festivities that accompany them.
Demographics
Dem is the only major city in Qgam with a majority population of ethnic Nuar. This can be seen for example in surnames such as Kiy, Oyaanĝ, Ļeay, which are extremely common in Dem and the rest of southern Qgam, but much more rare in the north.
The Dem dialect is also significantly different from Standard Qgam, as it fully lacks the palatalized vowels of the northern dialects, does not distinguish between š and ç or k and kh, and lacks the present and future auxiliaries do and šruo, instead using the auxiliaries yaa and boy for these purposes, among other differences in vocabulary as well.