Xynderland

Republic of Xynderland Öftregelnasan Avxyntvälsz Öftregelnasan Avxyntvälś
Flag
Anthem: Svonie Jyrenne'
The map of Xynderland (Xynder)
The map of Xynderland (English)
Capital		Dukrone
Largest		Zotterberg
Official languages		Xynder
Recognised regional languages		Heufdalian, Exgot, Undren
Demonym		Xynden (n.) Xynderian (adj.)
Government		Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic
-	President	Krystianen Primevus Kröaning
Area
-		59,210 km2 22,861 sq mi
-	Water (%)	4.2
Population
-	estimate	14009086
-	Density	236.6/km2 612.8/sq mi
HDI		0.762 high
Currency		Crune (Krune) (XLK)
Time zone		SCT (SCT+1)
Date format		DD-MM-YYYY
Drives on the		left
Calling code		+22

Xynderland (IPA: English pronunciation: /ˈzɪndɜrlænd/, Xynder: Avxyntvälla (Avxyntvälẋa), IPA: /ˈäu̯zɪntˌvælːä/), officially the Republic of Xynderland, is a country located in the middle of the Amiyant Sea, consisting of only two islands. Its closest neighbors are Lugida to the east and Zaizung to the west.

Etymology

The term Avxynt originally came from the words av "out" and Xynt "person" which originally came to mean foreigner, thus Avxyntvälla meant land of the foreigners. This was because the word Xynt became the word for someone of the mainland. Xynderland retained this name even after its political dissociation from the mainland states. Avxynt is nowadays used in Xynder to refer to a Xynden.

Culture

City trees

Main article: Hvoir

City trees (Xynder: Hvöiren, IPA: [ˈθvøɪɾ-ɛn]) are usually big and very old trees found in or near to the centre of most cities in Xynderland. It is said that the type of tree can say a lot about its city's people and past. A few centuries ago, they contained the honour and pride of a city, and was usually what brought the city together for festivals and other communal events. Quite far in history they even used to be worshipped and were seen as protectors of a city. During Xynderland's kingdom days, part of the punishment of treason was to have the city tree of the offender's home cut down, both as a symbol of power and to assure shame and dishonour towards the individual. When the Revolution happened, the city tree of the contemporary capital Euvo was cut down and called "corrupt" to reflect the opinions towards the then-dead king. Nowadays they are still heavily respected by the inhabitants, and are commonly seen a symbol of respect for those who have passed away.

Most city trees will possess a fairly large preserved area around them of empty field, serving as a reminder of the Xyndens' strong and historical connection with the beauty of nature even prior to urbanisation. Most city children will often gladly enjoy their time outside by the tree. The large area provides great opportunities for gatherings and most Xynden will get married under the tree before the city's people. Thus most people within a Xynderian city are very close and get along just as well as those who live in the countryside.

The trees' heart-warming significance means that in the rare cases they do get destroyed such as during heavy storms, it warrants the mourning of the entire city and even calls for national silence at times. Being seen attempting to destroy or deface the tree will in most occurrences result in one's immediate arrest. If somehow one manages to destroy a city tree without yet being apprehended, they are in accordance with historical law charged with treason. Despite this, the punishment for treason no longer has changed to exclude death and the felling of one's home-tree. This protectiveness of the trees seen in Xynden often confuses those not native to the culture.