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Basic Information
Population (2019 Est.): 55,795,890
Capital: Awingar
Language: Nurdish
President: Shura Erco (Cosmopolitan, Awingar)
Currency: Jex
Primary Exports: Cherries, wheat bread, tea, film, music, grapes, computer software
Topography
Area: 411,460 km^2
Average Temperature (Summer): 19.1°C
Average Temperature (Winter): 10.1°C
Annual Precipitation: 21.4 mm
Ethnic Makeup
Nurdish: 44.6%
English: 14.2%
Canyōne: 12.2%
African: 11.1%
Japanese: 5.4%
Italian: 3.2%
Korean: 2.8%
Mexican: 2.7%
Chinese: 2.5%
Other: 1.3%
Religion
Jewish: 37.9%
Roman Catholic: 20.5%
Buddhist: 12.1%
Mormon: 4.2%
Other: 3.5%
No Religion: 21.8%
Timeline
3200 B.C. - Earliest settlements in Nurdia
2846 B.C. - The village of Awingar is founded. Initially a small fishing station in Ancient Nurdia, it would later grow to be the civilization's capital and primary hub of culture by the Antiquity Age.
1995 B.C. - Beginning of the reign of Cheb I, Nurdia’s first monarch.
1002 B.C. to 965 B.C. - Reign of Tzaimeig the Pure. During his extensive period as the Nurdish emperor, the relatively primitive civilization dramatically expands its borders, increases its population, and develops a writing system that the nobility uses to enact major political reforms, paving the way for a growing middle class and social culture. Tzaimeig is still a national symbol in Nurdia today.
700 B.C. - Estimated date of the earliest tablets detailing Nurdish mythology. While these stories had previously been passed on orally likely since before the age of Cheb I, they began to flesh out dramatically during the 7th, 6th, and 5th Centuries B.C., due not only to the advent of literacy, but also because the Nurdish class system had evolved considerably, and the recurring themes and figures of these tales transformed to reflect their values. Though Nurdish tablet systems had prevailed since Tzaimeig, it was only by the turn of the 7th Century B.C. that writing became mainstream in the Nurdish urban class. Peasants still communicated orally, due to their general isolation from the rest of the population.
481 B.C. - Nurdia is invaded by the Canyōne, who conquer their capital city of Garukkin, abduct the incumbent empress Cheb XV, and install Mastro I as the new leader. Such begins the Nurdish Dark Age, when Canyōne culture is introduced to a fiercely resistant Nurdish population. For centuries, there would be much civil war and an intricately developed relationship between the Nurdish and Canyōne-Nurdish, who would squabble for political control and leave the empire in constant disarray.
21 B.C. - Roughly regarded as the end of the Nurdish Dark Age, when political reforms result in stronger enforced central authority, fairer and more stable representation between the Nurdish and Canyōne, and trade agreements that result in a more harmonious relationship between Nurdia and Canyōne.
5 A.D. - Construction of the Shrine of Harmony, a holy community center where early Nurdish religious sermons take place, impoverished citizens are given shelter, and medicine is granted to the sick.
405 - A scandal involving the incumbent monarch, Dooli III, who’s caught murdering a Nurdish priest, results in mass protests that ultimately result in the installment of Othro I, a religious extremist, as the new ruler of Nurdia. Throughout the course of his 19-year-reign, he enforces several reforms to increase the church’s influence over the government. The Shrine of Harmony is converted from a hospital and worship centre into a political forum.
418 - Othro I dies of an unknown disease. His son Othro II assumes the throne. He attempts to liberalize the church government by encouraging more religious freedom, but this results in political instability, negates the church’s grip on Nurdia’s social climate, and leads to several years of economic depression.
418 to 422 - An economic downturn, caused by poor market regulation, unstable prices, and a deficit of crops, ravages Garukkin.
541 - Garukkin is conquered by the Matazing Republic, who plunder the city and convert it into a mercantile province. Ancient Nurdia is effectively destroyed.
755 - The Great Rebellion of 755 destroys the Matazing-installed fiefdom and ushers in a long period of independent growth.
755 to 1291 - Nurdish Antiquity Age. The government is initially concentrated in the capital city of Awingar, but overtime, provincial governments are established to manage the civilization’s increasing size and population.
985 - The University of Awingar is founded. During its early years, it is pretty much exclusive to aristocrats from Awingar, who use their education to strengthen the capital city's strangle and influence over the less advanced provinces.
1009 - Briton missionaries cross the Bendevel Forest's dimensional portal, then unknown to the Nurdish except as a feared element in its myths, and introduce Catholicism to the empire. By this time, Nurdish religion is not solidly defined, mostly being a mix of fragmented Ancient Nurdish paganism and Matazing spiritualism. While the core of Nurdia, including the cities of Awingar and Garukkin, is fiercely resistant to Catholicism, the provincial regions adopt it readily due to their tepid, immature culture and lack of fortification (they defended themselves primarily through militias, which generally only attacked bandits and invading armies). Over the coming centuries, Nurdish paganism and Matazing spiritualism decline, but will not be entirely abolished until the military coup of 1676.
1291 A.D. to 1360 A.D. - Nurdish Parliamentary Era. After a treaty is signed, the Nurdish government establishes a parliamentary system that attempts to balance the quarreling interests of the empire’s various provinces.
1360 A.D. to 1676 - Nurdish Imperial Age. Monowiket successfully manipulates the ailing Nurdish middle class into a powerful and influential coalition, which strangles the Nurdish economy to the point that the Parliament is forced to concede absolute power to him. For over three centuries, Nurdia is a rapidly expanding empire that drastically expands its trade network and extends its borders.
1676 - A coup overthrows the Nurdish monarchy and installs military government, which will dominate Nurdish politics for the next 150 years. Despite an economic upheaval, the country becomes much more ideological and polarized.
1808 - A dimensional portal is discovered by General Carrin during his march through the Bendevel Forest, located 200 miles northwest of Awingar. His legion comes into contact with a peaceful village in southern England, who provide food and shleter for his fatigued clan and start a long-lasting trade partnership between said village and Awingar. Through this deal, Awingar is gradually exposed to earthly culture, which dramatically influences its social landscape over the coming several decades.
1824 to 1838 - A mass exodus of English Jews results in their ultimate settlement in Awingar. Over the course of 14 years, the city’s population explodes from roughly 56,000 to over 100,000.
1842 - The military government is dismantled due to pressure from the Nurdish aristocracy, which has grown so influential and powerful that it now rivals the government in cultural influence.
1846 - Completion of the Great Station, a major border crossing station that regulates the linkage between Nurdia and Earth.
1871 - Due to rapidly shifting demographics and increased cultural exchange with Earth, the plutocratic system of government that had prevailed for the previous 29 years is converted into a democracy. Amidst severely disputed results, Drah Valshiek is elected the country’s first president.
1873 - Tired of prosecution at home and driven to the edge by the Panic of 1873, thousands of American Mormons migrate to Nurdia in hopes of enjoying a safer and more prosperous life.
1914 to 1918 - During the course of World War I, Nurdia declares neutrality. However, this doesn’t prevent a large portion of English civilians from fleeing to Awingar to avoid combat.
1922 - Jazz music becomes popular in the city of Etzen, which gradually develops a musical tradition of its own.
1925 - The Nurdish film industry is born in the Gildren district of Awingar. Due to limited resources, it would not make the mainstream shift to sound film until roughly 1936.
1945 - In the aftermath of World War II, Japanese immigrants move to Nurdia to start a better life.
1952 - During the Cold War, J. Edgar Hoover investigates possible pro-Soviet operations in Nurdia due to its diverse culture and isolation from Earth. President Ocre Erco denies Nurdish participation in the Cold War, insisting that his primary focus is improving Nurdia's economic autonomy. As part of his strategy of neutrality, he drastically increases funding to improve security and signs a bill that drastically regulates correspondence with foreign territories.
17 November 1953 - The iconic film Sands of Time is released. Set in a romanticized version of the Nurdish Antiquity Age, the movie is groundbreaking for its epic storytelling, impressive set pieces, and creative use of fantasy elements to create a large-scale masterpiece that finally establishes Gildren as a viable competitor to imported Hollywood movies and not just a cheap hub of nationalistic projects. While the tone of the movie is still patriotic, it helps pave the way for legitimate artistry in future Nurdish movies.
1955 - When neighboring country Canyōne begins publicly supporting the USSR due to its friendly relationship with Nikita Khrushchev, President Erco declares Nurdish support for America, hoping to quell growing suspicions that Nurdia is also supporting the USSR. Despite this, a vocal chunk of Nurdish, mostly from the Socialist Party, cause the United States to feel skeptical about the Nurdish, fearing they are playing double agent.
1 January 1960 - The Nurdish Singles Chart is launched. Its first #1 hit is "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin. The song is beloved in Nurdia for its embrace of classic swing and building structure.
28 September 1962 - "Hold on Me" by Libbit Krau becomes the first #1 single by a Nurdish singer. Up until her commercial breakthrough, Nurdia's music industry was primarily underground jazz, with the vast majority of the country's pop hits being imported.
28 April 1974 - Gildren legend Mavio Muo is found dead at 32 from a car accident while visiting Los Angeles. He had been a promising and charismatic actor throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, famous for giving a voice to the neglected, misunderstood Baby Boomers from Nurdia.
5 May 1976 - The Polghrit Letters are leaked to the Nurdish press. They disclose several methods that several members of the Nurdish Parliament had used to misrepresent their districts on certain matters. Calls for civil reform are imminent.
18 November 1983 - By this point, the Nurdish Socialist Party is on its last legs, due to the negative impact it had on Nurdia's relationship with the increasingly influential First World nations. Despite merging with the more domestically accepted Cosmopolitan Party, Jheuhu Maldin loses his presidential bid in a landslide to the Union Party challenger, Marc Erco. Erco runs an iconic campaign that touts, "Tradition is the wave of the future."
1985 - The University of Awingar has its millennial celebration.
18 September 1998 - "Story of My Life" by Christine becomes a surprise #1 hit after it is featured in the award-winning Nurdish film Blue Dawn, a drama focusing on the life of a terminally ill teen from a working class family who writes a novel that would only come to receive praise several years after her death. The movie is loosely based on the true story of Gadrish Viel, whose published a book of the same name in 1964 that was initially scorned as a piece of incomprehensible garbage but would eventually develop a huge cult following among academics by the early 1990s. The book's popularity exploded even further after the success of the movie, which won Best Nurdish Picture for 1998. The film has never really crossed over to Earth due to the language barrier, but it remains iconic in Nurdia to this day. Christine herself would only ever have one more Nurdish hit, "Because the Night", which peaked at #18 in January 1999, before fading from the limelight, due to the Japan-centric Avex Music's strict policies on the distribution of her music. Avex had begrudgingly allowed EMI Nurdia to release a full compilation of Christine songs in November 1998 that she had recorded with her label SCP, but the album charted poorly due to the surrounding circumstances.
2001 - In response to the 9/11 attacks, the Great Station is controversially shut down for several months as Nurdish President Blitz Banning invests billions of jex into renovating it so that it will be more secure from terrorists. Because thousands of Nurdish are stranded on Earth, Internet use skyrockets and several Nurdish companies are forced to digitize their jobs. While Nurdia becomes a pioneer for Internet use and its economy soars as a result, Banning is very nearly impeached for physically separating thousands of families.
28 February 2002 - After a long and difficult period, the Great Station is finally reopened, despite still being under cosmetic modification.
7 October 2011 - Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory" sets a record by staying at #1 on the Nurdish Singles Chart for 21 consecutive weeks, keeping off songs like "Rolling in the Deep" and "Party Rock Anthem" from the top spot in doing so.
18 November 2011 - Election of the current President of Nurdia, Shura Erco. Unlike her father, Shura is a member of the Cosmopolitan Party, believing Marc's vision of a solid, undiluted Nurdia must embrace interest groups from Earth and adapt to the digital age.
2846 B.C. - The village of Awingar is founded. Initially a small fishing station in Ancient Nurdia, it would later grow to be the civilization's capital and primary hub of culture by the Antiquity Age.
1995 B.C. - Beginning of the reign of Cheb I, Nurdia’s first monarch.
1002 B.C. to 965 B.C. - Reign of Tzaimeig the Pure. During his extensive period as the Nurdish emperor, the relatively primitive civilization dramatically expands its borders, increases its population, and develops a writing system that the nobility uses to enact major political reforms, paving the way for a growing middle class and social culture. Tzaimeig is still a national symbol in Nurdia today.
700 B.C. - Estimated date of the earliest tablets detailing Nurdish mythology. While these stories had previously been passed on orally likely since before the age of Cheb I, they began to flesh out dramatically during the 7th, 6th, and 5th Centuries B.C., due not only to the advent of literacy, but also because the Nurdish class system had evolved considerably, and the recurring themes and figures of these tales transformed to reflect their values. Though Nurdish tablet systems had prevailed since Tzaimeig, it was only by the turn of the 7th Century B.C. that writing became mainstream in the Nurdish urban class. Peasants still communicated orally, due to their general isolation from the rest of the population.
481 B.C. - Nurdia is invaded by the Canyōne, who conquer their capital city of Garukkin, abduct the incumbent empress Cheb XV, and install Mastro I as the new leader. Such begins the Nurdish Dark Age, when Canyōne culture is introduced to a fiercely resistant Nurdish population. For centuries, there would be much civil war and an intricately developed relationship between the Nurdish and Canyōne-Nurdish, who would squabble for political control and leave the empire in constant disarray.
21 B.C. - Roughly regarded as the end of the Nurdish Dark Age, when political reforms result in stronger enforced central authority, fairer and more stable representation between the Nurdish and Canyōne, and trade agreements that result in a more harmonious relationship between Nurdia and Canyōne.
5 A.D. - Construction of the Shrine of Harmony, a holy community center where early Nurdish religious sermons take place, impoverished citizens are given shelter, and medicine is granted to the sick.
405 - A scandal involving the incumbent monarch, Dooli III, who’s caught murdering a Nurdish priest, results in mass protests that ultimately result in the installment of Othro I, a religious extremist, as the new ruler of Nurdia. Throughout the course of his 19-year-reign, he enforces several reforms to increase the church’s influence over the government. The Shrine of Harmony is converted from a hospital and worship centre into a political forum.
418 - Othro I dies of an unknown disease. His son Othro II assumes the throne. He attempts to liberalize the church government by encouraging more religious freedom, but this results in political instability, negates the church’s grip on Nurdia’s social climate, and leads to several years of economic depression.
418 to 422 - An economic downturn, caused by poor market regulation, unstable prices, and a deficit of crops, ravages Garukkin.
541 - Garukkin is conquered by the Matazing Republic, who plunder the city and convert it into a mercantile province. Ancient Nurdia is effectively destroyed.
755 - The Great Rebellion of 755 destroys the Matazing-installed fiefdom and ushers in a long period of independent growth.
755 to 1291 - Nurdish Antiquity Age. The government is initially concentrated in the capital city of Awingar, but overtime, provincial governments are established to manage the civilization’s increasing size and population.
985 - The University of Awingar is founded. During its early years, it is pretty much exclusive to aristocrats from Awingar, who use their education to strengthen the capital city's strangle and influence over the less advanced provinces.
1009 - Briton missionaries cross the Bendevel Forest's dimensional portal, then unknown to the Nurdish except as a feared element in its myths, and introduce Catholicism to the empire. By this time, Nurdish religion is not solidly defined, mostly being a mix of fragmented Ancient Nurdish paganism and Matazing spiritualism. While the core of Nurdia, including the cities of Awingar and Garukkin, is fiercely resistant to Catholicism, the provincial regions adopt it readily due to their tepid, immature culture and lack of fortification (they defended themselves primarily through militias, which generally only attacked bandits and invading armies). Over the coming centuries, Nurdish paganism and Matazing spiritualism decline, but will not be entirely abolished until the military coup of 1676.
1291 A.D. to 1360 A.D. - Nurdish Parliamentary Era. After a treaty is signed, the Nurdish government establishes a parliamentary system that attempts to balance the quarreling interests of the empire’s various provinces.
1360 A.D. to 1676 - Nurdish Imperial Age. Monowiket successfully manipulates the ailing Nurdish middle class into a powerful and influential coalition, which strangles the Nurdish economy to the point that the Parliament is forced to concede absolute power to him. For over three centuries, Nurdia is a rapidly expanding empire that drastically expands its trade network and extends its borders.
1676 - A coup overthrows the Nurdish monarchy and installs military government, which will dominate Nurdish politics for the next 150 years. Despite an economic upheaval, the country becomes much more ideological and polarized.
1808 - A dimensional portal is discovered by General Carrin during his march through the Bendevel Forest, located 200 miles northwest of Awingar. His legion comes into contact with a peaceful village in southern England, who provide food and shleter for his fatigued clan and start a long-lasting trade partnership between said village and Awingar. Through this deal, Awingar is gradually exposed to earthly culture, which dramatically influences its social landscape over the coming several decades.
1824 to 1838 - A mass exodus of English Jews results in their ultimate settlement in Awingar. Over the course of 14 years, the city’s population explodes from roughly 56,000 to over 100,000.
1842 - The military government is dismantled due to pressure from the Nurdish aristocracy, which has grown so influential and powerful that it now rivals the government in cultural influence.
1846 - Completion of the Great Station, a major border crossing station that regulates the linkage between Nurdia and Earth.
1871 - Due to rapidly shifting demographics and increased cultural exchange with Earth, the plutocratic system of government that had prevailed for the previous 29 years is converted into a democracy. Amidst severely disputed results, Drah Valshiek is elected the country’s first president.
1873 - Tired of prosecution at home and driven to the edge by the Panic of 1873, thousands of American Mormons migrate to Nurdia in hopes of enjoying a safer and more prosperous life.
1914 to 1918 - During the course of World War I, Nurdia declares neutrality. However, this doesn’t prevent a large portion of English civilians from fleeing to Awingar to avoid combat.
1922 - Jazz music becomes popular in the city of Etzen, which gradually develops a musical tradition of its own.
1925 - The Nurdish film industry is born in the Gildren district of Awingar. Due to limited resources, it would not make the mainstream shift to sound film until roughly 1936.
1945 - In the aftermath of World War II, Japanese immigrants move to Nurdia to start a better life.
1952 - During the Cold War, J. Edgar Hoover investigates possible pro-Soviet operations in Nurdia due to its diverse culture and isolation from Earth. President Ocre Erco denies Nurdish participation in the Cold War, insisting that his primary focus is improving Nurdia's economic autonomy. As part of his strategy of neutrality, he drastically increases funding to improve security and signs a bill that drastically regulates correspondence with foreign territories.
17 November 1953 - The iconic film Sands of Time is released. Set in a romanticized version of the Nurdish Antiquity Age, the movie is groundbreaking for its epic storytelling, impressive set pieces, and creative use of fantasy elements to create a large-scale masterpiece that finally establishes Gildren as a viable competitor to imported Hollywood movies and not just a cheap hub of nationalistic projects. While the tone of the movie is still patriotic, it helps pave the way for legitimate artistry in future Nurdish movies.
1955 - When neighboring country Canyōne begins publicly supporting the USSR due to its friendly relationship with Nikita Khrushchev, President Erco declares Nurdish support for America, hoping to quell growing suspicions that Nurdia is also supporting the USSR. Despite this, a vocal chunk of Nurdish, mostly from the Socialist Party, cause the United States to feel skeptical about the Nurdish, fearing they are playing double agent.
1 January 1960 - The Nurdish Singles Chart is launched. Its first #1 hit is "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin. The song is beloved in Nurdia for its embrace of classic swing and building structure.
28 September 1962 - "Hold on Me" by Libbit Krau becomes the first #1 single by a Nurdish singer. Up until her commercial breakthrough, Nurdia's music industry was primarily underground jazz, with the vast majority of the country's pop hits being imported.
28 April 1974 - Gildren legend Mavio Muo is found dead at 32 from a car accident while visiting Los Angeles. He had been a promising and charismatic actor throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, famous for giving a voice to the neglected, misunderstood Baby Boomers from Nurdia.
5 May 1976 - The Polghrit Letters are leaked to the Nurdish press. They disclose several methods that several members of the Nurdish Parliament had used to misrepresent their districts on certain matters. Calls for civil reform are imminent.
18 November 1983 - By this point, the Nurdish Socialist Party is on its last legs, due to the negative impact it had on Nurdia's relationship with the increasingly influential First World nations. Despite merging with the more domestically accepted Cosmopolitan Party, Jheuhu Maldin loses his presidential bid in a landslide to the Union Party challenger, Marc Erco. Erco runs an iconic campaign that touts, "Tradition is the wave of the future."
1985 - The University of Awingar has its millennial celebration.
18 September 1998 - "Story of My Life" by Christine becomes a surprise #1 hit after it is featured in the award-winning Nurdish film Blue Dawn, a drama focusing on the life of a terminally ill teen from a working class family who writes a novel that would only come to receive praise several years after her death. The movie is loosely based on the true story of Gadrish Viel, whose published a book of the same name in 1964 that was initially scorned as a piece of incomprehensible garbage but would eventually develop a huge cult following among academics by the early 1990s. The book's popularity exploded even further after the success of the movie, which won Best Nurdish Picture for 1998. The film has never really crossed over to Earth due to the language barrier, but it remains iconic in Nurdia to this day. Christine herself would only ever have one more Nurdish hit, "Because the Night", which peaked at #18 in January 1999, before fading from the limelight, due to the Japan-centric Avex Music's strict policies on the distribution of her music. Avex had begrudgingly allowed EMI Nurdia to release a full compilation of Christine songs in November 1998 that she had recorded with her label SCP, but the album charted poorly due to the surrounding circumstances.
2001 - In response to the 9/11 attacks, the Great Station is controversially shut down for several months as Nurdish President Blitz Banning invests billions of jex into renovating it so that it will be more secure from terrorists. Because thousands of Nurdish are stranded on Earth, Internet use skyrockets and several Nurdish companies are forced to digitize their jobs. While Nurdia becomes a pioneer for Internet use and its economy soars as a result, Banning is very nearly impeached for physically separating thousands of families.
28 February 2002 - After a long and difficult period, the Great Station is finally reopened, despite still being under cosmetic modification.
7 October 2011 - Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory" sets a record by staying at #1 on the Nurdish Singles Chart for 21 consecutive weeks, keeping off songs like "Rolling in the Deep" and "Party Rock Anthem" from the top spot in doing so.
18 November 2011 - Election of the current President of Nurdia, Shura Erco. Unlike her father, Shura is a member of the Cosmopolitan Party, believing Marc's vision of a solid, undiluted Nurdia must embrace interest groups from Earth and adapt to the digital age.
More information will be added to this thread as I continue to research Nurdia's history and culture.
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The dimensional portal is a nice touch 
