Hanalund
Forest of the Sea
Hanalund is one of the three most northern countries in Dysvoll. Together with Estratoft and Bredtkiping, Hanalund is a part of an area often referred to as Kanden, which means the edge, in all three languages spoken there.
The city-state of Hanalund is the smallest nation in all of Dysvoll, with only 2,354 km2 to its name. The second smallest nation is Estratoft, which is almost double in size.
History
Pre-founding
The island of Hanalund has been inhabited for hundreds of years, even way before the city of Hanalund was founded. Archaeological finds suggest that groups of people who hailed from Elken had settled down on the eastern parts of the island. Some suggest that they stayed and must've merged with the group who later migrated there from the areas around Estratoft.
The reason for this theory is, that the people of Estratoft and Bredtkiping are very similar in their appearance and the Hanes of Hanalund divert from that general look quite a bit different. The Hanes do share traits with the other two groups, but the people of Bredtkiping and Estratoft look much more alike.
The name of the city-state derives from the old language which Hanisk evolved from. The name means "sacred forest by the sea", more or less.
The original meaning is still preserved in the current language spoken on the island.
The founding of Hanalund
The city of Hanatoft (the capital of Hanalund) was founded in 952 ADF and with that the settlement is over 500 years old. However, not many of the original buildings remain, as the three countries of Kanden have warred so much that big parts of all three cities have been burned or otherwise demolished. The town is said to have been officially founded by a family known as The Jenelsons. This family is still prominent in the current political climate in Hanalund. Technically, the settlement existed before this date, but the citizens of Hanalund say that the town was founded on this day, because of the fact that the Statue of the Lund was unveiled at this time.Economy
The most common way to earn a living in Hanalund is fishing. Right after that comes trading. These are the two things the nation is most known for and how they manage to stay afloat.Fishing
The most common fish to catch in the water surrounding Hanalund is Flend, Lipink and Salmon. None of these fish are considered valuable in Kanden, but can sell for a pretty amount in the southern countries. Especially the Flend and Lipink sell for a lot, due to their unique exquisite flavour.Fishing is a tough business. The waters of Kanden are said to be calmer than the rest of the northern seas, but they're wrong. The way the wind curls between the islands creates violent winds capable of capsizing a ship!
Trading
Hanalund has multiple different trading companies, all made to make trading easier. They usually lend ships to traders for a certain price, or the traders can rent space on one of the bigger ships. After this, the ship will sail to the biggest and most important ports on either the west or east side of Dysvoll. This way, people from all parts of the economic hierarchy have a chance at trading their goods and earn what they need for their expenses.
Area
2,354 km2 (909 mi2)
2,354 km2 (909 mi2)
Founding Date
652
Type
Geopolitical, City-state
Demonym
Hanes (Hanean)
Government System
Democracy, Direct
Power Structure
Autonomous area
Economic System
Market economy
Location
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
I love the description and your use of the map in the sidebar is just flawless. It also got me wondering what is their primary trade good? I figure its most likely the fish but if there are ships that come there to trade, are there any that come to fish and as such compete with the locals? Just a couple of stray thoughts. But I really do like the article!