Candvia

The Kingdom of Candvia (lat . Regnum Candviae, hrv . Kraljevina Kandvija) is a country located northwest of the Antarctic Peninsula. Their official languages are Latin and Croatian. It has a population of around 23,000,000. It is located west of the United Provinces and north of the Culldrome Isles. It is situated in a strategically very good position and has the capability to easily defend its shores against foreign invaders.

Candvia is famous for its industrial might. It has a large economy, partly due to some of its oil and gold mines. Oil can be found in the northwestern parts of the country, in the states of Borealis (Northern) and Insulae Minores (Smaller Islands), while gold mines are abundant in nearly all the mountains, especially in the Montes Centrales (Central Mountains) that stretch through the states of Borealis, Henteres and Felicia. The nation, however, does not extract much of it due to the inefficiency of the government in using natural resources.

Although it is of significant industrial and economical might, it is very weak militarily and relies primarily on its navy for defense, and also on its biggest ally, the United Provinces, located east. Because of the slightly moderate amount of oil in the archipelago it has been the target of many invasion plots by Shops Island, Snowzerland, Culldrome Isles and the United States of Antarctica, though none of those plots were ever carried out, mostly due to the distance and the protection by the United Provinces.

It has been isolated from the Antarctic community for quite a long period of time until it joined the UAN in 2015. It is a member of the Western Union, a political, economic and military union of nations, that it joined on 1 April 2018. The current king of Candvia is Paul II of the Debobus dynasty, and the prime minister is Maria Creslana, leader of the Candvian People's Party.

Candvia is a country that provides a social security, universal healthcare system, and a tuition-free primary and secondary education, while supporting culture through numerous public institutions and corporate investments in media and publishing. It ranks very highly in metrics of national performance, such as quality of life, health, education, protection of civil liberties, economic competitiveness, equality, prosperity and penguin development.

Etymology
The name of the country derives from the two largest tribes that inhabit the archipelago - the Cents and the Wines. The name was adopted as the official name of the country in the Latin language during the medieval age, in spite of opposition from the third tribe, the Sires, and internal division between the Wines over whether a name placing the Cents first and leaving only the first letter of their name in the country's name (Cand'via) are acceptable vacations. In nearly all, if not all, foreign languages until the 19th century, Candvia was known as either Ventusia, Ventosia and Ventosania, derived from the Latin word for wind - ventus, and in turn from the Latin word for windy - ventosus.

The names derived from the Latin word for wind are preferred in the communities of the Sires, as well as among the Croatian Snowinns, who call the country Ventuška or Ventuzija. In Snowiny, the country is Kandvija, just as it is in all other languages - Kandvien in German, Candvie in French, Кандвия (Kandviya) in Russian and so on and so forth.

History
See main article: History of Candvia



The island of Candvia was settled thousands of years from a group of penguins believed to have come by boat from modern day Culldrome Isles and the Yowien Sea. They founded small settlements in the Candvian islands before moving on northeast a few hundred years later. They have left a significant legacy behind - there are various inscriptions on stone in caves across the islands and there have been some remains of prehistoric settlements.

In the 7th century, The islands of Candvia were settled by two tribes: the Cents and the Wines. The two tribes were of similar origin and spoke pretty similar languages: Centic and Winnic. The two tribes in the 9th century merged to form the big nation of the Principality of Cantwin, or, as it is known in Old Candvian Latin at the time, Pwěńkēpĭeɱ Kēņddŵeĕne (Modern Candvian Latin: Principium Cantvinis). Old Candvian was a language that could be described as a torn-apart version of Latin. Many sounds were different and accents were on every word.

The city of Ventides (ocl. Waărbs Wŷnddēthšē, ncl. Urbs Ventidis) was founded in the 4th century AD by Noceni tribes, only to be conquered by the Cents in the 7th century AD. The city developed to have as many as 500,000 inhabitants by the 13th century, becoming a bustling metropolitan city. However, in the 13th century, the Great Fire of Ventides (ocl. Mŵağğñǣm Enkĕnddŵmē Wŷnddēthšē, mcl. Magnum Incendium Ventidis) destroyed much of the city and much of its population. The city had to be rebuilt. The people of the city used this opportunity to build a much better organized, cleaner and more beautiful city, and within decades they rebuilt Ventides and made it a better city than ever before.

Great reforms of the Old Candvian Latin took place in the 13th century. Accents were dropped and spelling was radically changed. "Mŵağğñǣm Enkĕnddŵmē Wŷnddēthšē" would now be written "Magnaem Enkendime Vintedse". This is known as Middle Candvian Latin. In the 17th century the language would be additionally more reformed grammatically: now "Magnaem Enkendime Vintedse" would be written "Magnem Incendiem Ventedis". This is known as Reformed Candvian Latin. In the 19th century it would be further reformed to the present day Modern Candvian Latin and "Magnem Incendiem Ventedis" would become "Magnum Incendium Ventidis".

Old Candvian Latin was indeed a very strange language. It does look similar to Modern Candvian Latin, but the pronunciation isn't even close: "Egěē swēm rěkķŝē ręĕkš wĕwŝ keĕŵēdǣdĭš!", or "Ego sum rectus rex huius civitatis!" in Modern Candvian Latin, would be pronounced as /eg shim rig-she raikss viewss kee-uy-dai-these/. That means it would be nearly not intelligible at all to Modern Candvian Latin speakers, while the written form might be more familiar.

As the language changed, so did the country. In the 16th century it grew into a very powerful country and its language was imported into the Ninja Archipelago, High Penguin Confederacy and Osloven Empire, where it became sole official language. Latin became a lingua franca, the primary international language. The Principality of Cantwin that existed since the 9th century in the 13th century had become the Kingdom of Cantwin (Regnum Cantvinis). In the 15th century, specifically 1453, the country had a terrible split that broke it into 3 states named after the 3 leaders Bernard, Alfred and George: Pars Bernardi (Bernardia), Pars Alfredi (Alfredia) and Pars Georgii (Georgia).

The 3 parts reunited after 64 years of epic struggles in 1517, and the Kingdom of Cantwin was once again brought into existence, though this time as the Kingdom of Candvia to begin a brand new era. However, the era was not bright at all in the mid-16th century the country was invaded by the Snowpriots, who established colonies all over the Captagones and Maiores islands. The Snowpriots have almost entirely colonized the islands as well as southeast Candvia and the influence is still visible today and there are still Snowpriot minorities in Candvia.

In the 17th century the country sought to reestablish its position on the global stage. Candvian Queen Emily (Aemilia) entered a marriage with the Osloven Duke Phillip and the two countries entered a personal union, under the rule of the Osloven Empire of course. The personal union fell apart in the 18th century thanks to wars within the Osloven Empire. Candvia once again was fully independent and in control of its country. From 1854 to 1857 King Cyrillus I reordered the country, its government and its political structure and in 1857 proclaimed the creation of the United Kingdom of Candvia (Regnum Unitum Candviae). The United Kingdom immediately became a very powerful country on the Antarctic stage and got involved in important Antarctic matters.

Popular revolt and the Khanzem invasion of 1915 brought down the United Kingdom. In 1918 the independent state of Candvia was once again, this time as the Republic of Candvia (Res Publica Candviae). The republic was unsuccessful and was brought down on 15 March 1933, when a kingdom was once again restored, this time as a constitutional monarchy. Since then the dynasty of Debobus is on the throne (currently the king is Paul I since November 7, 1998) and the people elect their Chancellor every 4 years in general elections. Candvian national day is also celebrated every year on 17 February and there's a massive military parade in the city of Ventides.

On 1 April 2018 the country acceded to the Western Union following lengthy, one-month negotiations with the governments of the 7 Western Union members at the time. Acceding to the Western Union helped create a boom in the Candvian economy and the growth of trade with nations of the Western Union. The country was quick to become one of the wealthiest members of the Western Union, and had, by entering the Western Union, left its isolationist past behind and become a core part of the Western Union economy.

Politics
The Parliament (Parlamentum) is the unicameral legislature of Candvia and there are 10 parties in it: right-wing Party for National Renewal (Pars Nationalis Renovationis), far-right Party for Freedom (Pars pro Libertate), centre-left Justice Party (Pars Iustitiae), The Left (Illa Sinistra), centre-right Conservative Party (Pars Conservativa), centrist Candvian People's Party (Pars Populi Candviae), left Socialist Party (Pars Socialisma), left Green Party (Pars Viridis), far-left Communist Party of Candvia (Pars Communisma Candviae) and centrist Liberal Party (Pars Liberalis).

The current largest party is the Candvian People's Party which owns 103 out of 250 seats in the Parliament. The Prime Minister is Maria Creslana, who is the leader of that party. The party is in a coalition with the Liberals since the last election in 2013 (elections occur every 5 years in March). On 18 February 2018, King Paul announced that elections will be held on 4 March 2018 and that there will be no referendum on Western Union membership because the election could theoretically serve to show what the people think about entering the Western Union.



Economy


Candvia has one of the largest economies in Antarctica thanks to the abundance of oil and minerals. Candvia has built oil platforms all over the archipelago and the oil is shipped to places all across Antarctica, notably Tropicalis, United Provinces and Culldrome Isles. The Candvian government makes a lot of money from these oil exports being the nation with the most oil in all of Antarctica. The money from this coal is used to fund many government programs and initiatives as well as welfare for all Candvian citizens and education.

Taxes are rather high in Candvia due to the enormous amount of money that goes to welfare and funding government services. The minimum wage is the highest in Antarctica. Unemployment is at 4.3%. The country's agriculture is slightly underdeveloped as the government had chosen industry as its top priority. Agriculture is a minor economic sector in the country because of that. Farms are still, however, vital to the country's existence despite the recent rural-to-urban migration trends which people say could harm the country's economic growth. There's a prominent movement in Candvia called the Farm Life Movement (Movimentum Vitae Fundo - MVF) which is calling for reversing the migration trends and a return to "a more simple farm life".

Candvia has a very high cream soda production, particularly in regions such as Foratines and Geobus which are located in a very pleasant position between two mountains. Candvia is one of Antarctica's top cream soda exporters. Cream soda (lat. cramum soda) is a big part of Candvia's culture and is consumed by thousands every single day and is one of the most sold beverages in the country. This has, of course, significantly boosted the economy.

Oil has been discovered in the country's eastern islands in early-2010s. Candvia's government would, after a few weeks, get to work on extracting the oil and improving the economy using the money acquired from it. Candvia has been slow to extract all this oil, however, despite the fact it is in rather small amounts and is scattered across the landscape. Lately, Candvia's oil production has attracted nations such as Shops Island and Snowzerland which have begun to vie for influence over Candvia.

Trading
Candvia has a very comfortable geographical position for trade as it is located on the crossroads of virtually all trade routes, and is located between Ninja Archipelago and Sub-Antarctica. Candvia gains a large amount of money from trade and trade is almost crucial to Candvia's survival. Candvia's main exports include gas, petroleum, coal, wheat, corn, salt and strawberries, and main imports include raspberries, jam, fish, crab, sugar and watermelons. Candvia is part of the SABER trade route, connecting it to the rest of Antarctica.

Trade in the Kingdom of Candvia has boomed as a result of the country's accession to the Western Union, and various Western Union laws passed during the 2018 summit in Pontilex additionally fueled Candvia's economic growth. Ventides has become on the business and trade centers of the Western Union thanks to such policies by the Union, but as one of the richest members Candvia also has the opportunity to help smaller Western Union nations grow, something which has harmed trade between Candvia and the bigger Western Union nations.

Culture


Candvian culture is deeply connected to Romance Ninja Archipelago cultures, which it had influenced drastically during the medieval ages. Candvian culture was also influenced by those very Romance Ninja Archipelago cultures it had influenced. Pizza became a staple cuisine in Candvia. Every year on February 9 there is a National Pizza Day (Nationalis Dies Pizzae) when the entirely family gathers around the table to devour an exceptionally large pizza.

Christmas (Nativitas) is a national holiday in Candvia and is celebrated every year on December 25. Traditions are mostly the same as in other Antarctic countries, like an ornate Christmas tree (arbor natalicia) being in every home for instance. In Candvia there's a tradition of somebody in the family, usually the mother, preparing Christmas cookies (felicia crustula, literally 'merry cookies'), which are equivalent to gingerbread penguins in other countries. Young penguins also go from house and house to sing famous Candvian Christmas carols.

Annually since 1907 at around 9 pm, over 15,000 penguins gather in the Ventides city square to sing Christmas songs together with the famous Candvian Youth Choir (Chorum Iuventae Candvianae) consisted of dozens of children from all over the country. The choir had multiple performances outside Candvia too, notably in the United Provinces, Castilla and Liguria.

Candvia's national day is on 15 March and is often referred to by Candvians as the Ides of March (Idus Martiae). Massive parades happen throughout the country on that day and people celebrate and wave Candvian flags at parades. The King gives a live speech from the balcony of the Royal Palace every year in which he calls for national unity and harmony, as well as liberty and prosperity for all Candvian citizens. The 2017 Ides in Ventides were the most attended in history of the country, with over 550,000 people celebrating and dancing across the city and participating in the parades.

The Snowinn population in the country is unique in that they use primarily the Cyrillic script, unlike their brothers and sisters in the United Provinces, who use only the Latin script. This is because the change to Latin script in Snowiny came in the early 19th century as support for its use peaked after 80 years of the growth of its popularity. It was different for Snowinns in Candvia, because Snowinns in Candvia became increasingly wary of Candvian influence and were afraid they would be assimilated into Candvian culture, leading to them keeping the Cyrillic script.

The national selection for the Antarctic Song Contest is the CantVia Music Festival that takes place every year in September. It is organized by the Candvian national broadcaster, and the winner of the festival gets to be the representative at the upcoming Antarctic Song Contest singing the song they won with. "CantVia" is a wordplay with the name of Candvia - cantus means song and via means road in Latin.

Cultural heritage in Candvia is protected by the government of the Kingdom of Candvia and also by the laws and treaties of the Western Union.

Architecture


Candvia's architecture has been primarily influenced by Geek, Snowpriot, Snowinn and Ligurian architectures, although local architecture is visibly present. Candvia adopted foreign influences and adopted them as their own but they refused to give up their own traditions. The Candvian Spring movement of the 20th century led to a revival of interest in Candvian history and a renovation of old Candvian culture and architecture.

Inland cities have a typical local, Candvian architecture, while coastal cities, especially on the east coast and in the Captagones islands, have a typical Romance architecture thanks to the flow of Ligurian merchants and architects during the 19th and 20th centuries to the country, especially the city of Ventides. The northeastern cities also have a typical Snowinn feeling, especially the city of Facitus, which in Serbian language is known as Našmȅsto (also Nomistum in Latin) meaning literally our city.

The southwestern cities have a very diverse architecture, a combination of local and Romance, that has been called Romantic Candvian (lat. Candviana Romantica). The city of Permontis is very famous for this type of architecture and is visited by tens of thousands each year because of the combined Romance and Candvian culture and architecture. This combination is a result of a history of mixing between Ligurian, Castillan and Candvian populations in the south of the island.

Calendar
One of the few differences between normal Latin and Candvian Latin is that Candvian Latin has its own unique names for every month in the calendar. It is one of the only languages, if not the only, with its own names for each month in the calendar.

Language
The official language and the mother tongue of the Candvian people is Latin, specifically Candvian Latin, whose standard differs slightly from the original version of Latin. Among the differences are minor grammatical differences - the order of the sentence in Latin is typically subject-object-verb, while in Candvian Latin it is typically subject-verb-object, with subject-object-verb sounding formal and sometimes archaic.

There are, however, quite significant differences in the vocabulary as Candvian Latin was greatly influenced by Croatian. Examples include mistum, which means place (mjesto in Croatian), chradus, which means city (grad in Croatian), miscus which means month (mjesec in Croatian), mostus which means bridge (most in Croatian) and zoedus which means wall (zid in Croatian).

There are several dialects with substantial differences from the standard Candvian spoken in Ventides. For example, in the southern regions any -s at the end of the word is pronounced as sh like in shake, and diphtongs like ae and oe are pronounced ay and oy respectively. The letter x in the southern regions is pronounced as ss. Additionally, st is pronounced sht and c is pronounced like ch in chalk in front of ae, oe, e, i and y. Some other pronunciation differences are that que is pronounced like ke, instead of kve like in standard Candvian, and that iu and ui are pronounced like the German umlaut and ua and ea are pronounced just as a. gn is pronounced like the gn in lasagne.

Here's a sample text showing such differences:

ENGLISH: Candvia is a good land, filled with happy and joyful people, our prosperous fatherland full of grace, that never gives up her territory and her integrity. Never stop in your quest, my Nurturing Mother!

LATIN: Candvia est una bona terra et unum regnum, plena felicium laetorumque homines, nostra prosperus patria gratia plena, quae numquam relinquit suam territoriam et suam integritatem. Non sta in quaesta tua, Alma Mater mea!

STANDARD PRONUNCIATION: Kandvia est una bona terra et unum regnum, plena felitsium letorumkve homines, nostra prosperus patria gratsia plena, kve numkvam relinkvit svam territoriam et svam integritatem. Non sta in kvesta tva, Alma Mater mea!

SOUTHERN PRONUNCIATION: Kandvya esht una bona terra et unum renyum, plena felitchüm laytorumke hominesh, nostra prosperus patria gratsia plena, kay numkam relinküt sam territoryam et sam integritatem. Non shta in kayshta ta, Alma Mater ma!

Demographics


61% of all citizens of Candvia are Candvians by ethnicity while 32% are Croatian Snowinn. Croatian is the second official language of Candvia and the primary language of communication in the provinces of Flaxetia and Insulae Captagones in the northeast, as well as a compulsory language in all schools in the country. Croatian Snowinns comprise 71% of the ethnic population of Insulae Captagones and 57% of Flaxetia. Significant Croatian Snowinns minorities are also present in Formosa, Facites and Felicia. Croatian Snowinns speak the same language as the Serbian Snowinns and generally there is no difference between them in their country of descent, the United Provinces, where the two groups are not separated and are simply referred to under one name - Snowinn. However, due to Serbian Snowinns' use of Cyrillic in Candvia, there's a distinction between the two ethnicities and the two languages as well, despite the two languages being almost identical. In the United Provinces, this has caused a dispute as the language the two speak is simply referred to as "Serbian", which irritates Croatian Snowinns.

Candvia has a very small immigrant population and if it weren't for the Croatian Snowinns it would be a largely homogeneous country. 59% of Candvians by ethnicity are Centic by origin and 41% are Winan by origin, though that does not really matter as the two are almost completely joined together as one ethnicity by now.

32% of the population of Candvia lives in a city with a population of more than 1 million. 64% of the population lives in one of the top 16 population centres. It is a highly urbanized country with a large urban population and a rather low rural population.

Candvia has a growing rural-to-urban migration trend and this rate is set to increase substantially by 2050: the government is alarmed by this and cities are starting to warn people that they cannot welcome everybody and that they are getting drastically overpopulated. All top 16 cities have a population of more than 378,000, something which Chancellor Patulcius described as "completely abnormal for a medium-sized island nation". He warned of possibly irreversible economic and political effects that could destroy the nation and life in it should the trends not be reversed.

Places
The following are the 16 largest population centers in Candvia. There are a lot more population centres, many of them visible on the map of Candvia that can be accessed from the infobox.

Geography
Geographically speaking the country is incredibly diverse. The country has lots of lakes, rivers, mountains, plains and forests. The highest mountains are the Montes Centrales (Central Mountains) - the tallest peak being Mons Collindes near the city of Collindes. Notable lakes include Lacus Populi (People's Lake), Hiclacus (literally "Thislake"), Intermontes Lacus (the lake between the mountains), and Lacus Permontis (the lake located by the mountain). The deepest of these is Lacus Populi, which is the most visited tourist location in Candvia and part of it is located in the Subcolle Saeptum Nationalis (Subcolle National Park).

Tourism


Candvia is one of the greatest tourist destinations in Antarctica because of its great position and its very rich culture, cuisine and history. The country is visited by hundreds of thousands of penguins each year. Vacations in Candvia are rather cheap for international standards, but the hotels in Candvia have been rather neglected by the government and are in dire need of renovation and improvement, especially in the less wealthy south. Candvia is the number 2 tourist destination in the Western Union for Western Union tourists, behind only Tropicalis.

The most visited tourist location is the aforementioned location, but other notable locations visited by thousands of tourists each year include the very capital Ventides, home to over 2,694,000 people. Ventides is known by its Romance architecture, which it got thanks to Ligurian and Castillan influences. There are many museums all over the city, such as the National Heritage Museum (Museum Nationalis Hereditatis) in which many relics from the Candvian past can be seen, and the Candvian Art History Museum (Museum Historiae Artis Candviae), in which works of art from across Antarctica over are displayed.

The theatre is also popular in Ventides. The National Theatre (Theatrum Nationalis) is visited by hundreds of tourists from both across the country and by foreign tourists. All sorts of great works are performed, such as operas, comedies, tragedies, musicals and more.

The most visited palace in the country is the Belvedere Palace (Palatium Belvider). It is a big, white palace surrounded with a huge garden and it has been the summer residence of various Candvian kings for centuries. It is still used as a summer residence, however, and is open to tourists all the time except from 1 July to 25 July, and again 7 August to 27 August because King Paul's birthday is on 24 August. Balls are often held in it during the time it is closed to tourists and the royal family has an overall great time.

The royal palace (Palatium Regalis) is also visited by hundreds each year but nobody is allowed inside. People often attend ceremonies and parades that take place in front of it, however, as there is a huge mall that leads directly to the palace. The royal palace is Romance in architecture and was built in 1474 when the renaissance was in full swing in Candvia.

There are many picturesque beaches all over the country, such as the Geliphronte beach in the island of Bonvenes that is visited by thousands of tourists, especially Snowinn ones, each year. Many tourist resorts are located all over that island, especially in the city of Bonvenes.

Military


Candvia's land forces are very small but a large amount of the economy is devoted towards spending on the navy, its equipment and its recruitment. Candvia has an army of 125,000 penguins and 91,410 sailors with 46 ships. Both its land and naval forces are average in strength in comparison to other Antarctic countries. Candvia hasn't been in any war in decades but it started beefing up its military in the mid-2010s due to Snoss expansionist threats - it turned out the Snoss never invaded Candvia or attempted to do anything with.

Candvia has ongoing military conscription for all adults (penguins over 18 years of age), with the conscription lasting for 6 months with weekend breaks. Penguins are allowed to be exempt from military service on the basis that they have a health issue preventing them from serving or on the basis that military conscription violates their conscience and beliefs, requiring them to perform some other form of service for the government. Candvia previously didn't have military conscription for two years. In 2017, the controversial military conscription law forcing all able-bodied men aged 18 to enlist in the military was repealed due to outcry by the population - over 80% of the Candvian population opposed military conscription and accused the government of preparing to destroy the long-lasting peace that Candvia has achieved during the 85 years since its restoration as a kingdom. Additionally, without conscription, very few people enlisted to join the military and so the armed forces were rather weak and morale low, which is why Candvia relied, and still does, on defence from its allies such as the United Provinces.

Road
The official name of Candvia's road system is Candvian Road Network or RVC (Rete Viarum Candviae) and is used by millions of penguins every single day. Roads are all over the country and most are very modern and up to date as the roads are renovated very often and the projects to renovate the roads are usually always funded by the government of the country. There are multiple highways running through the country, including the Alfreda-Permontis Highway, the largest in the nation, which hundreds of thousands of cars cross daily.

Roads are maintained with quite a lot of money and a large amount of tax money goes towards them. In some areas of the country, especially mountainous ones in the north, that money is direly needed as the terrain is hard to work on and the roads are often left unmaintained there for a very long time. The Candvian highway network has toll roads all across the country. Western Union funds have helped develop roads in rural areas of western and southern Candvia.

Air
Air travel is a very important mode of transportation in the country. The largest airport in the country is the Lucas Calderon International Airport or the ALCV (Aeriportus Lucas Calderon Ventides). It is an airport that is middle in size and the primary airport foreign tourists land on when going on trips to Candvia. The ALCV has both domestic and international departures, such as to Collindes, Portus Borealis and Permontis in Candvia, and Winsburg, Acadia, Shops City, Vonkouver and Culldrome City outside of the country.

Sea
Sea is a very common method of transportation in Candvia due to it being an island archipelago. Major ports in the country include Ventides, Bonvenes, Flamenses, Portidives and Portus Borealis, where thousands of ships are docked at and put to sea each year. Recent government investments in maritime transportation led to an increase in citizens traveling to distant places and to an increase of cargo being imported to and exported from the country each year. Candvian ships are very up to date in technology and offer the most quality service possible to all people who ride them.

Rail
The country has one of Antarctica's most advanced railway networks, and the government invested a ton in making it so fast and efficient as it is. Rail transportation is the dominant mode of transportation inside the country and there are thousands of commuters by railway every single day. It is no surprise that railway transport is very popular in the country as the it takes but a couple of hours to get from the most distant part of Candvia to a part on the complete opposite side of the country. This is because the government has invested in numerous high-speed railway networks and no train being used is older than 8 years old in the country.

A common type of transportation in Ventides, Pontilex, Permontis and Portidives is rapid transit, better known as metro or subway. The metro in Ventides has thousands of commuters every day. All trains in the metro are very up to date thanks to government funding. It is a common way for tourists to easily get around the city.

Relations

 * NewUnitedProvincesFlag.png United Provinces - Excellent. The two countries have common historical, cultural and linguistical ties and enjoy healthy and great relations together. United Provinces pledged to defend Candvia militarily and also has a free trade deal with them. The two countries regularly have cultural and political forums in their respective capital cities. Candvia and United Provinces are greatly tied culturally and Empress Katarina I Korvin-Laneburg was born in Ventides, the capital city of Candvia. Relations were slightly damaged between the two countries when the former Kingdom of Snowiny invaded Ed Island but since it was renamed to the United Provinces relations have been better than ever before.
 * DuckNewFlag.png Duck Island - Great. The two countries have great relations and have frequent contact with each other. Duck Island regards Candvia as one of their greatest allies.
 * Tropicalis Flag.png Tropicalis - Good. Tropicalis and Candvia share some similarities in culture, and both countries actively trade with each other. The president of Tropicalis, Penguino Lagois IV, has been to the country before.
 * AcadiaFlag.png Acadia - Excellent. As a United Provinces ally, Acadia considers Candvia on the list of some of their greatest allies, and the two have a military alliance and multiple trade deals, with Candvia among Acadia's largest trading partners. Recent Candvian immigration or temporary work in Acadia has led to Latin becoming a recognized national language in Acadia.
 * MAI.png Margate - Great. The Margatians actively engage in trade with Candvia. The latter is also a famous tourist destination for Margatians.
 * ShopsIslandFlag2013.png Shops Island - Poor. Relations with Shops Island have been fine prior to the Great Yowien War, which most Candvians were staunchly against. During the Great Yowien War, between 5,000 and 20,000 penguins protested nearly every day in Ventides against the Shopper war against Yow. Relations further deteriorated as the Shoppers started annexing other territories as part of the Manifest Destiny Treaty and started making threatening comments towards Candvia after the discovery of oil in 2016. Overall, polls show Candvian popular opinion of the Shopper government is 63% negative and 26% positive.

Trivia

 * It is rumoured Candvians are actually very deeply related genetically to the Snowinns.