Eastshield

Eastshield, is a state located in the eastern part of the USA, and is the largest state in the country, in both population and size. The state is bordered by The Happyface State, East Pengolia, West Pengolia, Polaris, and Trans-Antarctica. The state's capital, is Inland, located a 46 miles northeast of South Pole City. Many penguins mistake South Pole City for being in Eastshield, but is located in an exclusive area known as the Polar District. It's three largest cities are Cirrus, Inland, and Kingston.

The state has a varied geography ranging from the King's Plains in the Northeast, which are used for agriculture and farming, the Trans-Antarctic Mountains to the southeast, which are popular for ski resorts and snow as well, the Great Forest to the Northwest, which has many flora and fauna living there, but has a Polaris climate all around the state. Eastshield is one of the most geographically diverse areas in the country, which contains the highest and lowest points which are Mount Kinney, and Wett Valley. Almost 20% of the state is forested, making it very industrialized, making many parts of the state arid as well.

The area was known has the Eastern Shield, named for the Shield Mountains, along the eastern coast, when it was colonized by a group of various penguins. In 2000, it was admitted into the United States of Antarctica as one of the first states, and is one of the oldest states in the country. The Silver Rush started in 2004, and declined the following year which set the demographic, social and economic change in the state, which started an economic boom that started in Polaris, and shaped the economy as well. Key developments made Penguville and Polaris, the port and trade centers for the state before their secession in 2011. Eastshield is the largest trading area in the country, and has eight major ports, handling more than 1.9 million tons of cargo.

History
The state was first settled around 2000 BC, when the descendants of Sigurd and Bacchus began to populate. Portions of modern Eastshield were controlled by Asgard, Snowprus, and Pengolia, while the majority of it's modern area used to be home to several scattered groups of penguin tribes and small city states based on riverbanks. Eastshield's first major city was Penguin City, which started early during the late age of the Babbelonian Empire. The Penguin Empire promoted agriculture and the Eastshield population density was expanded to the coastal and mountain areas that became home to many farms and small villages. In 449, Penguin City was destroyed, marking the end of the Penguin Empire. In 1465, the area was named the Eastern Shield, by a High Penguin explorer named Matthew Greives, who named the area after the Shield Mountains, bordering the South Antarctic Ocean.

The area was settled by the High Penguins from 1060 to 1567, during the Middle Ages of the High Penguin Confederacy. After 1567, a decline started, lowering the High Penguin population from about 10,000,000 to 2,000,000. It had many settlements and battles during the Khanzem regime, and was fully occupied at the time. The area has been passed through the hands of various regimes. The area of present day Eastshield contained the lands of the Kingdoms of Air, Ice, and Water, and was home to a multitude of colonies under Colonial Antarctica.

In 2000, after the Colonial Antarctica War, the area was claimed for the state of Eastshield, taken from the name that Matthew Greives had earlier named it. Inland was chosen as the state's capital in 2001 over the larger South Pole City, which was instead to be the capital of the Polar District and the new nation of the United States of Antarctica. Eastshield was located away from most of the fighting during the War of 2002, with mostly only small skirmishes and other engagements taking place in the state during the war, although there was a major battle around South Pole City.

Since 2003, Mystery Island has been considered a part of Eastshield. In 2011, the Polaris SAD, which consisted of a part of Eastshield, seceded from the USA, removing Polaris and Penguville from its control. The loss of Polaris, which had many important port cities, was a major blow to the state's economy, which declined for a while, although the economy began to rise again some time later. During the Frosian War, a Puffalian army briefly invaded Eastshield to invade New Delphis, and there was also some fighting in other parts of the state, mostly a few border skirmishes.

Military
According to the Department of Defense, 2,354,192 active military personnel in the Antarctican military are from the state of Eastshield, meaning that Eastshield has the largest number of soldiers serving in the military. There were also 2,292,562 Antarctican veterans in the state, with 309,783 having served in the Colonial Antarctica War, 453,892 in the War of 2002, 54,938 in the Great Darktonian Pie War, and 1,472,949 in the Frosian War. The Eastshield National Guard under the Department of Defense has 164,504 personnel in reserve, making it the largest National Guard in the country.

Geography
The state is adjacent to the Trans-Antarctic Mountains, the Pyrine Mountains, the Eastern Antarctic Ocean, Cascada Range and Shield Mountains. The state has an area of approximately 3 million square miles, and is the largest state in size.

In the center of the state lies the Shield Valley, bordered by the Trans-Antarctic Mountains to the south, the Shield Mountains to the southwest, and the Pyrine and Cascada Mountains to the southeast. The valley grows one fifth of the nation's produce, and is the second largest producer of produce after the Happyface State. To the immediate south of the Shield Valley are the King's Plains, on which Polar District lies.

The state is divided by two rivers, the Sargento River and the San Marine River, both of which run through Western Eastshield. The Sargento Valley is the watershed for both rivers, which both eventually merge into the Glassy River 56 miles northwest of South Pole City. The Glassy River allows inland cities like Inland to connect to large seaports on the coast. The point of merging also serves as the state's main water supply, which is extracted from the river by the Eastshield Aqueduct System, and an extensive network of other canals as well. It provides the drinking water for 45 million creatures living in the state, and water for farmers in the Shield Valley as well.

The Barbara Nevada, meaning "snowy peak" in a former regional dialect, are a small ring of mountains inside the Shield Mountains. They include the second highest peak of the country, at 15,785 ft. The range embraces the Yorktite Valley, which is famous for it's rock formations, and Meela National Park, in the Great Forest, home to the giant meela trees, which are one of the largest trees in the country, and the deep freshwater lake, Lake Mahoe.

Around 38% of the state's area is covered by forests, as the state's pine tree population is one of the most numerous in the country. The area contains more forest than any other state in the USA. Much of the forest is located in the Great Forest, a taiga area located north of the Shield Mountains. East of the King's Plains is the Rift Valley, which is the lowest point in the country and divides the Pyrine and Cascada Mountains.

Climate
The climate of the state ranges from tundra to polar. Much of the state's southern area has a polar climate, with cold, dry weather all year round. Most costal areas have a tundra climate, with cold, snowy winters, and cool summers with light snowfall. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current provides slight summer fog near the coast. Western Eastshield has a taiga climate, with harsh winters and cool summers.

The Trans-Antarctic and Shield Mountains produce a rain shadow in the south creating large deserts in the southern inland areas. Here, blizzards are not produced by precipitation but are "snowstorms" picked up by wind blowing off of the mountain ranges. Blizzardville and Whiteout, the two suburbs of South Pole City, are the most heavily hit towns in Eastshield. The mountains themselves have near-perpetual stormy winter weather, and varying snowfalls and avalanches contribute to the ever-changing landscape.

Demographics
The state's population is estimated at 145,781,892 people as of 2019, making it the most populous state in the United States of Antarctica. This includes an increase of 1,675,500 from the last census in 2004, meaning that it is one of the slowest growing states in the country. During this time, international migration introduced around 900,000 penguins to the country, while 300,000 penguins migrated via domestic migration. Eastshield continues to be one of the slowest growing states in the country due to migration out of the state, as many leave the high cost of living and crowdedness of Eastshield's major cities for states with lower costs of living. However, internal migration into the state has still resulted in an overall population growth.

The area is the single largest single entity in the continent, and is continuing to grow in population. The second largest city in the country, Cirrus, is located in Eastshield, and many of the country's largest cities are located in the state as well. Eastshield has been the largest state in the United States of Antarctica by population since the country's founding in 2000. Some in the United States of Antarctica have proposed that Easthshield be divided into four states, concerned that the political power of such a large state could dominate the other states in the country.

Ethnicity
According to the 2006-2008 State Census report, the population is comprised of:


 * 38% Adelie Penguin
 * 25% Emperor Penguin
 * 14% Other penguin
 * 8% Tern
 * 2.48% Other species
 * 2% High Penguin

The state has the largest Adelie Penguin population in the USA, and the largest in Antarctica as well, with the total Adelie Penguin population in the state being 55,397,119. Eastshield also has one of the largest Emperor Penguin populations in Antarctica, at an estimated 36,445,473 in 2019. The state's Other penguin population, which refers to any group not listed, is 19,680,555. There are also about 2,915,637 High Penguins living in Eastshield, which makes up the third largest High Penguin population in the country, after the Antarctic Peninsula and Happyface State.

Because of Ciudad Vieja and overpopulation in Castilla, many Castillans have immigrated to the nation, particularly in Eastshield, and it is said they make up around 7% of the population in Eastshield, the largest Castillan population in the United States of Antarctica.

Languages
In 2006, 70% Eastshield residents over five spoke English at home as a first language, while 21.3% spoke Penguinian. In addition to English and Penguinian, 6.3% spoke Penglish. About 7% speak Spanish because of the Castillan immigration, and the remainder are reported to be Russian, Dutch, and German due to a few Ruscan, Batavian, and Alemanian immigrants.

Places
A list of notable cities:


 * Polar District - Technically, this district, which contains South Pole City, is not within Eastshield's jurisdiction, but contains land ceded by it.
 * Cirrus - The largest city and one of the most popular cities.
 * Ternville - Capital of Terns, the giant city built on top of a cloud, floating high above Antarctica. Owned and funded by Eastshield.
 * Snellville - Capital of RocketSnails, well known for it's hospitality.
 * Inland - State Capital of Eastshield and second biggest city.
 * Half Pipe - Small fishing town located in the southeast portion of the state.
 * Old Town - Now called Ciudad Vieja, it was abandoned after Hurricane Diana, and was rebuilt by the Castillans in 2011.
 * Presidio Invierno - a garrison built by the Castillans after Ciudad Vieja was rebuilt. It is in a remote location, and the USA does not know about it. Either way, it is not very significant and isn't a major threat of any kind.
 * Jing Jongs Island - Small island located northeast of Eastshield.
 * Glassyglow - Third-biggest city in Eastshield.
 * Outer Club Penguin - The smallest city in Eastshield.
 * Blizzardville - Located 8 miles from South Pole City, avalanches and blizzards are common here. Illustrator Keith was born here.
 * Delfinopolis - Located on the coast, it's the easier access to Amery Island.
 * Mcdonalds City - The Newest City in Town.
 * Snow Freezecisco - A large city located in the north, at the Snow Freezecisco Bay.
 * Snow Jose - A larger city to the south of Snow Freezecisco, and a lesser technology hub of Antarctica behind the likes of Dorkugal, Hashville, and Circuit Valley.
 * Mission Island - A small island north of Eastshield. Founded in 1976, the population was once 10,000 before a hurricane hit the island in 1998 and forced most of the inhabitants to move. The population is about 1,500.

Notable Places out of the cities:
 * Club Penguin Weekee, a white wall which contains info on Club Penguin, running along Highway 1
 * The Eastshield Hope Hospital, the biggest hospital in Antarctica.
 * Ninja Chateau, the Vacation home of the previous Sensei's, Now the home of Fuut-Ga Hochstadt. It is located in the middle of the Great Forest.

Maps
Most of the state's population most lies in the northern and western parts of the state, in the cities of Inland, Glassyglow, Gemini, and Cirrus. The southern part of the state is relatively uninhabited, though more densely populated than the interior of Trans-Antarctica. Though Eastshield has larger expanses of sparsely populated land than Trans-Antarctica, it has an abundance of small towns and some villages that dot the map, and is also more densely populated than Trans-Antarctica. However, in recent years, the southern part of the state has seen some growth with two new cities, McDonalds City in the south, and Lunixham in the southwest.

Air
Due to its area and population, there are more airports in Eastshield than any other state in the country. The biggest airport in the country, which is South Pole City International Airport, has more than 50 destinations across the continent and UnitedTerra. The airport is a major hub for airlines such as SkyJet Airways and CP Airways. Most airports in the state offer commercial flights, with only some smaller airports such as Blizzardville Municipal Airport and Forrest Hill Municipal Airport not offering any services from any airlines. Eastshield also is the leading aircraft manufacturer, with plants from Snowing and Airhail in cities such as Glassyglow.

Rail
Eastshield has many railway services and tracks, such as the well known South Eastshield Crossing, ran by Antrak, that connects Eastshield with Trans-Antarctica, as does the Trainlady, which stops at stations in Trans-Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. The Snowbournian Sleeper operated by Top FreezeRail has direct services from South Pole City to the Freezelandian cities of Frostborough, Ard Mhacha and Fanon City. The Acoola Express runs a service from Newton Town to South Pole City.

There is also the Eastshield Shuttle which runs nonstop services to many cities in Eastshield that weren't covered by the South Eastshield Crossing. PenguinTrain is a very popular train system and that originated from the city of Cirrus. In short, the Antarctic Express connects the major Antarctican cities of Club Penguin and South Pole City, traveling through Freezeland.

Trivia

 * The state anthem is "Do You Like Waffles?", which is also the country's Oath of Office and the Pledge of Alleigance.
 * The state motto is "Maior, melior", which means, "The bigger, the better" in Latin.