Qennes country page

Qennes (Qennesan: Kaneș), officially The Qennesan Archduchy (Qennesan: Arkiduțiă Kaneșului), is a sovereign state in central-southern Uletha. It is bordered by Malësoria to the west, Antharia to the north and east, and Niscavo to the southeast. It also borders The Demirhan Empire to the south via the Bay of Erez, part of the Iviran Sea on which Qennes has it's southern shores, while the northwestern shores are located on the Lake Sens.

Qennes has a population of almost 3 million people which is spread out on 9,846 square kilometers. It is one of the most densely populated countries in south Uletha.

Qennes is an elective monarchy, ruled by an archduke. It is part of the Southern Uletha Economic Cooperation Council. The capital city is Arta located in the southwest of the country, while the largest city is Malvertta.

Etymology
The name Qennes is the Ingerish version of the native name Kaneș. The name 'Qennes' gets its roots from the Romanish name for the coastal area west of Niscavo - Quenneʃ.

Kaneș, as a name, has no certain etymology although there are two possible answers. During the Hellanesian colonization of the coast west of Niscavo, the area was uninhabited upon arrival. It is thought that the colonizers named the region Keno, Kene, Kenos or either Kenes, all of which derive from the Hellanesian word keno, meaning "empty". It is considered that the name eventually became the name of the Hellanesian subdivision in the area.

Another suggestion is that the name was derived from the phrase  'Kan nisi' , which means "possibly an island" in Hellanesian. It is thought that the colonizers have mistaken the peninsula in nowadays Malvertta for an island, or were either uncertain if it is either of the two.

The name Kaneș was first recorded in 1427 when Qennes' borders where roughly at the lines with nowadays Lipămontală province. Before that date, Qennes was known as 'Kenes' by the Hellanesians, 'Quenneʃ' by the Romanish and 'Kanis' by the Turquese. Since 1427 the name has remained unchanged.

Geography
Qennes is situated on the continent of Uletha, in its central-southern region known as the Iviran Coast, by the Iviran Sea. It lies between latitudes 41° and 40° N, and longitudes 83° and 84.5° E. The geographic center of Qennes is located west of the city of Dadaș, on the AP-16 highway, at the coordinates of 40.2462° N and 83.719° E, near the village of [unnamed].

Qennes is a moderately hilly nation, with two major mountain chains spanning east to west. They are the Lavand Mountains in the central areas of the country and the Apyn Mountains in the southeast, both of which span east into Antharia and Niscavo. The tallest peak, Kunîla, standing at 1474m, is located in the Lavand Mountains in the commune of Lîulină.

The remaining areas are composed of rolling hills, river valleys and flat plains. The three major plains in Qennes are the Koșteiu Plain, the Erez Plain, home to most of the agriculture activity, and the Qennesan Riviera Region which is the most densely populated area in the country, as well as being the tourist centre. The lowest point of Qennes is the Asperic Ocean at sea level (0m), with no stretches of land under sea level.

Qennes has a large number of valleys, especially in the central region. All valleys between Sîc̣u Petru and Porterez are considered the 'Heartland of Qennes'. All valleys are connected to the main valley created by the Kaneș River. It is known for being home to many of the countries towns, forming an iconic linear pattern dotted with settlements.

Geology
Qennes is in a semi-active seismic zone. It lies near the active Asperic Plate and East Ulethan Plate convergion boundary. There have been at least 50 destructive earthquakes in the past identified by scientists. There are numerous caves throughout Qennes, found throughout the hilly and mountainous regions of the country. In the Feră Empodia region, grottoes are a dotted along the cliffs. There are about 70 grottoes in Qennes.

The rock composition is predominantly sedimentary, and the soil is favorable for year-round agricultural activity in every part of the country.



Climate
As a rather small sized country, Qennes doesn't pose much diversity in climate. There are 3 zones in Qennes: the Coastal zone, dominated by the 'Csa' (Temperate dry hot summer) climate. The northern areas by the Lake Sens are considered as part of 'Csb' (Temperate warm dry summer) climate, while the mountainous areas are mostly composed of the 'Csc' (Temperate cold summer) climate.

Most of the country experiences hot or warm summers with pleasant and stable high temperatures and semi-varying low temperatures. The average high temperatures vary between 20°C in the coastal areas, 19°C in the central regions, and 16°C in the northern regions, while the average low temperatures vary between 11°C in the coastal areas, 9°C in the central regions and 6°C in the north regions.

The precipitation rate varies between 35mm and 94mm year round. The rainfall rarely exceeds 150mm during a month, and the average amount of rainfall is 64mm. Qennes receives about 3,712 hours of sunshine year round, with the numbers peaking at 384 hours in July.

Such a climate has allowed Qennes to develop into a highly popular summer tourism destination.

Waters
All of Qennes' rivers belong to the Iviran Sea basin. They are either directly part of the drainage basin, or part of the Lake Sens drainage basin, which empties into the Iviran Sea via the Recz River in Antharia.

The longest river is the Kaneș River with a length of XXXm (XXXm of which is within the borders of Qennes). It has it source near the monastery of Pakras in western Antharia, flowing southwest towards the Bay of Erez where it meets the Iviran Sea next to the town of Porterez. On its course it flows through a few major cities and towns including Kallomenos (Antharia), Reța, Dadaș, Poiu, Arta, Erez, Porterez (Qennes) and Portilumës (Malësoria).

Qennes has a low number of natural lakes and ponds. Besides the Lake Sens, the largest natural lake would be Lake Omnikă in the south of the country, created by a natural phenomenon of beavers constructing a dam on the Omnikă River strong enough to dam the small river.

Other natural lakes can be mainly found in the southwest, precisely oxbow lakes created by the Kaneș River and its meandering. The largest lake, besides the Lake Sens, is the Lîulină Reservoir, created artificially by the Lîulină Dam on the [unnamed] River. Most of the lakes in Qennes are used as tourist spots.

Biodiversity & Protected Areas
Qennes has a wide number of animal, plant and fungi species present in its territory. It is one of the most biodiverse countries in southern Uletha, proportional to its territory size. In 2008, Qennes brought a Biodiversity Recognition law into power, which revised the biodiversity situation in the country and set to protect endangered species, and control the human usage of natural resources of the nature. Alongside that, Qennes redefined its protected areas, and redefined the areas which are considered to be protected.

There are 3 main terrestrial biogeographical and eco-regions: Littoral, Lower Continental and Upper Continental. The Littoral regions is dominated by the Mediterranean biome, mainly hot and dry summers, and rainy and semi-rainy winters, forests and shrubs of lower density, plants which can be pyrophytes, numerous cases of the "mosaic habitat" and general drier scenery. It is found along the coast of Qennes, forming a belt of maximum 5km in width. It is by far the smallest of the three regions.

The Lower Continental regions are located at lower lying areas throughout continental Qennes, mainly among the elevating range between 150 and 800 meters. It is characterized by a semi-drier climate, a more denser vegetation rate, higher density of animal species, and lower amount of mosaic habitats. It is a transition zone between the much drier Littoral and the less drier Upper Continental. Numerous and larger oak and beech forests, garrigues (phryganas), matorrals and other types of shrubs. The zone has the highest average temperature among the three areas, the lowest rainfall and therefore the highest chance of catching natural wildfires, but also man-made forest fires, which can happen during the stubble burning season in rural areas, since this zone account for 80% of the agricultural activity in the country. stubble burning is considered a problem of the past, but is still present in northern and eastern regions of the country.

The Upper Continental regions are located at the highest of elevations in the country, everything above 800 meters. It is dominant in denser forests and woodlands, less so in shrubs and bushes. It includes forests of oaks, pines, conifers, and maqius shrublands. It presents a larger precipitation rates compared to the Lower Continental regions, but also lower temperatures, the lowest in the country, often falling below zero. These regions see minimal agricultural activity but the largest forestry activity amongst the three. It accounts for about 70% of Qennes' forested areas, and since the 2008 law, the area size of the forested lands has increased drastically, as numerous tree-planting activities were introduced to preserve and increase the forested lands. Qennes is still however one of the in Uletha.

Flora & Fauna
Qennes has a wide variety of plants and animals which are found in the whole of south Uletha. Dominant tree types include: oaks, pines, conifers, beech, olive trees, palms, fig trees, holm oaks, cork oaks, chestnuts, grapevines, magnolias, ficus trees, Curtisia, etc. A notable species of trees prevalent in Qennes are the 'Red Robin' trees. Among other plants, Qennes is home to the: flowering ash, Gleditsia, Jujube, grey elms, Pompia, azeroles, hawthorns, matorral, garrigue, maqius, etc. Traditional crops include: grapes, olives, figs, pomegranates, oranges, apricots, lemons, tangerines, and others, mainly grown for commercial purposes and exports, alongside typical crops like wheat, corn, barley, various vegetables, fruits and nuts which are mainly for domestic consumption.

Animals prevalent in the region can be found in Qennes as well. There are about 100 animal species, and they include: various sponges, corals, sea anemones, starfishes, sea cucumbers, sea snails, sea worms, octopuses, jellyfish, and a noticeable amount of crabs (which have the name of the region in southeast Qennes and Niskavo - Klavia/Niskavo), lobsters and prawns - for the sea ecoregion. Terrestrial animals include: durmouses, mouses, rats, shrews, voles, bats, wolfs, chamois, deers, dolphins, snakes, lizards, butterflies, dragonflies, Praying mantises, cicadas, glow-worms, hawk-moths, stinkbugs, crickets, hornets, wasps, bees, beetles, toads, salamanders, newts, turtles, ray-finned fish, eels, carps, various other fishes, and various domesticated animals like horses, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, etc. The common yellow swallowtail butterfly and the green snaketail dragonfly are the national animals of Qennes.

Protection
There are a total of X protected areas in Qennes. There are 6 protection categories for areas and 4 for the protection of members of the Qennesan flora & fauna. They are:
 * Protection classes for areas, highest level of protection to lowest:
 * Geopark - A large unified protected area that advances the protection and use of geological heritage in a sustainable way, and promotes the economic well-being of the people who live there. Example: Geopark "Lipămontală - Lavand" (Shared with [[Antharia])]
 * Zona Asțîra ḑe Proteḑat (ZAP) - A zone of strict protection laws. Encompases a natural habitat of animals, plants and natural features that are rare or valuable. Example: TBD
 * Park Național Proteḑat (PNP) - National park network of areas with special features worthy of protection. Unlike national parks in most other countries, in Qennes they can be much smaller. Example: PNP "Feră Selandină"
 * Zonă Pitoreaskă și a Vieții Sălbatike (ZPVS) - A zone of natural beauty and/or wildlife with special protection laws. Example: ZPVS "Meandre ḑe Erez"
 * Zonă Istorikală (ZI) - A zone of historic importance, usually encompassing a district within a locality. Example: Forț ḑe Erez (Erez Fortress)
 * Monumenț Istorikal (MI) - A single or group of objects or structures of historical importance. They can be located within other types of protected areas. Example: Ekilița ḑe Sîc̣i Tomas ḑin Artei (Saint Thomas Church in Artei)
 * Protection classes for individual flora and fauna species:
 * National animal / National plant - Species of symbolic meaning which may or may not be under preservation, but has a national-wide symbolism representing the nation of Qennes. Example: Qennesan lavender (Lavandula cenesis)
 * Local or endemic species under the Threatened status - Species originating in Qennes or the Iviran Coast region, that are considered as threatened of extinction. Example: Green Snaketail Dragonfly (Ophiogomphus cecilia)
 * Worldwide species under the Threatened status - Worldwide species present in Qennes, that are considered as threatened of extinction. Example: Tonenian Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora borisi)
 * Species of cultural symbolism - Species of cultural symbolism of the Qennesan regions. Example: Ulethan Green Crab in the region of Klavopoli and Niskavo. (Carcinus maenas)