Giraz

Giraz is the fourth largest of the Classical Isles, and refers to the sovereign state of the same name (a democratic republic). It is the easternmost and second southernmost of the thirteen major Isles, and is considered to be the cradle of Western civilization. Giraz is about 48,000 square miles in area and has a population of 7 million.

Giraz is a sea-based country, with many bays and inlets and a mountainous interior. Most of the population lives in the small coastal plains situated along the shoreline and in the valleys that extend from these plains into the mountains.

The climate of Giraz is Mediterranean at sea level, having wetter, chilly winters and drier, hot summers, with more rain on the western and northern coasts and drier, sunnier climates on the eastern and southern coasts. Many Girazian valleys are prime locations for growing fine grapes and olives, while other areas grow much wheat and rye, and hilly areas tend to host sheep and goat herds. The interior mountains have extensive deposits of gold, silver, copper, and iron, which allowed the country to become very wealthy through trade in ancient times.

Giraz was the first great ancient civilization in the West; farming was developed here as early as 11,000 years ago and as far back as 3,000 years ago there were already important cities (as much as 25% of the population was urban during the peak of its classical civilization); Ellos being then (like now) the largest city in Giraz.

The tenets of The Faith were developed mostly in Giraz, from an infusion of Girazian philosophy (the most influential of whom was the sage Althonus) with the allegedly divine revelations of The Prophets, all of whom were Girazian except for Sam, who was an indigenous Pragmatic man from the Girazian colony of Tadania on the northern shore of the Southern continent.

Today Giraz is a relatively poor country with a lot of debt owed to other nations, as well as wealth inequality, but Girazians still enjoy the longest life expectancies on Ourvo; 30 year olds there can expect to live an average of another 103 years. This long life is attributed to the island's healthy cuisine, which lacks the convenience food that is prevalent in most Western countries (even the world's largest sandwich (and indeed, restaurant) chain, Twitty's, lacks a presence in Giraz), as well as the island's family-centric, laid back lifestyle (Girazian workers work a median of 29 hours a week, a full 8 hours less than Merritians). Giraz has socialized healthcare but allows for private practice as well, in particular for specialty medicine such as optometry and dentistry.