-- Hitchhiker astronaut with travel suitcase, by Dreamstime --
Welcome travelers!
From north to south, Petoriastan is a country that some have said that it simply has it all. The truth of that can certainly be debated, but there is no denying the beauty and variance in the country's topography. Comprising three provinces, the country has picturesque mountain peaks in the north, rolling foothills and grasslands in its midlands, and the south is punctuated by plains and shrub-lands. All in all, a little bit of something for any nature lover.
The Province of Stanistan
The northern province of Stanistan featuring the Crag Bluff mountain range is often considered to be the ancestral birthplace of Petoriastan and until the early 1920's was home to the nations capital. The rugged mountains of the Crag, part of the Afropian Highlands that stretch throughout the region, are a point of pride for the province and for many in the country. Rich in deposits, natural resources, and majestic mountain springs and streams, the province is an interesting compromise and at times competing mix of industrialization desires and ecological stewardship. The province's architecture certainly reflects its history; its landscape dotted with the traditional family and clan compounds, familiar throughout Petoriastan, however with greater representation in Stanistan. That is not to say that the province is void of contemporary or more modern architecture, the larger cities of the province as well as new infrastructure are reflective of international influences and tastes that have made their way to the country and this northern province.
The countries capital until the 1920's, the city of Natsoytic serves as the provincial capital and has since boasted a fairly robust tourism trade focused around the Crag and also as a showcase to the country's historical roots - architecture, markets, and a piece to Petoriastan's tribal and clan past, being home to Chieftain's Palace - often referred to as the 'Palace' or 'Castle'.
The Province of Middlepet
Defined by the Oria River, the province of Middlepet has hints of the Crag Bluff range on its western edge, but it is largely known for the foothills and grasslands that roll out from the range north of the Oria. The lands to the east roll towards the border with Mikaroon and neighbors the region often referred to as the French Basin. The rolling foothills continue south and transform into grasslands and wide open spaces. While the province of Stanistan is also known for its traditional family livestock farms and ranches, Middlepet is home to more modern and larger farming operations that include both livestock and crop-based ventures, not to mention its fishing communities along the nations coastline. Home to such diversity within the country, the farming tradition with the industrialist spirit along with the fisherman's love of the sea, the province seemingly is a land of many faces and identities.
Home to the nation's capital, the city of Constanara can trace its birth to the movement of the countries government centre to the province. Still met with disdain in some parts of the country, the movement of capital cities sparked a wider period of development for the province of Middlepet and is really the catalyst for Constanara's modern development and embrace with the modern world.
The Province of Salzland
Picking up where Middlepet's grasslands leave off, the province of Salzland features these same grasslands boasting rich farmland and transitions to plains and shrublands highlighted by low valleys and basin with regions that are a mix of wet and dry throughout the year. Noted for its water-work and irrigation projects, the province is perhaps the least populated and developed of the three. Although a look at the coastline communities and you might forget the harshness of Salzland's shrubland climate.
Come to Petoriastan - experience it for yourself - tell a friend
