Imperium

The Empire (Magonian: Imperium) is a sovereign transcontinental country located on the central part of Arhet. Most of its territory is located on the continent, at the south of the Icarian Sea, and it also has a large number of islands in Mare Mercatorium and the Gregorian archipelago in Icarian Sea. It limits to the north with Ligaj Libra Leschinogerade and to the west with Belleland. The empire has an area of around 11.3 million of square kilometers.

The country is a parliamentary monarchy under a regional autonomy system. There are 64 subdivisions in the Empire, these are commonly named provinces but contain different types of subdivisions: Republics, Kingdoms, Archipelagos and proper Provinces. The current emperor is Gregorius IX, whose historical title is emperor-elect, despite the fact that the election system changed in 1720.

The capital of the empire is Magium, a global city and financial center with a metropolitan population of 19.3 million. Other main cities are Sanctus Augustus, Balisipo, Milanum, Orei, Crusina, Olisipo and Burdigala.

Etymology and terminology
According to the early historian Fabius Musca, the inhabitants of the central imperial zone referred to the primitive empire as Imperium Aetherium, a term from the Proto-Magonian language, using the words imperium (empire) and aetherius, an adjective meaning ("ethereal, celestial, heavenly"). The current name gives reference to the first emperor, Magius, who descended from the heavens and therefore his direct descendants were considered "deities of the Ether".From the south often visitors came to the emperors to honor their alliance to the rulers of Magium after the end of Second Greco-Roman War. They often referred to the empire as the Imperios Magnos ("great empire" in Proto-Magonian), gradually this term came into usage in the 2nd century.

After the death of Levitatus II, his adoptive son Titanius II ascended the throne, becoming the first emperor who did not descend directly from Magius. The fact of not being a blood descendant of Magius made him considered "an terrestial diety", for this reason the priests considered it offensive towards the gods of the Ether to continue calling the empire as Imperium Aetherium. The decision was made to officially start using the name Imperium Magnum, a modern version of "Imperios Magnos", as originally used by visitors from the south. Some nearby civilizations called the region where Magium was founded Magonia, a word that literally means "land of Magius". This term is mostly used for the territory around and to the west of Magium these days and for the language that originally derives from this area and is currently spoken all over the Empire.

Prehistory and early history
There are a large number of archaeological sites indicating signs of human settlement since the Stone Age. One of the oldest sites was found south of Colonia Arida, in the Caverna Consa, where a group of paleontologists discovered the skull of Homus Consus, a pre-hominid considered a predecessor of modern humans, confirming the existence of human beings in Imperium for more than 2.3 million years.