User:YoungsterLiam57/Bellya

Bellya, officially the Kingdom of Bellya is an island country in the Pacific Ocean. Bellya is the second-largest country by area in Oceania behind Australia and the world's twelfth-largest country. It is bordered in the north, west and east by the Pacific Ocean and in the south by the Navelese Ocean. The country consists of thousands of islands, with the three main islands Utera, Cauda ab Bellya, and Irakana, housing most of its population of 35 million. Bellya's capital and largest city is Bellya City, located on the south coast of Utera.

Due to Bellya being located in the Tropics, most of the nation used to be covered in rainforest, causing most of the large cities are situated on the country's coastline or one of its' three great lakes. The only exception to this is Samin, the country's oldest city, which is located in the centre of Utera. During the last century, about 20% of Bellya's rainforests have been cut down for more space to be inhabited.

Bellya has been inhabited for over 30,000 years. The first settlers were the Naorava tribe and they remained the only inhabitants of the archipelago until the region was discovered by the British discover Willard Franklin in 1502. During the 16th century, Britsh citizens settled in the archipelago and established the Franklin Islands. The archipelago stayed under British rule until 1 August 1851, when Bellya gained independence after the Bellyan Revolution.

Ever since its independence, Bellya has been a unitary parliamentary with a bicameral legislature, the Bellyan Parliament.

Bellya is most known around the world for its Belly Button Law, which states that every women in Bellya, regardless of age or race, have to expose their belly and belly button at all times. The law has been in place since before the colonial times, when the archipelago was still under the Naorava's influence, and plays a big part in Bellya's culture.

Etymology
The name Bellya is derived from the English belly and the suffix -ia. The native name the Naorava people used for the region was Airava meaning land of the navel. In most other languages the name for Bellya is derived from the word for belly or navel and the language's version of the suffix -ia. (for example: the French Ventrie or the German Nabelien)

Whilst under British rule, the nation was known as the Franklin Islands, named after its discoverer, Willard Franklin.