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Description
The key factor defining many nations is their territory, borders, and geography. Many times, the borders and/or geography define that nation's political and economic reality, and to a large extent their cultural reality as well. Natural borders are highly defensible things like mountain ranges or coastline or rivers, and can shape a nation's strategy abroad. Other things such as river valleys, soil quality, and climate can shape a nation's economy, and internal barriers can also shape the way that a nation projects (or is unable to project) its power.

This is something that the Celtic Empire has an unquestionable benefit from. On the topic of its borders, it alone in Europe has the unique quality of being an entirely insular nation, with its borders simply being "all of the archipelago it sits on". It has the most well-defined borders in Europe because all of its borders are coastline. This means that not only does the Empire have virtually no territorial disputes, but it's incredibly well-defended. The narrowest crossing of the Sea of Prydain is still 33 kilometers from Calais to Cant, and as well the Sea is tidal and subject to seasonal storms. This is why the Empire's navy, the "Wooden Wall", is its strongest military asset. Control over the coastline surrounding the isles is far and away the greatest defense the islands have, especially toward the south, which is practically right off its doorstep. Enemies landing in the south of Prydain, its center of food production and where a vast portion of its population lives, would find very few natural barriers to invasion otherwise.

The Empire also has a massive advantage to its climate, though this is shared by most of Europe: the Gulf Stream. This warm-water current moves heat eastward over Europe and keeps the Homeland much warmer than it would be otherwise being so far north. This gives the Empire relatively mild summers and winters, meaning that virtually every part of the Empire is habitable. Lots of rain and the vast number of rivers means that large-scale irrigation is relatively unnecessary for the Empire, and canals/rivers instead serve mainly as arteries of commerce and transportation. And on the topic of transportation, the Empire being mostly flat land makes constructing roads very easy, and as a consequence the Empire has a well-developed network of both paved and unpaved roads connecting its major cities.

One last thing is worth mentioning about the Empire's geography: the position of its capital, Dinas Ymerodraeth, on the island of Ynys Ymerodrol. Normally, the capital of a nation is chosen for one of two reasons: it is the largest and most dominant city, or it was the result of conscious planning. Dinas Ymerodraeth falls into the latter category, as before it both Deva and Llundain were the capital of the Empire, both on the dominant island of Prydain. One would assume that the Empire might put its capital on the main island, but Ynys Ymerodrol is the result of a compromise between the two primary halves of the Empire: Prydain and Eiru. The two islands have typically been resistant to being influenced by the other, so placing the capital on a neutral island midway between them solves this issue. Not only this, but the island is located roughly at the geographic center of the archipelago, meaning that communication is relatively faster to and from the capital, aiding its centralized government structure.

Description
The key factor defining many nations is their territory, borders, and geography. Many times, the borders and/or geography define that nation's political and economic reality, and to a large extent their cultural reality as well. Natural borders are highly defensible things like mountain ranges or coastline or rivers, and can shape a nation's strategy abroad. Other things such as river valleys, soil quality, and climate can shape a nation's economy, and internal barriers can also shape the way that a nation projects (or is unable to project) its power.

This is something that the Celtic Empire has an unquestionable benefit from. On the topic of its borders, it alone in Europe has the unique quality of being an entirely insular nation, with its borders simply being "all of the archipelago it sits on". It has the most well-defined borders in Europe because all of its borders are coastline. This means that not only does the Empire have virtually no territorial disputes, but it's incredibly well-defended. The narrowest crossing of the Sea of Prydain is still 33 kilometers from Calais to Cant, and as well the Sea is tidal and subject to seasonal storms. This is why the Empire's navy, the "Wooden Wall", is its strongest military asset. Control over the coastline surrounding the isles is far and away the greatest defense the islands have, especially toward the south, which is practically right off its doorstep. Enemies landing in the south of Prydain, its center of food production and where a vast portion of its population lives, would find very few natural barriers to invasion otherwise.

The Empire also has a massive advantage to its climate, though this is shared by most of Europe: the Gulf Stream. This warm-water current moves heat eastward over Europe and keeps the Homeland much warmer than it would be otherwise being so far north. This gives the Empire relatively mild summers and winters, meaning that virtually every part of the Empire is habitable. Lots of rain and the vast number of rivers means that large-scale irrigation is relatively unnecessary for the Empire, and canals/rivers instead serve mainly as arteries of commerce and transportation. And on the topic of transportation, the Empire being mostly flat land makes constructing roads very easy, and as a consequence the Empire has a well-developed network of both paved and unpaved roads connecting its major cities.

One last thing is worth mentioning about the Empire's geography: the position of its capital, Dinas Ymerodraeth, on the island of Ynys Ymerodrol. Normally, the capital of a nation is chosen for one of two reasons: it is the largest and most dominant city, or it was the result of conscious planning. Dinas Ymerodraeth falls into the latter category, as before it both Deva and Llundain were the capital of the Empire, both on the dominant island of Prydain. One would assume that the Empire might put its capital on the main island, but Ynys Ymerodrol is the result of a compromise between the two primary halves of the Empire: Prydain and Eiru. The two islands have typically been resistant to being influenced by the other, so placing the capital on a neutral island midway between them solves this issue. Not only this, but the island is located roughly at the geographic center of the archipelago, meaning that communication is relatively faster to and from the capital, aiding its centralized government structure.