Gelihur

From Almeopedia

The Gelihur [ˈgɛ li hur] Peninsula, Gelim in Old Skourene, lies east of the Šurantal or Skourene Sea. Geologically, it is an extension of the Fansava mountain range, which continues to the south as the island of Šiji. It is divided into north and south regions, Gelimḍan and Gelimṭar.

Etymology: Old Skourene Gelim 'you seized it', probably a reference to the conquest from the Mei, though it may also be an approximation of a Mei word.

Gelimḍan

The northern half is Gelimḍan 'North Gelihur'. Its climate is similar to Skouras, and the spread into it at an early date, displacing the original Mei inhabitants. Its major cities are Meŋeland/Baburali, Guṭḷeli/Gudrai, and Teralam/Tralim on the west coast and Soridrand and Ḍarali on the east.

Thanks to extensive deforestation, the region suffered an ecological collapse in the 1200s; the previously powerful cites of Meŋeland and Guṭḷeli never entirely recovered.

It was conquered by the Tžuro, though Guṭḷeli was the last Skourene city to fall to the invaders (1784). The Tžuro/Uṭandal boundary has remained remarkably stable ever since, though Ḍarai (ancient Ḍarali) passed permanently to the Uṭandal in 2592.

Gelimḍan is presently divided between Šura, the small Tžuro states of Tral and Lenda, and the Uṭandal state of Ḍarai.

Gelimṭar

The southern half of the peninsula is Gelimṭar 'South Gelihur'. The Skourenes settled it somewhat later, around 100, but population density was low for some centuries, till crops could be adjusted to the colder, windier climate. Its major cities are Gelimai on the west coast, Kolatimand/Kulapman at the southern tip, and Ḍilai on the east coast.

Gelimṭar also suffered from deforestation, but recovered to a larger degree after the introduction of millet from Arcél in the 1500s; millet is harvested by cutting, and its persistent root systems help prevent soil erosion.

Gelimḍan has remained under Uṭandal control; the local language is known as Gelihurendi. Since the 3200s has been united as the republic of Gelimai.