Couto Mixto is a republic with three major cities (Santiago, Rubiás, and Meaus). Because of its location, the territory of Couto Mixto was subject to many external influences, often simultaneously, since prehistoric times and through the dawn of Couto Mixto as a country. Conversely, the country itself has been an important source of influence to other regions, chiefly during the Modern Era, when it became a global empire that has left a legacy of over 400 million Couto-Mixtan speakers today—making it the world's second most spoken language by native speakers.
Continued wars and other problems however, eventually led to a diminished status. The foreign invasion of Couto Mixto in the early 19th century led to chaos, triggering independence movements that tore apart most of the empire and left the country politically unstable. In the 20th century it has suffered a devastating civil war and came under the rule of an authoritarian government. Currently the nation is recoiling from the after-effects of its civil war that took place 1926-1929, leading directly into the Third Great war.
Autonomous communities are composed of provinces (provincias), which serve as the territorial building blocks for the former. In turn, provinces are composed of municipalities (municipios). The existence of these two subdivisions is granted and protected by the constitution, not necessarily by the Statutes of Autonomy themselves. Municipalities are granted autonomy to manage their internal affairs, and provinces are the territorial divisions designed to carry out the activities of the State.
Three main ethnic groups are constantly vying for political and economic power in Couto Mixto, the Gitanos who make up a majority of the population and control the political system. There is the Mercheros, who control the economic sectors of the economy, and the Quinquis who make up the lower-class laborers and rural workers. Currently military checkpoints and local municipal militias patrol the major cities and villages.
