Shinman

Shinman (Zhenian: 신만, meaning 'New Gulf' in Zhenian), officially known as Shinman Metropolitan City (Zhenian: 신만광역시, pronounced Sinman Gwang-yeogsi), is the financial hub and most populous city of the Republic of Shinlim. It is one of the four metropolitan cities and is governed by the Shinman Metropolitan Government. It faces the Gulf of Handeok to the west and is entirely surrounded by Geumcheon Province. The Sinchwan River flws through Shinman before emptying into the Gulf of Handeok in the Ilseon ward of the city around central Shinman. The city is apart of the Greater Shinman Area and is the namesake of this giant amalgamation of urban area in northern Shinlim that accounts for 20% of the nation's population, or 23,537,526 people. This area includes neighboring cities in Geumcheon Province like Geumsan, Uljeong, and Sacheon. The city itself, however, is subdivided into 22 wards and home to over 10.6 million people.

Originally, records show that the area was inhabited by a small Nawkaw settlement of about 10,000 people. There are no known native names to this settlement. Thus, the city truly was considered founded in 1127 AC, close to a century after Chang Handeok discovered Veharia and established the colonial city of Aman. The city was named Shinman and remained a quiet but growing colonial village. It started gaining prominence in the late 1200s when iron and high-quality stones were found for mining, transforming it from a sleepy fishing village. This was further expedited when in 1358, gold was found north of Shinman. Shinman would grow rapidly, serving as a hub for the export of gold during the Shinman Gold Rush. By the mid-15th century, Shinman was one of the most populous cities in the Shinlim at over one million. At the turn of the 16th century, industrialization started to pick up with the national railway system and independence. Shinman was a candidate for the Capital City of Shinlim during the Shinman Conference from March to April 1500, but it was decided Gyeongwon would be a more central location, free of business interests. In 1552, the Shinman Metropolitan Government as it is today was established and administers the 22 wards of the city.

Shinman is the third-largest regional economy in Shinlim by gross domestic product, with its GDP at $486.19 billion, and a per capita GDP for Shinman city residents standing at $41,375.50, higher than the national average. It is part of a highly-developed industrial region that includes the cities of Sacheon, Geumsan, and Uljeong. The city is Shinlim's leading center of business and finance. Shinman's tallest building is the Shinman Tower, standing at 604 m tall, it is the tallest building in Shinlim. Shinman is a hub for many and is also an international center of research and development through several of its major universities and research institutions. Shinman Station is the northern hub for Shinlim's Saeganseon bullet train system, and the city is served by an extensive network of rail and subways. Notable wards of Shinman include Seongjin ward (the site of the Imperial Palace and Castle), Jinyeon ward (the city's administrative center), Daejin ward, Cheonhwa ward, Sinsang ward (three of the most famous commercial, cultural and business hubs), and last but not least, Haeju ward (the financial center of Shinman).

Etymology
Prior to Dan Zhenian settlement, the area was already home to a small Nawkaw settlement, a testament to the favourability of the location to human settlement in Western Veharia. However, the name of this settlement was never recorded, and likely never played a role in the name today. Shinman has kept its name since its founding and has a literal meaning of 'New Gulf' in Zhenian (Zhenian: 신만, pronounced Sin man) with 'Shin' meaning 'New' and 'man' meaning 'Gulf'. It was likely named by the first Shindan colonist who set foot on this part of the Sinchwan River in 1127 AC. Throughout its history, there have been attempts to change its name such as in 1531, when there was a proposal to rename the city Chang Daeho City, in memory of the founding father of Shinman. However, these proposals never got far and the name was kept. Sometime in the 1580s, Shinman got its nickname as the Emerald of the west in reference to it being one of the most valuable and well-developed cities on the western Veharian coast.