The Sovereign Province of the Sacred Valley of Deseret

The Sovereign Province of the Sacred Valley of Deseret is a province within the Republic of the Kingdom of Ya'akova, and home to the nation's capital.

History
The first settlers were the Pioneers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), who arrived to the Salt Lake Valley in the mid-19th century. The pioneers began to work the land and create for themselves a home and refuge from the religious persecution they had experienced back east for many years. They named the land Deseret, after an ancient Egyptian word signifying "Honeybee". It was named so to remind those of the land to be industrious, contributing to the welfare of the whole and moving forward what they believed to be the Lord's work.

After several years in the Salt Lake Valley, their leader, Brigham Young, began to send colonization parties to explore and settle the land. Among these settlements were the city of Delta and the Township of Deseret. Although the remaining part of the territory began to grow exponentially, Deseret and Delta did not have as much success for the remaining part of the century. Even in the recent decades, the population of the region has not reached more than 4,000.

However, when the Ya'akovim Nation was organized, the people determined that there would be provinces which would receive representation in the national government and in which they would determine local law and protection.

After several weeks of anticipation since the signing of the constitution, on 29 March 2019 the Sovereign Province of the State of Deseret was officially organized and admitted into the Union of Provinces as the First Sovereign Province of Ya'akova.

Government
The Provincial Government Sacred Valley of Deseret is organized to be a simple constitutional republican-style government. It is headed by the Provincial Governor, elected by the citizens of the province, who executes and enforces law. Its legislature is a unicameral body of Legislative Councilors elected at a ratio of 1:5 Councilors/Persons. Since the Nation's Capital exists within its borders, the Province has an agreement with the National Government that its justice system for now wholly depends on the National Judicial House and the Supreme Court of Justices. Elections for Governor are every two years and for Councilors it is every year.

Culture
Although sharing many ideals with the national government, the Province has begun to develop its own regional culture.

Provincial Flag
The Flag of the Province is one of the more unique flags that have been conceived. Although the Center Seal appears to be the LGBTQ Pride flag, it actually takes this from the ancient inhabitants of the Americas, the Inca City of Cusco. This is seen by the addition of a light blue stripe near the center. This Rainbow motif symbolizes liberty and prosperity, while the Provincial Beehive represents Industry and Unity. The Outer Stripes of Red and White represent Sacrifice and Purity. All these ideals have given it the name "Success".

Food
Although the cuisine of the Province reflects that of the Nation, a regional plate of Ham and Cheese Potatoes is quite a delicacy here, and is known as "Vida y Muerte".