Bancroft

Bancroft, officially the Bancroft Metropolis, is the capital city of Mantralia. With an estimated population of 501,780 as of October 2020, it is the seventh most populous city in the country, and located at the country's northernmost point. The area surrounding Bancroft is often referred to as the Bancroft Region.

The area chosen for the capital had been inhabited by the Native Mantralians since the late 2nd century, principally the Koionda people. The city is often referred to within its indigenous communities as Baukonyei, a portmanteau of the Koionda-language words bãukó ("lake") and kònyéì ("city") with the diacritics removed. European settlement commenced in the early 1820s, and the city was officially established as Bancroft in 1885. Following a lengthy debate over whether Ashbourne or Brookshire would be the capital city, the colonizers settled on having it be Bancroft.