What is the setting of Princess Academy by Shannon Hale?

The story takes place in a small mining village on Mount Eskel, a territory of the fictional kingdom of Danland. Though other areas of the kingdom are mentioned, the action of the plot takes place either in the village or at the princess academy. The time period is unclear since the book is a fantasy, but the rusticity of the village and the use of horses and coaches puts the date closer to the 1500s or 1600s than modern times. The village is small and ekes out a living mining linder, which can be a labor-intensive and sometimes dangerous task. The village is isolated from the rest of the kingdom, not only because of its inaccessibility in the mountains but also because it is only a territory and not an official province of the kingdom. The capitol of Danland is Asland, which is located somewhere near the seaboard. In the village action takes place in the town square and in Miri and her family's small home made out of rubble rock. In the school the action is either in the classroom, the girls' sleeping chamber, the yard, and briefly in the closet. The fantasy aspects of the setting allow great freedom with the storytelling. The author describes the surroundings in rich detail, creating a vivid world despite the lack of a specific time period or an actual historical place.