Difference between revisions of "Ammochostos"

Revision as of 19:20, 14 June 2006

Ammochostos

Flag of Ammochostos
Motto: Mórchos, Livriá, Ghassoúti
Region	Asian Continent
Capital	Bangalore
Official Language(s)	Tamil, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Portuguese, Gujarati, Telugu, Sinhalese, Greek, Malay, Dhiveli, others
Leader	Kumal Harinandansingh
Population	1,282,965,450
Currency	Fthisou
NS Sunset XML

Geography

Ammochostos is a sizeable nation on the southern half of the Indian subcontinent. Bordered by Kasnyia to the north and northeast, Scythirus to the northwest, the Arabian Sea to the west, the Bay of Bengal to the east, and the Indian Ocean to the south, it also comprises the island groups of the Lakshadweep, Maldives, Chagos, Andamans and Nicobars, and most notably Sri Lanka.

The mainland is a vast plateau, bordered by two coastal ranges, the Eastern and Western Ghats. Tropical forests cover most of the nation, with the exception of the northwest, where the climate is semi-arid and scrublands are prevalent.

The nation is comprised of eleven states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnatak, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, São Tomé, Sri Lanka (State), Maldives and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Distrito Federal is it's own entity, in which lies the nation's newly relocated capital Bangalore. Recently, the government has granted Commonwealth status to the Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles, Comoros, Reunion, and Mauritius, and is working closely with the people of Socotra to bring them in line with commonweath guidelines.

History

In the years of Ancient Greek exploration (ca. 800 BCE), Hellenic settlers travelled the far reaches of the known (and unknown) world. One expedition in particular, led by Eustophenes "the Crazed", left from the port town of Ammóchostos (aka Famagusta on the island of Cyprus) in 765 BCE to explore the Arabian Sea. After a land transfer across the Sinai Peninsula, a band of 77 sailors skirted the coasts of Upper Egypt, Nubia, and exited the Baab al Gandeb to the Arabian Sea. Settlements were established on the island of Soccotra, the coasts of Oman and Baluchistan, the western shores of India, and finally on the island of Sri Lanka. Having barely any food left, they made a final, permanent settlement on the island, Koloúmbos, in 759 BCE. They found the island to be rich in many natural resources, particularly tea, tamarind, fruits, and a plethora of spices. The Dravidian inhabitants were hospitable and eager to learn of the technologies the Hellenes had brought with them. After sending back a few men to spread the word of their finds, native Cypriots were seduced by their poetic songs and every 10 years a new shipment of colonists would be sent to the island. Peaceful cohabitation predominantly existed between the two peoples for many years. However, in the 5th century BCE, Sinhalese invaders wreaked havoc amongst the inhabitants of the Sri Lanka. The Sinhala created numerous kingdoms on the island and prevented the continuing immigration of westerners.

In 1505, the Portuguese arrived to the island and began a trade relationship with the Sinhala Kingdoms. Eventually, they turned more political in their transactions and managed to conquer the island with the exception of the kingdom of Kandy. Word managed to reach the west of an ancient settlement on the island, still inhabited by descendants of the first explorers. Greeks, as well as Egyptians, Arabs, Jews, and Armenians, all of which had now fallen under Ottoman rule, parted for the island in refuge, almost 2000 years after the last emmigration from the region. In 1796, the British arrived and by 1815 had managed complete control of the island. Growing nationalism in the 19th century prompted the islanders to a Revolutionary War (1848-1856) in which they gained their due independence. The Republic of Sri Lanka was founded on April 16th, 1856, the Day of Armistance, and the first president, Rafik Talalmannar (1856-1866) was responsible for the nation's constitution and setting up the template for the national government. Then, with a population of two million, the island was based on an agrarian economy and relied heavily on trade, mainly the Northern European nations. During the Great Depression, a number of Germans, Italians and Poles migrated to the island. They are responsible for the few arian traits that can be found in certain cities in Tamil Nadu, which became the second state of the Democratic States of Ammochostos (1956). Furthermore, since Catholic Europe has conquered much of "Non-Catholic Europe" and the Middle East, millions of religious refugees of Orthodox and Muslim faiths, for fear of what the Catholics had mercilessly done to them during the Crusades, have migrated, with Ammochostos being a favorable destination.

Recently, the 15th president, Mártios Makários Angelisoú II has made it priority to preserve the precious cultural heritage that makes up the nation by establishing the Department of Culture. The current president, Kumal Harinandansingh, is looking to re-organize the nation's infrastructure to promote economic equality. This is greatly enhanced with the recent creation of the Bank of India.