Candelaria And Marquez

Candelaria And Marquez

Flag of Candelaria And Marquez
Motto: Solidarity of the Nation
Temporary Map of C&M
Region	Rushmore
Capital	Albrecht
Official Language(s)	English, Spanish Both widely used
Leader	President James Anderson
Population	Unnecessarily Large
Currency	Reformed Pound
NS Sunset XML

The Republic of Candelaria And Marquez, formerly The Dominion of the Candelarias and The Republic of the Candelarias, is a country in the region of Rushmore comprising two large islands (the western generally referred to as Candelaria and the smaller eastern island as Marquez) and several smaller islands, most notably Green, Fallon, Sloane, Knee and Pranschke which are collectively, with their islets, known as the Outliers.

The population is traditionally of European descent, with an occasionally bitter cultural split occurring between the predominantly British-influenced western island and Hispanic-dominated Marquez. Today the republic is a moderately well-integrated multi-ethnic welfare state with increasingly liberal attitudes to civil life and a non-confrontational foreign policy. It has claimed a negligible crime-rate for some years.

The country - most commonly referred to as C&M - is considered an 'Inoffensive Centrist Democracy' by the United Nations. Its citizens are perversely proud of their nation's sheer average ness, newspaper polls showing an overwhelmingly favourable reaction to the March 2007 announcement that C&M was the 'least extreme' country in Rushmore.

After a largely abortive War of Independence in 1887, the islands gained full independence from Britain in 1947 as the Republic of the Candelarias and has maintained a peaceful attitude to it's neighbours and a stable government since, a major exception being the short but brutal Civil War from 1959-60 between those loyal to the autocratic Socialist regime and the Opposition Liberal-Conservative alliance.

Political power is held by the democratically-elected House of Representatives, under the leadership of the anachronistically-titled President who is the Head of Government.

Name

The island group was first referred to as Candelaria in the late 16th Century by fishermen from Tenerife who also later provided the name of the eastern island which became known as Marquez from the then administrative capital (today a small fishing community). The distinct use of 'Candelaria' for the largest island is a recent phenomenon used often dismissively by Marquezian Hispanics in the early 20th Century but shortly taken up by the island's inhabitants. The use of 'Candelarian' as the descriptive form of all peoples from the island group is theoretically accurate, but has become seen as discriminatory towards individuals from Marquez; an issue that has been seen to raise the passions of all ethnic and cultural groups on the island is recent years. As a result, most of the media and government have taken to using C&M (pronounced see-ænd-em) as the politically sensitive short-form name and adjective for the islands to avoid the cumbersome full form. Most of the islands' place names are derived from the surnames of early settlers, though many on the west coast of Marquez were anglicised, or replaced altogether, in the mid-19th Century. This too has provided a hotly debated bone of contention between the islands' people for many decades. In a particularly bizarre episode of cross-island animosity in 1980, as a condition of their membership in the governing coalition the Free Marquez party demanded a law forcing all publishers in the republic to capitalise the 'a' of 'and' in 'Candelaria And Marquez', in order to give 'equal status' to the two main islands. The move was widely derided but the law was passed, and there have been several successful prosecutions in the years since.

History

Main article(s): History of Candelaria And Marquez

Government

Main article(s): Politics of Candelaria And Marquez

From 1868 until 1947 C&M was a constitutional monarchy under the British crown with a parliamentary democracy. Today, parliament has only one legislative chamber, the House of Representatives, which seats 260 members. Elections are held ever four years, with each citizen having two votes - one national, one for their local constituency. Two hundred members are appointed on a proportional basis from party lists. There is no threshold for representation. Upon the declaration of the Second Republic in 1960, the title of Head of Government was transferred to a popularly elected President. Oversights in the 1960 Second Constitution allowed David Clarke, who had become President in 1962 following the resignation of Kjell Olousson III, to become both President and Prime Minister after the 1964 election, being also the leader of the break-away Unionist Party which surprisingly won the House elections. In response to the Gordon Bay Incident, Clarke forbad the 1968, and all further, Presidential elections, a situation which has remained in place ever since, being officially recognised in a 1978 amendment. As a result, the leader of the largest party in the House becomes Head of State and President for a maximum of two terms. He/she appoints the Prime Minister and has the right to be consulted over all major ministerial appointments.

The current President is James Anderson, leader of the Unionist Party. Since 12 May 2004 the Unionists have been in formal coalition with the Conservative Party, the Libertarian-Unionists and Kezia Melkam, the Independent MotH for Warne, giving the government 135 members.

The Leader of the Opposition has been Liberal Party leader Dr Robyn Morton since 9 February 2007, when she succeeded Sol McPhee. The Social Democratic & Green Party, led by Ariadne Jefferson are also in opposition. The seven other parties in the House all vote against the government on some legislation.

Key government members as of March 2007 include:

Vice-President Tate Sayfritz (Conservative)
Prime Minister Joseph Frank
Deputy Prime Minister Hasson Lazarus (Libertarian-Unionist)
Defence, Ben Cara Eliot
Finance, Saul Lewis
Foreign Affairs, Eric White
Social Affairs, Reuben Queseda
Regional Affairs, Tamara Amoruso

Upon full independence in 1947, the executive powers of the Monarch's Governor-General were transferred to a 100-seat Second Chamber called the Senate, with members appointed from a variety of sources. This held true until 1994, when all major political parties backed the Senate's reduction to an atrophied, largely advisory, twelve-member National Council appointed by the President, Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. Its' current chair is Jenna Kmosko.

Foreign relations and the military

For much of its early history, the Candelarias struck an isolationist and superior tone with the islands' regional neighbours, preferring to defer to the United Kingdom's lead. Relations took a downturn following the failed Minor Tiff of Independence, and by the end of World War I - in which Candelaria suffered heavy losses - public opinion had turned strongly in favour of taking a more independent role in the world. Under the Liberal PM Oxford Birch, the islands remained officially neutral on the outbreak World War II, though provided economic assistance. The Candelarias finally entered the war in August 1943, but there was no compulsory conscription - indeed a genuine effort to encourage young men to help the war effort by staying at home - and in practical terms 1918 can be considered the last time C&M troops saw large-scale military action.

As Britain looked towards Europe in the latter half of the 20th century, so C&M's Presidents attempted to foster better relations with the nations of Rushmore. President Clarke signed the first Free Trade agreements with individual countries in 1966, followed by the '67 Rushmori Human Rights Accord, '75 Rushmori Regional Free Trade Agreement and the '77 Rushmori Regional Defence Accords. In 1978 the Rushmori Regional Defence Organisation (RRDO) was established, to which much of C&M's relatively large and well-funded navy is permanently assigned. Despite the country's consistently high rate of youth unemployment over the decades, successive governments have resisted the temptation to used the armed forces as the dumping ground of otherwise socially difficult young men. As a result, the C&M Army is a relatively tiny but professional force that has taken a major role in peacekeeping duties in the region during the 90s, playing a significant part in resolving the Timonium conflict. With C&M's own national defence needs considered to be modest, much of the remaining Armed Forces are devoted to United Nations activity, an organisation to which the islands are a long-time member and supporter. C&M is endorsed by Switzaland, Squirrel world, Emilia Bedelia, Yenistan, Rothera, Kismethia, Dead Animal and the Freehold of Farnham.

In the early 21st century, C&M has punched above its weight in regional influence. It holds a seat on the Rushmore Senate, where it is represented by former Unionist Party MotH and leadership candidate Oran Shehata. President Anderson has been largely supportive of the Switzaland-led hegemony. C&M abstained from the vote to join with the Great Green Federation, and has taken an ambivalent tone over the alliance in general. Certain fears were allayed in April 2007, however, when Minister for Narcotics Abuse Ben Johnson confirmed that the islands' traditional strong stance on drug use, selling and importation would remain unaffected by outside pressure.

Geography

The earliest Spanish settlers made their homes on the west coast of Marquez and the islands to the south, taking advantage of then-plentiful fish stocks. Later British arrivals favoured the largest island, but soon discovered the mountainous and rocky nature of the island's inland. As a result, human habitation has traditionally been limited to the east coast, the heavily built-up area known as 'the Strip'. Later expansion brought towns to the banks of rivers and lakes, but successive governments have still preferred to extend pre-existing settlements than begin new towns in harsh territory. For this reason, the islands long claimed huge, untouched vistas of lush vegetation, while much of Marquez was heavily forested well into the 20th century. The march of the timber industry and the discovery of substantial uranium deposits, however, has seen massive deforestation, to the extent that the UN refers to the Republic as 'barren and inhospitable'.

The country's highest peak is Mount Lo, part of the Mayo Valley near Vo, which is 916 m (3,005 feet). The largest body of water is Lake Wessex in central Candelaria. The islands' total area is 43,987 km² (27,332 square miles).

Overall, the islands have a mild but changeable climate all year round. The islands experience few weather extremes. The warmest recorded air temperature was 32.8°C (91.04°F) in Albrecht on 13 June 1901. The coldest air temperature was -21.2°C (-6.16°F) in Brayton on 8 January 1881. The climate is typically insular and of a temperate nature. Precipitation falls throughout the year, but is light overall, particularly in Marquez. Candelaria, however, tends to be wetter on average and prone to the full force of storms, more especially in the late autumn and winter months, which occasionally bring destructive winds and high rainfall totals to the north-west, as well as snow and hail. Though not noted for its snowfall, both the major islands experience some snowfall each winter, though its intensity varies with south Marquez recording the least snow and with north-east Candelaria more prone. Some areas along the south coasts and the Outliers haven't had any lying snow for the past 12 years, with January 1995 being the last such event. There are noticeable differences in temperature between coastal and inland areas. Inland areas are warmer in summer, and colder in winter - there are usually around 40 days of below freezing temperatures (0°C) at inland weather stations, but only 10 days at coastal stations. The temperature difference can be seen in very short distances, for example the average daily maximum temperature in July in Clotaire is 23°C (73.4°F), while it is only 18°C (64.4°F) in Khatib, just 54.1 kilometres (33.6 miles) away. The average daily minimum temperatures in January in these locations also differ, with only -3°C in Clotaire and 0°C in Khatib. The islands are occasionally affected by heat waves, most recently in 2003. Average temperatures in the islands vary from -4°C (min) to 11°C (max) in January and 9°C (min) to 23°C (max) in July. One of the coldest nights for the past few years was recorded on Friday, 9 February 2007 when air temperatures in the capital Albrecht dipped to -5ºC (23ºF) with parts of Marquez recording lows of -9ºC (15.8ºF).

Flora and fauna

The Candelarias have fewer animal and plant species than mainland Rushmore because they became islands shortly after the end of the last Ice Age about 8,000 years ago. Many different habitat types are found in the islands, including farmland, open woodland, temperate forests, conifer plantations, peat bogs, and various coastal habitats.

In the early years of human habitation, the islands' economy depended to a great degree on fishing, which has perhaps inevitably resulted in a serious decline in both the stocks of fish overall and number of species within C&M's waters. By far the most famous creature in the islands is Oncorhynchus mediocris, known colloquially since the 19th century as the mediocre fish, either for its mildly orange colour or utter blandness. Small and agile enough to avoid most fisherman's nets and essentially inedible, it became one of the islands' few aquatic success stories, and its sheer tenacity earned it the title of National Animal in the 1923. Since then, however, there has been significant destruction of its habitat and the fish is considered endangered.

Few mammal species are native to the islands, again because of their long-term isolation from mainland Rushmore. Some species, such as the red fox, badger, grey squirrel and otter and are very common, whereas others, like the red squirrel, red deer, and treeshrew are less common and generally seen only in certain national parks and nature reserves around the islands. Some introduced species have become thoroughly naturalised, e.g. rabbits and the black rat. Species that have become extinct to the islands include the wolf, the mountain hare, the fisherman bat, the bear, the hedgehog and several native cattle breeds.

About 300 species of birds have been recorded in the islands. Many of these species are migratory. There are arctic birds, which come in the winter, and birds such as the Rossheim lesser gulp, which come from Africa in the summer to breed. The islands - particularly the Outliers, have a rich marine avifauna, with many large seabird colonies dotted around its coastline such as those on Knee Island and the Valero Islands north-east of Marquez. Also of note is Peterson's Sea Eagle, recently and controversially reintroduced after decades of extinction.

Native snakes include the European adder and water snake, the most common lizard is the Common Lizard. There are numerous amphibians, the most common being the common frog, the midwife toad and the bleeding toad, of which only the frog is native. Certain marine turtle species appear regularly off the south west coast but do not come ashore.

Until relatively recently the largest two islands were heavily forested with oak, fir, alder and chestnut. Forests now cover about 19% of the land. Because of its temperate climate, many species, including sub-tropical ones will grow on the islands. Much of the land is now covered with pasture, and there are many species of wild-flower. Whin, a wild furze, is commonly found growing in the uplands, and ferns are plentiful in the more moist regions, especially in the western parts of Candelaria. They are home to hundreds of plant species, some of them unique to the islands, others having been introduced, either artificially or by dumb luck. Frankly though, I find plants deathly dull. Simply can't see what all the fuss is about.

Economy

Candelaria And Marquez has a modern, prosperish, developed economy with an estimated GDP of $1.8 billion. The country has a middling standard of living with GDP per capita estimated at a distressing $6,747. The Exchange Rate is 1 reformed pound for 36 cents. There is no black market to write home about. (All estimates courtesy of the Sunset Group).

In the past, the islands were heavily dependent on agricultural trade, with a huge proportion of their output exported. The country kept up a strong trading relationship with the United Kingdom both prior to and after the Civil War, but UK's membership of the European Community and the rapid growth in agricultural output by the islands' near neighbours, lead to a protracted and very severe economic crisis, during which living standards in the islands fell behind many countries in both motherland Europe and continental Rushmore. In 1998, the newly-elected government of President Hrehoresin re-valued the currency as the Reformed Pound (C&MR£), and engaged in major macroeconomic restructuring, transforming C&M from a highly protectionist and regulated economy to a liberalised free-trade economy. Throughout the latter years of the Hrehoresin administration the Republic unemployment rate began to rise sharply and the country experienced a steady "brain drain", leading to a significant programme of re-nationalisation of industry under President Clark. The focus of Clark and his Finance Minister Charity Morini on uranium mining proved economically successful but has often been criticised as unethical, and many government-operated mines were shut down as a result of the SD&G Party's presence in the 2000-04 governing coalition. There then followed a shift in focus to gambling-related tourism, despite strong disapproval from the often socially puritan elements of the country's traditional Left, and the industry is now predominately in private hands.

Recent years has seen the export of software-related goods and services, as well as small computer and automobile parts, become a major growth industry, alongside the publishing of books and other media prohibited by less free nations.

Since the elected of James Anderson, the country's base rate of tax has swollen to 50%, with the greatest portion spent on Education. The Unionist government aims to end the days where the country's intellectual elite had to move abroad for their higher learning, as well as slow the reliance on foreign-born doctors, nurses, teachers and other valued workers, and the years since 2004 has seen major restrictions placed on all but the most skilled or needy immigrants from nations outside the modern RRFTA bloc.

Demographics

Approximately 85% of the C&M population are of European descent. In the 2005 census nearly 45% of the population claimed majority ancestry from the British Isles, but such statistics are difficult to sustain. Throughout the islands' history, many immigrants of continental European ancestry have anglicised their names, or adopted new ones altogether, a fact that accounts for the high percentage of 'occupation' and 'descendent of' surnames within the 'British' population. The census also suggested that around 18% of citizens were of Hispanic origin, a claim disputed by Marquezian nationalist groups - who would put the figure at considerably higher. Issues arise with those of mixed Hispanic and non-Hispanic ancestry, as well as the many who are increasingly living lives separate from the insular traditions of their ancestors.

While always committed to retaining the Anglo-Spanish flavour of it’s' culture and government, C&M has always had a relatively open immigration policy. Italians, Dutch and Czechs were the largest non-mainstream groups to arrive throughout the 19th century, but each new generation has provided a different face to new Candelarians. Considerable Swedish and Turkish immigration occurred in the late 1800s. The most notable new additions of the early 20th century included many thousands of refugees from South America, considerably bolstering the islands' Spanish-speaking population, as well as providing the first major influx of obviously non-white individuals. Recent decades have brought many Chinese, Africans (particularly Nigerians) and Pakistanis to the islands, who have been integrated with relative ease into a country with little prior experience of multi-racial society. Despite the innately dualistic nature of the islands' people and culture, society has long been ambivalent towards notions of multi-culturalism. The earliest settlers from European minority groups were welcomed, but strongly encouraged to abandon their own languages and much of their distinct national identities. The presence of many foreign words and expressions in Candelarian English, as well as the rich culinary variety of the islands, suggests that this advice was not always taken up, but it is certainly true that there is little evidence of interest in the dual identities that are apparent and encouraged in many other mixed-origin nations. Many even question whether there is any such thing as a distinct Hispanic culture, even on Marquez, with seemingly increasing numbers abandoning Spanish, given their children English names, and showing an increasingly ambivalent attitude towards their community's traditional staunch Catholicism. Public debate over multi-culturalism in the country has centred on the recent influx of Turkish immigrants, who are seen to live lives far detached from mainstream society. Media reports regularly associate this group with drug-related gun-crime, an issue that found popular support after the March 2001 death of schoolboy Adam Gerrard in the cross-fire between two gangs. The murder has since propelled the boy's mother, Landi Gerrard-Landolfi to the position of C&M's Minister for Social Justice, a platform she has used to criticise both the shadowy nature of some immigrant groups and their perceived demonisation in the media.

The 2005 census indicated that Christianity was by far the largest faith with some 49% of respondents identifying themselves as adherents. The Anglicanism was still the major denomination, though Roman Catholicism has showed signs of catching up. Buddhism and Islam accounted for 2% and 1.8% respectively. The majority of the remainder identified themselves as 'non-religious', a fact which supports the limited impact of faith in public life. The secularist influence of the works of Reuben Merchant, and the country's natural quiet socialism, has led to an often militantly agnostic approach by much of the press, which regularly mocks politicians and other figures who express strong religious convictions. Those who commit themselves thus seldom manage great electoral success, in public or within their party. A notable exception of recent years has been the Christian People's Party, reformed in 1999 in the image of the once successful Christian Patriotic Party. Under the charismatic Joel Hopkins, they achieved an unprecedented 2.05% share of the popular vote in the 2004 election, garnering four MotHs. Joseph van der Woude's Humanist Party, created in 2001 largely to challenge Hopkins' group, gained 1.53% of the vote that year, giving them three MotHs. The Humanist's Party's status as a viable political force has been badly damaged, however, by the December 2006 revelation that several high-ranking party members -including two MotH - had been part of the Orange Nation Descendent Worshipping Cult during the early nineties. The party's finance spokeswoman, Libby Williams admitted her failure to disclose her involvement and resigned from the House. Her colleague Lewis Ambani was less apologetic and remains in the House as an Independent, though his appearances are few.

Culture

Contemporary Candelaria And Marquez has a diverse culture which has developed beyond its original English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish and Spanish influences. Like many English-speaking countries, C&M has been successful in assimilating the favoured elements of foreign language, music, traditions, dress and cuisine. The latter case has perhaps had the most influence, with Italian, Chinese, Indian, Brazilian and Turkish dishes in particular surpassing many traditional British and Spanish eating habits in their popularity and widespread use. The republic is very much part of the modern world culture; with art, music, film and television - whether popularist or high-society - as likely to be of foreign origin as home-grown. Music from larger English-speaking nation traditionally dominated the charts in the second half of the 20th century, but local acts have shown signs of beginning to hold their own. Six of the top ten best-selling albums of 2006 were C&M-made, while more tellingly, bands including Big Foot Social Club, Patsy's Magic Bullet and The High Court, singer-songwriters Guy Hirsz and Natasha Norman and the winner of the 2005 C&M Idol, Bryony Evans, have achieved a modicum of success in the wider region. C&M's best-selling artists abroad, however, remain thrash-metal act FosterPussycatDieDieDie. Apparently.

C&M's historic literary output is small but noteworthy, particularly in the late 19th century. The impact of Merchantist thinking brought strong voices both in favour and against, and saw Georgina Guillaumin, Shelby Ross, Lionel Vickery and their contemporaries gain a modest international following. In more recent times, Candelarians are justly proud of novelist-cum-playwright Joseph Ness, whose semi-autobiographical works The Quality of Being and On Being Wrong have attracted rave reviews in the renowned theatres of Rothera and Wigu. In C&M itself, Albrecht and Arrigo have thriving theatre districts.

The line-up of C&M's most watched television stations, TV1, TTO, WorldVision and Onwere TV have a similar international flavour, where Riikian sitcoms, poorly-dubbed Yerduan crime thrillers and Switzaland-made cookery shows wrestle for air time with locally produced soaps. In the latter case, the venerable Home is Where the Hart is and its brasher cousin Holy Road remain C&M's most popular programmes. The influence of political satire Billy-Bob's New Hat (so called for punning reasons far too convoluted to explain to foreigners), appears to far outweigh it's viewing figures given that in a 2005 newspaper poll, nearly 2% of correspondents identified President Lorimer Rosenkranz, the character played in the show by former spaghetti-western star Cade Harper as the nation's real-world leader.

As with television, most radio stations and newspapers cover the entire nation, and as such their numbers are relatively limited, but take-up is never-the-less large. The traditional forces of the Albrecht Mercury and Radio Zero Alvery still lead the way, but the bohemian products of Onwere University are gaining recognition, at home and abroad, for ground-breaking programming. C&M's major broadcasters have a competent reputation in investigative journalism, both at home and abroad, though in resent years concerns have been raised over press freedom. On certain social issues many newspapers are known to practice self-censorship. Overseas, the death of the much-respected war reporter Russell Mylward during the November 2004 Invasion of Daracnia has seen many broadcasters take a significantly less gung-ho approach to covering external affairs.

Sports

The ubiquitousness of British culture in the islands inevitably brought a love of amateur sport; association football, cricket and rugby having been wildly popular for many decades. The professional scene has always suffered, however, and none more so than football. A professional league was finally set up in the 1940s, and quickly became the domain of big business, often to the detriment of the previously more popular amateur clubs, which had remained true to their Corinthian spirit. A not unfair association with fan violence increasing turned avid supporters into media pariahs, while by the 70s, the increasing availability of television - and the technically superior foreign product - resulted in the league's collapse. Not until 1983 did the C&M FA create a new amateur cup competition, to be coupled with an annual 7-game series between representative sides from Candelaria Island and Marquez & the Outliers. A drip-feed of club sides were allowed into an expanded competition from the 85/86 season, becoming a full 16-team league in 1992. The CMSC is now the most watched sports championship in the country.

Other sports do test football in it’s' popularity. Despite the indifferent attitude to private vehicles in the islands, the AutoSportSeries has become a major national event since its inception in 1992. Local drivers Quintin Wright and Pat Berryman dominate the competition, having shared all the championships this decade between them. The highest number of championship points by a single driver were amassed by Riik-born driver Ivar Loone in 1999. Loone was deported the following year for tax evasion.

One of the few sports that C&M excels in internationally is - perhaps unsurprisingly - yacht racing, where Hannah Wisniewski has dominated the short-cource women's events in Rushmore for the past decade. Domestically she has won ten of the last eleven National Championships, smashing her own record in 2005 to beat the field by 33 minutes. The following year her winning margin was cut to just two minutes by her fifteen-year-old protégé Eleigh Roberts. Wisniewski and Roberts went on to win the 2006 C&M Sports Personality of the Year and Young Sports Personality of the Year awards respectively.

International Comparisons

As of April 2007, the independent Sunset organisation provides the following estimates:

• Worker Enthusiasm: 77%
• Government Efficiency: 96%
• Consumer Confidence: 68%
• Unemployment: 21.08%
• Population Growth Rate: 2.4%
• Literacy: 100%

The United Nations publishes regular reports on various aspects of the states of the World (approximately 90,000) and Rushmore (between 80 and 95). Recent records include:

• Largest Agricultural Sector (68,458/53rd)
• Largest Gambling Industries (21,471st/8th)
• Most Subsidised Industry (83,865th/85th)
• Highest Average Tax Rates (35,014th/46th)
• Highest Police Ratios (62,284th/61st)
• Smartest Citizens (19,261st/18th)
• Largest Trout Fishing Sector (75,439th/76th)
• Lowest Crime Rates (35,887th/37th)
• Fastest-Growing Economies (67,069th/56th)
• Most Eco-Friendly Governments (35,050th/53rd)
• Largest Timber Woodchipping Industries (40,133rd/27th)
• Largest Basket-Weaving Sector (73,721st/80th)
• Most Corrupt Governments (53,334th/34th)
• Nudest (71,454th/85th)
• Most Compassionate Citizens (21,874th/47th)
• Largest Publishing Industries (22,158th/15th)
• Most Comprehensive Public Healthcare (24,152nd/27th)
• Most Extreme Nations (87,790th/86th)