Invercardon

Invercardon is a city in the Oceanian crown colony of Axcliffe. As of 2007, population estimates provide a figure of nearly 750,000 inhabitants in the city, located on Cardon Island.

History

The uninhabited islands granted to the Commonwealth of Azazia in 1954 included both Axcliffe, larger and with greater arable land, but also a smaller and hillier island heavily indented with small but deep natural harbours. The largest of these, on the northwest side, drained what had been named the River Cardon. With several settlers wishing to remain apart from those on Axcliffe, a separate settlement was founded at the mouth of the river along the waterfront and named Invercardon.

Never as large as Axcliffe or the various settlements that quickly arose on the northern island, Invercardon nevertheless offered a distinct advantage in having a deeper harbour. With improvements funded by the Admiralty, a deep water port for civilian use was created. The Commonwealth-Kreatvye War that lasted intermittently from the 1940s through the 1970s provided the impetus for the Royal Navy to construct a base for the United Kingdom's dreadnoughts and aircraft carriers.

Since the 1970s, after the conclusion of the war, Invercardon has witnessed growth in status as a trading centre for the Oceanian colony. With its deep water port, the city expanded its customs area to allow for easier shipment of Oceanian goods in large freighters to the city, then easier dispersal to both Axcliffe and Delesa via smaller, regional freighters.

Economy

As a shipping centre, Invercardon relies heavily upon the shipping industry for its economic engine. Much of the service industry on the island revolves around such activities as maritime construction and repair, information technology to expedite shipping, trade and maritime law experts, et cetera.

Of secondary importance are service industries tailored to the sailors and marines of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines housed at the naval base in Invercardon. At any one time, several thousand sailors, marines, and even airpersons from the nearby RAF base contribute to the local economy.

A third important focus of the local economy is that of a small publishing industry, that primarily reprints and distributes materials published in the Home Islands by Oceanian publishers. The industry is considered especially important in preserving and solidifying an Oceanian culture distinct from that of neighbouring Delesa.

Transport

Noted above, the primary focus of transport in Invercardon is its deep water port and large natural harbour. They allow for ferries and cruise liners to dock, the former especially important for travel between Invercardon and Delesa, the latter for tourism.

The Royal Air Force maintains a small airstrip outside the city despite its closure for official RAF activity in the late 1990s. While ostensibly closed, the airstrip provides for quick island-hopping jumps when the regular and more heavily frequented ferry system is unavailable, such as the infrequent storms that disrupt maritime traffic between the islands.

Extending southward from the town is the M2 motorway, a main arterial route subsidised by Georgetown to help alleviate congestion and crowding in the city proper by allowing population growth along the narrow coastal belt extending southward along Cardon Island. The motorway connects the city to the colony's southernmost settlement Southpoint.

Demographics

With a population of approximately 750,000, Invercardon is the second largest settlement in Axcliffe, however, the only true settlement on Cardon Island. Originally populated by relatives of service personnel and those discontent with the settlements in Axcliffe, Invercardon (unlike Axcliffe) retains a population whose majority is of Oceanian descent.

Recent population statistics indicate that, on the whole, 72% of the Axcliffe colony, including Invercardon, is of Delesian descent. However, Invercardon itself is of 63% Oceanian descent. Like the settlements on Axcliffe, much of the remaining population originally hails from Delesa, with a small percentage arriving from other places located in Atlantian Oceania.