Oceanian Sarnia

Royal Crown Colony of Sarnia

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Motto Trade and Prosperity
Anthem God Save the King
Capital	Avalon-on-Avon
Official Language(s)	English
Royal Governor	Sir Basil Ashford
Premier	Graham Farrington
Population	14,122,371
Gross Crown Colony Product Total Per Capita	2007 (est. in USD) $319,165,584,600 $22,600
Currency	Oceania Pound (C£) (OCP)

Oceanian Sarnia (officially the Royal Crown Colony of Sarnia) is an Oceanian Crown colony located upon the continent of Sarnia, bordering the Sarzonian colony of Pavanne in the south, Yaforite Marerius and Beth Gellert laying to the west. It is a settler colony where the bulk of the population arrived from other territories within the United Kingdom or its other colonies and territories.

History

Most history of the island is recent, having only been opened for settlement to world powers starting in 2005; however, since then, Sarnia has seen large scale investment from UK companies, particularly in the locales of Atherton, Port Royal, and St. Ives. The first for its central location near centres of mining operations for titanium and aluminium, the second for its use as the colony’s main port, and the third for its development as an oil terminal and oil port for the colony and the continent.

Geography

Located in the northeastern quadrant of the Sarnian continent, the Oceanian colony enjoys warm northward-flowing ocean currents and accompanying warm trade winds. As the winds flow over the southeastern coast, they bring ample rainfall to the interior of the colony providing the colony with a wet, but fertile ground for vegetation growth.

The dominant terrain features are the rivers Avon in the east and the Selby in the west, both flowing northward to their mouths. The River Avon empties into the Avon Estuary, which provides a long sheltered shipping channel headed out of the colony's most important city of Port Royal.

In the west, near the border with Beth Gellert, near the city of Atherton are hills and rugged elevations. This is where the bulk of the colony's mineral resources are located, of prime importance titanium and aluminium reserves.

In the east, lush forests hide much of the terrain underneath which it is speculated that significant oil fields can be found. However, much of the petroleum exported from the colony is extracted from offshore fields near the volcanic island of St. Ives.

Economy

Largely underdeveloped at the moment, the significant mineral resources of Sarnia coupled with the current high levels of sanctioned immigration from the Home Islands seems indicative of a greatly important financial and economic resource for the United Kingdom. Current economic activity is largely limited to primary and secondary sector industries centred upon Atherton in the west and Port Royal in the east.

The Colonial Office subsidised the parallel construction of both a rail and canal network that would connect Atherton, situated on the River Selby to the colony’s capital of Avalon-on-Avon located on the River Avon, which empties into the ocean at Port Royal. As of 2006, the rail connection remains completed while the canal is slated for opening in mid 2007, the site location of both seem to indicate the eventual growth of the colonial capital as a regional centre for transportation and shipping.

In the south, in the fertile headlands of the Rivers Avon and Selby, tea cultivation provides a significant portion of the colony’s economic output. Given the high demand for tea in UK markets, the average Oceanian consuming upwards of 3.5 kg/year, the growing of tea as a cashcrop has proven financially viable and rather successful, one of the more reputable investors being the Marquess of Salisbury, whose plantation reportedly provides him with a modest supplemental income in addition to high quality black teas for his own private collection.

Politics

As a crown colony, executive authority is invested in The King, but exercised in his name by the Royal Governor. While the royal governor is nominally appointed by the King, he or she is only appointed upon the advice and consultation of the Government in Georgetown. Creation of the House of Assembly in 2007 brought significant responsibilities to the colony with regard to domestic affairs, although defence and foreign affairs remain the responsibility of the United Kingdom.

Currently, the royal governor is Sir Basil Ashford, appointed to his post in 2005. After the colony's first elections in July of 2007, the Conservatives won 64 seats out of 115 to secure a majority in the House of Assembly. The Tories then selected Graham Farrington to serve as the colony's Premier. At 43 seats, the Democratic Socialists are the Loyal Opposition while the Green Party and the Sovereign Sarnia Party round out the opposition with six and two seats, respectively.