Transportation
The government of East Hiel operates a regional rapid transit system, under the auspices of the Maedon-Hiel Isthmus Transit Company, known as TransHiel, an organization which is responsible for all aspects of municipal transportation, including roads and ferries within East Hiel. There is frequent bus service throughout Greater Ungava and Maedon. A foot passenger and bicycle ferry service (known as SeaBus) crosses the bay of Inlad to The Province of Inlad, while a two-line automated metro system, the SkyTrans, the IDU's longest automated light rapid transit system, links downtown Ungava, Arcium and Maedon to the suburbs of Pell, Eblash, Adera, Lenda, Alaris, Acie and Remdorn. An underground/elevated SkyTrans line running from downtown Ungava to Adera and the Greater Ungava International Airport south of Adera is currently under construction. An at-grade light rail transit from Deira to Lloegyr, Algar (now officially named the Confederation Line) is also scheduled to be completed by 2010.
The Yuril Coast Express, a commuter rail train, serves Merjuk, Ungava, Alaris, Adera, Emsat, Acie and Jiroch.
All of these transport services have an integrated ticketing system, making public transport inexpensive and efficient. In addition, private companies operate leisure-oriented passenger ferry services, around both bays.
Bus service operates throughout the region. Most buses are wheelchair accessible and a large number carry bike racks, able to carry two wheelchairs and bicycles respectively. Some buses which operate from overhead electrical trolley wires do not carry bicycle racks. It is worth noting that the city of Ungava is the last in Domnonia to still have trolley buses operating on their streets. Certain diesel commuter buses which travel to the suburbs have bicycle racks, wheelchair lifts, and comfortable high back long commute-style seats. Frequency in Greater Ungava ranges from every few minutes within the City of Ungava to two to three trips a day to Lenda and Albak.
There is an extensive network of bike paths that provide east/west and north/south routes from one end of the Meadon to the other end of Ungava. Each of the major bike paths has signal control to permit cyclists easy crossing of major arterial roads. Some of the bike paths are on streets that have extensive traffic calming measures such as traffic circles. Neighbourhoods are encouraged to plant and care for the circles and boulevards and add public art along bike routes. The Yuril Bay seawall in Ungava is also a popular recreational bicycle route.
Municipal bylaws and geography have protected East Hiel from the spread of urban freeways, and the only major freeways within East Hiel are TransDomi One West and AN 3, which passes through Ungava to merge with the TransDomi One system. All other limited-access routes through East Hiel (Highway 2, Preston Avenue, Circle Drive, the Isthmus Parkway, etc.) promptly cease being freeways once they enter any cities limit.
East Hiel is served by Greater Ungava International Airport, located south of the City of Adera, which is immediately south of Ungava. The airport (GUA) is the second busiest in Domnonia and one of the busiest international airports the IDU. Maedon also provides the province with the Maedon International Airport (MIA), which acts as a regional airport for much of the western half of the Province of Algar.
Politics
East Hiel has an 89-member elected Legislative Assembly, elected by the First Past the Post system.
East Hiel's political culture is polarized and has tended to swing between right and left. There is little middle ground between the two main parties, whose core support each is estimated at 15-20%, with the middle fracturing variously towards either side because of a lack of any alternative. East Hiel is knwon to be prone to unusual politics and scandals. Its electorate is perhaps the most cynical in the country because of the history of sleaze and promise-breaking by temporarily-popular politicians. East Hiel voters are known not to vote for someone or for their party, but against them as voter motivation is more about getting rid of someone instead of caring who is actually brought in. As a result elections can produce sudden reversals, as well as overly dominant majorities of extreme left or extreme right.
Currently it is governed by the revived East Hiel Socialist Party under Carol Wight, widely perceived as a Marxist, although she claims to be a centrist. While many Socialist Party backbenchers indeed are, and even one or two cabinet ministers, the Socialist's behave as a communist party and make no secret of their friendliness to communism. For a decade before the Wight government took power, East Hiel was governed by the conservative Peoples Party. Before that, the government was led by the centrist Social Progressive Fiscal Conservative Party from 1975 to 1991, but due to mounting scandals the party finally collapsed in 1991. From 1972 to 1975 an overtly leftist Socialist Party regime led by Sarah McCordul held power and went down in a showdown with organized labour. Its predecessor was the original Peoples Party regime of Wilmer Carlson, father of Domnonia's current Prime Minister and a populist who talked conservatism but governed with heavy measures of state intervention and nationalization of key infrastructure.
Prior to 1972 there were no political parties in East Hiel, other than at the federal level. Sir Egbert Inster was the first Premier to declare a party affiliation (Domini Peoples Party) and institute conventional party/caucus politics.
Culture
History
From 1818 to 1846, East Hiel was part of a region named by the Keeslands, the Hiel Country, after the Old Domini name from the Keesland word "hill". The land was under the control - but unlike Qu'Or not owned by - the Keesland Empire, who had a monopoly within the region on trade with the Domini natives. Keesland territories near the Hiel Range were divided into the departments of Ungava (vaguely defined as to the south of the Isca River and Hiel Range), and North Hiel (west of the river and north of the range).
In 1846, the Maedon Treaty divided the territory of Ungava along the banks of a meagre stream, with the area east of this boundary (and all of what is today the Province of Inlad) becoming the exclusive property of Sendaria. The East Hiel Isthmus, the official name of the colony in East Hiel, became the cultural center of the Sendarian Kingdom in 1860.
In 1868, in response to the Hiel Range gold rush, the mainland portion of the former Hiel Country was organized into the province of Arcium by the Sendarian monarchy as a preventive against the risk of annexation by the powerful Domini Republic to the east. The Maedon region ("Range Interior") of Arcium experienced a gold rush in the years 1868 to 1875. This created a rapid influx of miners and settlers, about 300,000 in all. The Sendarian authorities feared the gold rush might spread beyond Arcium's northern border (near what is now Isca, Algar), so the Lugvale Territory was created in 1874. However, the following year this new territory was disestablished, most of its area going to the Keesland Dominion of Algar.
After the range interior's gold rushes collapsed and the Sendarian Province of Arcium almost went bankrupt from building roads in its interior, the remaining Keesland colony of Ungava, and Arcium agreed to merge as an independant state and share the debt which had also devasted Ungava. The merger was effected in 1876, with the name Hiel being applied to the newly united state.
Several factors played in the decision of the eastern half of Hiel to join Domnonia on July 14, 1888. These included fear of annexation to the ever expanding American Federalists in the north, the overwhelming debt created by rapid population growth, the need for government-funded services to support this population, and the economic depression caused by the end of the gold rush. The decision was made largely because the Domnonian government offered to link East Hiel to the more settled parts of Domnonia via the Domini-Inlad Railway and offered to pay off the $8,000,000 debt that the local governments had accumulated.
The completion of the DIR in 1895, and its upgrades during 1905, was a huge boost to the city of Ungava, the line's terminus founded in 1893, and it rapidly grew to become Domnonia's second largest city. The province became a centre of fishing, mining, and especially of logging throughout the twentieth century.
In 1907, East Hiel's territory shrank somewhat after the Algar Boundary Dispute settled the vague boundary leftover from the gold rush days.
East Hiel has long taken advantage of its coast to have close relations with Malabra and Tomar. However, this has caused friction, with frequent feelings of animosity towards Malabran immigrants. This was most manifest during the gold rush years when many people of Malabran descent were interned in the interior of the province for no reason other than xenophobia.
The post-gold rush years saw Ungava and Maedon also become cultural centres as poets, authors, artists, musicians, as well as dancers, actors, and haute cuisine chefs flocked to the beautiful scenery and warmer temperatures. Similarly, these cities have either attracted or given rise to their own noteworthy academics, commentators, and creative thinkers. Tourism also began to play an important role in the economy. The rise of Antrium and other nearby economies has been a great boost to East Hiels own economics.
