Thuvia
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The Province of Thuvia is the third most populous province of Sober Thought with 13.5% of the national population. It is commonly called The Mountain Province.
Contents
Geography
The province is dominated by the Thuvian Mountain Range. Except for the temperate valleys, much of the mountainous area is covered in snow most of the year. Snowmelt ensures that fresh water for irrigation is plentiful.
Roughly a third (or 4.9% of the national population) of the province's people live in the provincial metropolis of Georgetown. In this large city, secondary and tertiary industries have developed in light manufacturing and cultural industries. It is also an important educational centre, hosting four university-level institutions. In part because of attraction of the universities, the social makeup of the city is much more cosmopolitan than the rest of the province.
The smaller provincial capital is Chapeauxdix, with only 1.0%, has a much older population and its economy is more closely tied to tertiary (services) and quarternary (government services) economic sectors.
Besides the two large cities, there are six regional hubs scattered throughout the province. Each of these -- Barr, Fraser, Hunter, Simon, Skina and Thompson -- is named for a settler or founder and is in the 0.3 to 0.6% range. There is little racial or ethnic diversity in these low density wilderness, rural and semi-rural areas.
Government
Federal representatives
Thuvia’s 31 single-member constituencies for the federal House of the Federation are divided as follows: nine in the metropolis, two in the capital, one each in the six regional hubs, and fourteen in the remainder of the province. Eight non-constituency members are elected proportionally to more closely reflect the popular vote in their constituency counterparts’ races.
Thuvia gets four seats in the federal House of the Provinces, two chosen by the Premier, one by the Opposition Leader, and one by the other three appointees collectively. Each of these seats is held at the pleasure of the person(s) who appointed the incumbents.
Provincial government
The unicameral House of Commoners is elected at least every five years using the electoral boundaries and voting procedures used to choose the province’s federal representatives. In theory, Commoners choose the Premier after the House has been installed, but in practice the leader of the biggest party or coalition becomes Premier after an election.
Municipal governments
Georgetown is divided into 6 wards of roughly equal size which in turn have 4-7 City Councillors. The electorate votes for the Lord Mayor at large and 31 single-member district councillors, after which each group of ward councillors elects a Ward Mayor. Together, the seven mayors form an executive committee for the city and can delegate matters from the city council to the ward council.
Other cities are governed more simply, with a single mayor elected at large and twelve councillors elected for single-member districts.
Emergency preparedness
Because of its high elevation, Thuvia has a great need for people trained in mountain rescue and disaster relief. Concurrently, Sober Thought has a great need for trained alpine soldiers who can be quickly mobilized in wartime. Therefore, the two governments split the cost of raising the Thuvian Civil Guard: the provincial government will pay salary costs, and the federal Community Defence Forces will pay equipment and training costs. Furthermore, from the pool of qualified candidates, Thuvia appoints officers ranking up to and including Chief Commander, and Sober Thought those from Vice Marshal.
The province raises five combat and eight support battalions in the Thuvian Civil Guard each wave:
- one battalion, The Thuvian Cavalry, armoured from elsewhere in province
- one battalion, The Thuvian Grenadiers, armoured infantry from elsewhere
- one battalion, The Thuvian Mountaineers, mountain infantry from wilderness alpine regions
- one battalion, The Georgetown Mountaineers, mountain infantry from metropolis
- one battalion, The Georgetown Rifles, light infantry from metropolis
- one pack battalion (mountain), Thuvian Artillery Regiment, from elsewhere
- one Security Battalion, reconnaissance, military police and intelligence from capital
- one combat engineering battalion, Thuvian Engineering Regiment
- one civil engineering battalion, Thuvian Engineering Regiment
- one maintenance engineering battalion, Thuvian Engineering Regiment
- one motor transport battalion, Thuvian Transport Regiment
- one animal transport battalion, Thuvian Transport Regiment
- one battalion, Thuvian Health Regiment.
Furthermore, it supplies the headquarters companies for its first brigade (in 5 series divisions), its second brigade (in 7 series divisions), its third (logistics) brigade (also in 7s) and the Engineering Demi-Brigade (also in 7s). The Security Battalions are comrpised of one company each from The Thuvian Scouts (reconnaissance), Thuvian Provost Regiment (military police) and Thuvian Intelligence Regiment (intelligence analysis). Each of the three alpine, metropolis and other regions raise a similar number of support battalions but the exact complexion differs from wave to wave.
For provincial service, the Thuvian Civil Guard divides itself into three parts: Georgetown, Mountain and Coast, which rate as commands according to the total number of troops available. For instance, at the 14th wave, Metropolis Command consisted of four brigade groups each of mountain and light infantry, Mountain Command four of mountain infantry, and Capital District Command one armoured and two armoured infantry and Coast Command two armoured and three armoured infantry.
For federal service, Thuvian troops form the majority of the 7 series divisions of mountain infantry, contributing the bulk of one mountain infantry, one combat support and one service support brigades. It also contributes two combat battalions to the 5 series divisions of armoured infantry. If distinguished CG officers of suitable rank exist, the CDF Land Service tried to make a Thuvian part-timer the executive officer for every other 7 series division and the commanding officer for every third division.
Education
Primary through intermediate education is available in all the federally chartered cities and some larger unchartered towns. The province supports the University of Thuvia (with campuses at Chapeaudix, Thompson and Georgetown) and the Institute of Technology of Thuvia in Georgetown.
Secular private tertiary education is provided by George University in Georgetown and Simon University in Simon. The Catholic University of Thuvia is located in Georgetown, while the Theophis Evangelical College maintains two small campuses in Hunter and Barr.
Transportation
Rail transportation is not nearly as practical in Thuvia as it is in the rest of Sober Thought, since passes or tunnels must be carved through the mountains where they are subjected to temperature extremes, landslides and avalanches. So besides several major rail routes, Thuvia directs its federally provided funds to highways and regional airways.
Exclusive jurisdictions
Civil law and law enforcement
Civil law swings from licentiousness to austerity, depending on the complexion of the current House of Commoners. Most Thuvians, of whatever political stripe, secretly or openly take comfort that at least federally-legislated criminal law is not subjected to the Commoners’ whims.
The Thuvian Provincial Police maintains law and order throughout the province, as much as it can when the law is in disorder itself. The Commander of the TPP directs field officers through the Chief Superintendent in Georgetown, the Superintendent in Chapeaudix and the regional Assistant Superintendents in the six regional hubs.
Health
Provincial hospitals exist in all the cities, and depending on the government of the day, so do private health care facilities. Constant turmoil in the health sector makes for disruptive labour relations and cranky patient voters.
Natural resources
Thuvia began as a resource-based economy, with mining minerals from the mountains, logging trees on the lower slopes, fishing Winter Run Sober Salmon in the cold rivers and creeks and specialty farming of fruits and vegetables in the protected valleys. The regional centres are subjected to boom and bust cycles because their hinterland remains dependent on the original primary industries. Thus, the fates of the smaller cities rise and fall with the price of natural resources.
The mineral resources of the Thuvian Mountains are extracted with care for visiting skiers but not especially for local residents. Elsewhere, logging shows the same dynamic between sport fishers and locals. Fortunately, the most beautiful places in the mountains are not accessible or economical for large scale natural resource extraction so they are safe for the enjoyment of all residents and visitors.
