Vetalian Tornus
Overview
Vetalian Tornus is the name given to the Vetalian Enclave established during the Yarkai conflicts with Cazelia. The land was settled in the Treaty of New Caze, which granted significant land concessions to the coalition of nations involved in the invasion. Vetalia received the island as its sovereign territory and began development of the region in the year 2027. As of 2034, the city has already swelled to over 3 million people, driven by the attractive investment climate and the beautiful weather of Yarkai.
History
Following the end of the Yarkai conflict, the Vetalian government set to work developing its territory to give it effective economic control over much of Yarkai. Massively low tax rates, tax abatements, and government tax credits were all put in to place to encourage rapid economic development and to achieve a secondary goal of weakening any potential resistance by the native Cazelian population. Within a year, much of the existing assets on the island were under Vetalian control and immigration increased sharply. Construction proceeded at a breakneck pace to accommodate demand, and within another year the island was majority Vetalian. The General Government, under the control of Viceroy Boris Antyuhin, quickly Vetalianized the island, making Russian the official language and marginalizing the native Cazelian culture to further suppress any resistance. However, following the attempts by Cazelian partisans to overthrow their occupiers in Yarkai and the surrounding islands, Tornus became a major refuge for Cazelians fleeing those regions due to its easy asylum policies and full civil and political rights for Cazelians. Following this conflict and the return of mainland Yarkai to Cazelian control, the island became a popular tourist destination for Cazelians seeking a foreign destination closer to home.
During this time, the city's population increased considerably, hitting 3 million in 2034. However, this population growth is expected to slow significantly as the island reaches its capacity, although the island is expected to see strong economic growth driven by investments on mainland Yarkai and the surrounding area.
Economy
The economy of Vetalian Tornus is strong, with a per capita income of around $40,000 and a GDP of $120 billion. In addition, companies on the island manage around $465 billion in assets in Yarkai, mainly investments on the mainland and securities issued by Cazelian companies. Nearly 25% of GDP comes from tourism and associated industries, with millions of tourists drawn every year to the island's pristine beaches, warm weather, and beautiful scenery. In addition, the island offers a number of casinos and other entertainments, such as parasailing and cruises to Yarkai, that cater to the domestic as well as tourist markets. The island also boasts a number of major banks and financial institutions operating on the island due to its advantageous tax policies. Industry on the island is fairly limited, both due to natural resources and the high cost of land, with the majority of products imported via the mainland. Talks are underway to link the mainland to the island via some form of tunnel, although they are in the preliminary stages at best. If completed, this could reduce the cost of importing goods to the islands and help develop stronger ties between the island and the mainland.
Culture
Compared with Vetalia proper, Tornus has a more laid-back and social atmosphere than the more aloof mainlanders. However, the same drive for wealth and status that dominate Vetalian society are present in Tornus, albeit of a more cooperative nature than the cutthroat tactics of the mainland business elite. This naturally produces friction between the two, with the Tornusians claiming that mainlanders are too aloof and obsessive about their work, even going so far to mimic the nasal accent of mainland Vetalians. In turn, the Vetalians claim their Tornusian compatriots tend to be lazy and inept at decision making, with jokes about the inability of Tornusians to perform simple tasks a common staple in these exchanges. In addition, the Tornusian drawl, heavily affected by the native Cazelian accents, is another source of amusement to the mainlanders. However, this friction tends to be amicable, given the fact that both groups are Vetalian and share a common cultural bond that goes above their differences.
