The Atlas Continent

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

This sounds fun! I love fictional maps as you know.

If we can have fictional landmasses I would suggest a continent in the subtropical part of the Atlantic (either northern or southern).

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

I am very happy to take country 19. Two coasts, a large Mediterranean climate area and mountains! I will add details later.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

So, for country 19 on the map.

Name: Republic of Azurela
Capital and largest city: Amália
Official languages: Portuguese, Spanish, Huancaxu/Wankaqu (indigenous language)
Population: 44,370,000
Ethnic groups: European-Iberian (54%), Other European (9%), Moor or Jahandi (7%), Kana (20%), Mixed or Other (10%)
Religion: Catholicism (63%), Other Christianity (7%), Sunni Islam (8%), Indigenous religion (10%), Judaism (1%), Other (2%), none (9%)

Overview: A mid-sized country in the southern part of the Atlas continent, notable for having two separate coasts with a mountain range in the middle and for its peculiar democratic culture. The name comes from the words for "blue" and "yellow" in Portuguese.

Azurela grew out of Portuguese settlement in the northern coast in the 17th century (mostly Azoreans fleeing Spanish rule or overpopulation); this happened for the most part on an unsanctioned basis with people looking to be smallholders, which helped shape a fairly egalitarian culture even though the area was nominally subject to the Portuguese Crown. A liberal independentist movement took advantage of the civil wars in the mainland in the 1820s and definitively severed ties with it. Other settler groups which became a significant part of the country include Spaniards and to a lesser extent Dutch, Armenian and Jahandi traders. Comparatively pacific contact with the indigenous Kana peoples (Wankaqu-speaking), who mostly inhabited the highlands, led to the expansion of Azurela and shaped the country's history. The southern coast, previously uninhabited, became Azurelan territory in the early 20th century.

Azurela's economy is based on agriculture, mining, light manufacturing, and tourism. Its level of development is similar to peripheral parts of Southern Europe. It is a parliamentary democracy with a fragmented but peaceful political scene.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

I hope this game is not dying as soon as it was started... anyway I'm going to add some details about Azurela (I don't like to retroactively edit old posts for this).

Side effects of Azurela's origins as an only semi-official smallholder colony which functioned as a haven for new settlers and traders of all kinds include a distrust of most authority, a strong but peculiar democratic culture and a high level of tolerance and openness, but also a certain state weakness which has led to organized crime problems and tense relations with power-projecting countries like Isallo. The fairly individualist ethos this brought is still tempered by the confederal communitarian Kana influence.

In the immediate aftermath of official independence the country was configured as an unstable directorial system, which was changed into one where the legislature elected a single head of government after the war which brought Kana highlands fully under Azurelan control in exchange for roughly equal rights. The constitution has since been changed multiple times; currently Azurela is a semi-presidential quasi-parliamentary republic modeled after Portugal. This system was created after the end of the period known as the Ember Years, an authoritarian interlude in the 1960s and 1970s.

The country is often compared and contrasted with Secoterra, which has similarities in terms of background, demographics and resources but is also very different in many ways. In other continents it has been compared to Peru and Uruguay.

Azurela has a close but sometimes complicated relationship with its southwestern neighbour of Fraser, which is a major trading partner but is significantly wealthier (even compared to the regions directly neighbouring in the southern plains, which are already richer than the rest of Azurela despite their recent development). Emigration to there exists in small but sizable levels.

The current Prime Minister Attala Tinku (Carnation Movement) leads a centre-left coalition, whereas President of the Republic Lourenço Albuquerque is a moderate conservative.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

I hope this game is not dying as soon as it was started... anyway I'm going to add some details about Azurela (I don't like to retroactively edit old posts for this).

Side effects of Azurela's origins as an only semi-official smallholder colony which functioned as a haven for new settlers and traders of all kinds include a distrust of most authority, a strong but peculiar democratic culture and a high level of tolerance and openness, but also a certain state weakness which has led to organized crime problems and tense relations with power-projecting countries like Isallo. The fairly individualist ethos this brought is still tempered by the confederal communitarian Kana influence.

In the immediate aftermath of official independence the country was configured as an unstable directorial system, which was changed into one where the legislature elected a single head of government after the war which brought Kana highlands fully under Azurelan control in exchange for roughly equal rights. The constitution has since been changed multiple times; currently Azurela is a semi-presidential quasi-parliamentary republic modeled after Portugal. This system was created after the end of the period known as the Ember Years, an authoritarian interlude in the 1960s and 1970s.

The country is often compared and contrasted with Secoterra, which has similarities in terms of background, demographics and resources but is also very different in many ways. In other continents it has been compared to Peru and Uruguay.

Azurela has a close but sometimes complicated relationship with its southwestern neighbour of Fraser, which is a major trading partner but is significantly wealthier (even compared to the regions directly neighbouring in the southern plains, which are already richer than the rest of Azurela despite their recent development). Emigration to there exists in small but sizable levels.

The current Prime Minister Attala Tinku (Carnation Movement) leads a centre-left coalition, whereas President of the Republic Lourenço Albuquerque is a moderate conservative.

Azurela feels like a less "organized" version of Secoterra. I imagine Azurela being a tourist destination for many Secoterrans.

I thought Secoterra is a bit less wealthy (and of course it's tropical) so probably the reverse is more common, but that makes sense.

On a related note, I calculated from Sol's description of the map that Azurela extends from approximately the 34th to the 47th parallel south. I imagine the south coast is relatively warm for its latitude but it's hard to make comparisons because nowhere in the actual Southern Hemisphere has a Continental climate. Maybe the summer of Hobart and the winter of Coyhaique?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

I hope this game is not dying as soon as it was started... anyway I'm going to add some details about Azurela (I don't like to retroactively edit old posts for this).

Side effects of Azurela's origins as an only semi-official smallholder colony which functioned as a haven for new settlers and traders of all kinds include a distrust of most authority, a strong but peculiar democratic culture and a high level of tolerance and openness, but also a certain state weakness which has led to organized crime problems and tense relations with power-projecting countries like Isallo. The fairly individualist ethos this brought is still tempered by the confederal communitarian Kana influence.

In the immediate aftermath of official independence the country was configured as an unstable directorial system, which was changed into one where the legislature elected a single head of government after the war which brought Kana highlands fully under Azurelan control in exchange for roughly equal rights. The constitution has since been changed multiple times; currently Azurela is a semi-presidential quasi-parliamentary republic modeled after Portugal. This system was created after the end of the period known as the Ember Years, an authoritarian interlude in the 1960s and 1970s.

The country is often compared and contrasted with Secoterra, which has similarities in terms of background, demographics and resources but is also very different in many ways. In other continents it has been compared to Peru and Uruguay.

Azurela has a close but sometimes complicated relationship with its southwestern neighbour of Fraser, which is a major trading partner but is significantly wealthier (even compared to the regions directly neighbouring in the southern plains, which are already richer than the rest of Azurela despite their recent development). Emigration to there exists in small but sizable levels.

The current Prime Minister Attala Tinku (Carnation Movement) leads a centre-left coalition, whereas President of the Republic Lourenço Albuquerque is a moderate conservative.

Azurela feels like a less "organized" version of Secoterra. I imagine Azurela being a tourist destination for many Secoterrans.

I thought Secoterra is a bit less wealthy (and of course it's tropical) so probably the reverse is more common, but that makes sense.

On a related note, I calculated from Sol's description of the map that Azurela extends from approximately the 34th to the 47th parallel south. I imagine the south coast is relatively warm for its latitude but it's hard to make comparisons because nowhere in the actual Southern Hemisphere has a Continental climate. Maybe the summer of Hobart and the winter of Coyhaique?

In any case, the examples you put forth sound like kind of a decent analogue. If the population of Isallo is as high as it is, it probably implies a more warm climate I guess?

Yeah to my mind maybe the best analogue is northeast Asia maybe, on account of being on the east coast and probably a bit dry. So maybe southern Azurela and the area around Port Currie is like Harbin or Pyongyang, with something like Dwa in the Koppen classifications, while Birch Bay is more like Vladivostok with something like Dwb. Probably all of them will have extremely bitterly cold and dry winters but will be quite nice and well-watered in the summertime, enough to support large populations. More mountainous areas will be much colder ofc; I doubt too many people live in the highlands.

On the other hand, the southern coast of 17 and of Isallo (and probably the far South of the Fraser Republic) will be much colder, like Northeastern Siberia, with the southernmost and most mountainous parts being extremely harsh.

(I don't have a deep climate knowledge, so this could be easily off base.)

Isallo has the large population it does because the population is very concentrated in the North, especially the northwest, which has a fairly pleasant climate.

Those examples are actually significantly colder - at least in the winter - than what I was suggesting (and than every actually existing location at those latitudes, but this would change in the presence of more landmasses). I imagined a moderating influence of the Bay. Birch Bay could be like Pyongyang or Dalian while the uppermost part of the southern coast (the one belonging to Azurela) like Northern Honshu?

Of course the northern coast of Azurela probably ranges from the likes of Perth to Concepción.

Also, I think Azurela is a little shorter than I originally said, and I just extrapolated from your map its total area should be somewhat more than 800,000 km² - this can be useful to all players to get a rough idea of internal distances.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Side effects of Azurela's origins as an only semi-official smallholder colony which functioned as a haven for new settlers and traders of all kinds include a distrust of most authority, a strong but peculiar democratic culture and a high level of tolerance and openness, but also a certain state weakness which has led to organized crime problems and tense relations with power-projecting countries like Isallo.

I was thinking it might be fun for the two of us to perhaps have some territorial disputes over ocean rights if you'd be interested--Isallo seems like the sort of place which might have a somewhat absurd inflated reckoning of these things that could impinge on the Azurela's more logical ocean boundaries.

That would be fun, I agree! But I am also really curious about how AFE (if he remembers to play) approaches this, since his nation sits in the middle between yours and mine.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Azurela is a unitary but decentralized state subdivided into 30 provinces. The degree of autonomy varies somewhat, mostly to include and respect traditional customs of the Kana peoples - Southern resentment about this is an occasionally salient political topic.

Here are the provinces, with names (and the names of the provincial seats inside brackets).

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1. Laranjeira (Laranjeira)
2. Nova Medina (Nova Medina)
3. Horta (Horta)
4. São Vicente (São Vicente)
5. Amália (Amália)
6. Loures (Loures)
7. Pertas (Pertas)
8. Beja (Beja)
9. Delft (Delft)
10. Monash (Cerro Jafa)
11. Huartafa (Huartafa)
12. Naupil (Naupil)
13. Caminhanca (Caminhanca)
14. Tupúri (Tupúri)
15. Sanicha (Sanicha)
16. Manco (Manco)
17. Achapuxa (Achapuxa)
18. Punha (Punha)
19. Faquilha (Faquilha)
20. Picacalim (Laxarai)
21. Inta (Inta)
22. Chálhua (Chálhua)
23. Serra Temível (Quilaco)
24. Jericó (Jardim de Jericó)
25. Unchapicas (Curmaia)
26. Tabernas (Almarrubra)
27. Declives de Prata (Morrelo)
28. Baixada Grande (Santiago da Baixada)
29. Entre Rios (Pombal)
30. Costa das Neves (Vila Nova do Sul)

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

There are currently 11 parties represented in the monocameral Parliament of Azurela.

In government:

Carnation Movement (Portuguese: Movimento dos Cravos - Spanish: Movimiento de los Claveles - Wankaqu: Tamaraka Klawilik-lha)
Progressive, anti-authoritarian big tent which supports an ideal we might call "social democracy with Kana characteristics" but gets votes from all sectors of the population.

Party for Progress and Democracy (Portuguese: Partido para o Progresso e a Democracia - Spanish: Partido para el Progreso y la Democracia - Wankaqu: Partya Taqarata-pu ya Timukrasya-pu)
Also progressive, incoherent but usually more centrist liberal than the Carnation Movement, consistently polls better among those of European (Iberian) descent and best of all in Laranjeira.

Left Bloc (Portuguese: Bloco de Esquerda - Spanish: Bloque de Izquierda - Wankaqu: Tluka Saya-lha)
Strongly left-wing with green elements, its vote skews urban and young to an extent but it also has a base in some traditionally left-wing agricultural communities in the desert and can poll well in some highland areas.

Radical Party (Portuguese: Partido Radical - Spanish: Partido Radical - Wankaqu: Partya Ratikaliy)
Economically and socially liberal, this is what remains of the old Radicals (and Liberals in part) which used to be among the dominant parties, quite small nowadays but it still polls relatively well in certain areas otherwise bad for the left such as Delft and Entre Rios.

Party for Social Justice (Portuguese: Partido para a Justiça Social - Spanish: Partido para la Justicia Social - Wankaqu: Partya Hufacha-pu Charukiy-pu - Arabic: حزب العدالة الاجتماعية)
Moorish interests party that is always having internal fights over the question of how Islamic it should be, very strong in the province of Nova Medina which is plurality Jahandi.

In opposition:

Social Democratic and Liberal Party (Portuguese: Partido Social Democrático e Liberal - Spanish: Partido Social Democrático y Liberal - Wankaqu: Partya Charukiy Timukrasiy ya Halifuriy)
As a Portuguese-speaking country, of course Azurela has a rather moderate centre-right party which calls itself "social democratic". It does better in whiter areas with conservative instincts like the southern plains and the southern part of the west coast, but it can post very good results in some highland areas depending on tribal factors - most notably the Manashe or Monash in the far north, the most significant non-Kana Indigenous group, are typically loyal to the PSDL.

Southern Cross (Portuguese: Cruzeiro do Sul - Spanish: Cruz del Sur - Wankaqu: Kawir Kara)
A populist semi-personalistic movement which shifted in various directions before settling on anti-poverty indigenist politics; in recent times it gets a strong plurality of the Kana vote and its results track with the Kana share of the population very well, thus being dominant in the highlands.

Democratic Convention (Portuguese: Convenção Democrática - Spanish: Convención Democrática - Wankaqu: Samsara Timukrasiy)
A party that implicitly or explicitly represents Southern autonomism and resentment, with a knack for "big brain" policy ideas. It normally gets a few right-wing or just disaffected voters elsewhere too but it polls awfully across the highlands.

National Bloc (Portuguese: Bloco Nacional - Spanish: Bloque Nacional - Wankaqu: Tluka Mawakaniy)
A conservative nationalist party with significant ties to the military which is often thought of as the rightmost wing of the PSDL.

Christian Conservative Front (Portuguese: Frente Conservadora Cristã - Spanish Frente Conservador Cristiano - Wankaqu: Filarucha Parasurtiy Kristaniy)
Hardline Christian conservative party primarily but not exclusively supported by non-Catholics, strongest in the vicinity of Delft where Dutch Calvinists are a major group.

Popular Unity (Portuguese: Unidade Popular - Spanish: Unidad Popular - Wankaqu: Wayta Ukuniy)
Alliance of a few far-left groups, mostly Trotskyist.

Map of the 2020 parliamentary election:



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Map of the 2021 presidential election (Lourenço Albuquerque is an ex-PSDL independent who was supported by most right-leaning parties but also had the tacit approval of the PPD and other parts of the majority; Alexandra Caballo his primary opponent is from the Carnation Movement but was somewhat of a "symbolic" candidate; Kamil Chufta of the Southern Cross is the only other candidate who won any province but tended to underperform his party's results):

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

The Apeldoorn earthquake has been weakly felt in the northern and western part of Azurela too, but of course the real danger is the tsunami waves that are expected to hit all of the western coast. Prime Minister Tinku immediately declared a state of emergency for cause of natural disaster in all areas affected and appeared on national television with President Albuquerque for a message to the nation. The Disaster Relief Corps will be deployed and the government may be temporarily evacuated to Punha if the waves hitting Amália are severe enough, though this is unlikely.

PJS leader Ayman Rakat, who is in the pocket of whoever is in government in Jahandir at any given time has cordial relations with the country dominated by his coethnics, will surely lobby Tahri for significant humanitarian aid. The opposition will clearly avoid cheap politicking, except for an FCC extremist blaming the disaster on homosexuals, Southern Cross politicians complaining that landslides and earthquakes in the Tupurian Range are never taken this seriously, and some Democratic Convention arsehole saying that northerners should have invested in earthquake-proof buildings and the relief funds will be appropriated for graft by local Carnation apparatchiks inevitable grumbling about the handling of the recovery. Local officials will be given a major say over the reconstruction, so that Carnation apparatchiks in the provinces and cities can better misuse the funds, that arsehole is not wrong unpopular decisions from above and bureaucratic clutter can be avoided.