Niyport

Niyport
Niyport's Oyd Vrowujre
Nicknames
Country	File:Flag vyv.png Vyvland
Province	File:Flag-pegerm.png Pegerm
Type	Municipality, City
Mayor	Lilia Boygmeker (Socialist)
Constituency MPs	3
Population	322,440 (2012)
Elevation	-1m
Demonym	Niyporteer
Time zone	UTC -6
Postcode	J0000-J3499
Number plate code	(J) N
Phone code	167 (NP)
Website	http://www.niyport.gov.vy

Niyport (pronounced /niʏpoɾt/) is a large port city in southwestern Vyvland. It is situated on ground which lies marginally below sea level in central Pegerm province, in which it is the largest city, although Pegerms is the capital. The city is best known for its industrial nature and prominent commercial port and shipbuilding industries, which are facilitated by its wide artificial tidal channel, known as the Niyport Canal, which leads from the city to the Gulf of Kafren.

Niyport, as its name (which translates to '"new port") suggests, was founded as a port town by King Jorj II in 1688, in response to the ongoing silting up of the port at Jesel, which lay further inland at the upper tidal reaches of the River Fule. Niyport was chosen as it lay on the closest solid ground to the coast in the area; most of western Pegerm was oft-flooded marshland until draining over the following decades. Niyport was joined by a small artificial channel to the Fule at Jeni, which was later widened in the early 1800s with the advent of the steamship. However, this widening destroyed the majority of the old town; all that remains is the few streets known as the Oyd Vrowujre (Old Waterfront).

Niyport's favourable position and central location within Vyvland resulted in a large amount of trade passing through its port, in addition to the rise of the shipbuilding industry. At their peak in 1902, the two industries employed 78% of Niyport's male workforce. However, industrial decline began to set in, especially after the Vyvlander Civil War and partition of Vyvland, causing widespread job losses. The expulsion of Swedish Vyvlanders from the area in 1945 further detrimented the city.

In an effort to alleviate the urban deprivation in the city, slum clearance became popular during the 1950s and 1960s. However, much of the housing built was substandard, resulting in further problems. Efforts in the 1980s to again improve the housing were spearheaded by prominent Vyvlander architect Mafjas Langmaan, whose Dokpruk 'liveable estate' won much international acclaim. Today, the city's economy is among the worst in Vyvland, with further urban deprivation setting in after the decline of the traditional shipbuilding industry. Most jobs in the city thesedays are lower-paid, in workplaces such as call centres.

Politically, the city's three MPs in the Parliament of Vyvland represent the Socialist Party, who also hold the city's mayoralty. The largest opposition party is the National Party.