Saint Ellen's County

Saint Ellen's County Parrocchia di Sant'Elena
County
File:StEllens.png
Country	Imagua and the Assimas
Founded	1533
Capital	Altaithe
Government
• Sheriff	Frank Naudé
Area
• Total	2,705.61 km2 (1,044.64 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	396,234
• Rank	3rd in Imagua and the Assimas
• Density	146.5/km2 (379/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+11 (Imaguan Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	not observed

Saint Ellen's County (Vespasian: Contea di Sant'Elena) is a county in Imagua and the Assimas, bordered to the north by Saint Isidore's, to the northeast by Saint Fiacre's, to the east by Saint Hubert's, to the south by Saint Christopher's, to the southwest by Cuanstad, and to the west by Saint Florian's, making it the only county to border all other counties on the island of Imagua, as well as the only landlocked county in the entire country.

Established in 1533, it is the oldest county in the country, initially encompassing the entire island. However, over the centuries, its area has been contracted, with the most recent contraction being in 1961, when the capital city of Cuanstad was separated from Saint Ellen's County.

Etymology

The origin of the name of Saint Ellen's County is somewhat controversial, as the name had been continuously used since its establishment in 1533.

One theory is that the county was named after Saint Helena, whose name was translated into Estmerish as "Saint Ellen," suggesting that it was a corruption of Saint Helena. This is believed to be the most likely origin, and is supported by academic evidence.

However, the most popular theory was that it was named after Saint Ellen of Caldia, who was the Caldish monarch at the time of Imagua's discovery, and would later become a patron saint of Caldia. While it is widely accepted by most people, academics have criticised the theory, as she was only canonized after her death, while the name had been used for the county since 1533.

(TBC)

Government

Saint Ellen's, like any other county (except for the city of Cuanstad, and the Assimas County) is run by the county council (Vespasian: consiglio di contea), comprising of fifty seats. The county council is led by a Sheriff (Sceriffo or Sceriffa), currently Frank Naudé of the Sotirian Labour Party, whose party has 21 seats on the council, and is in a coalition with the 6-seat Movement for a New Imagua. Other parties represented include the 17-seat DLP, 3 from the Farmer's Party, 2 independents, and one from the Green Party. The county government is based in Altaithe.

Like all other counties except Cuanstad and the Assimas Islands, Saint Ellen's has very little authority, which has led to very low participation in county elections and government, with the average turnout for county elections only being around 24.7%.

Economy

While historically, Saint Ellen's has been predominantly agricultural, since the nineteenth century, its economy has become more closely tied to that of Cuanstad, with Altaithe becoming a commuter town of Cuanstad.

(TBC)