Faramontese Fulgistanis

Faramontese Fulgistanis

Total population
43,960 (2018)
Regions with significant populations
Bogd Gioro
Languages
Fulgistani, Limonaian, Anglish
Religion
Catholicism, Irreligion

Faramontese Fulgistanis are Fulgistanis of Faramontese descent. They are the largest and most influential group of the Faramontese diaspora. Faramontese immigrated to Fulgistan in substantial numbers in 1963, following the coup d'état that overthrew the Republic of Faramount. Fulgistan accepted the Faramontese government-in-exile at that time, and thus became a primary destination for those seeking asylum from Faramount's military junta. Faramontese Fulgistanis today are one of the largest immigrant groups in Fulgistan with some 44,000 members, the vast majority of whom live in two well-known communities in Bogd Gioro, Old Faratown and New Faratown.

History

The Faramontese Air Force evacuating members and staff of the republican parliament in the last hours of the coup.

The military coup d'état that overthrew the Republic of Faramount in 1963 prompted a mass exodus from the country. The republican navy organized a massive emigration on the day of the revolt, deploying its sole usable ship, the Tigre, to lead a flotilla out of New Limone of several hundred civilian vessels carrying nearly 7,000 people. These "boat people" were joined by vessels from other coastal areas as well, and ultimately, some 9,000 Faramontese escaped in this way. The Fulgistani government had accepted Faramount's government-in-exile, the renamed People's Republic of Faramount, and so the flotilla headed there. Thousands more Faramontese of financial means quickly followed, swelling the refugee population arriving in Fulgistan to between 15,000 and 20,000. More Faramontese ultimately fled to Fulgistan than to any other country, excepting Faramount's immediate neighbors.

The 15,000-20,000 Faramontese that fled to Fulgistan represented the best of Faramount's civil society. Nearly the entire faculty of the University of Faramount system joined the boat people including the doctors of the premier University of Faramount Hospital. Most political elites and cultural leaders also fled, expecting persecution, a fear proven correct by the military junta's subsequent slaughter of the staff of ''L'Indipendente''. The vast majority of naval and air personnel also escaped to Fulgistan, a fact holding particular significance because the air force and navy were two of Faramount's most competent, meritocratic organizations. Some regular Faramontese came along as well, but disproportionately, Faramontese Fulgistanis held academic degrees, special labor skills, or military experience. It is for this reason that Fulgistan accepted such a large immigrant population, despite domestic pressure to turn away refugees.

The original housing structures of Old Faratown.

The Fulgistani government made only temporary, ad-hoc settlement plans for the Faramontese, due to the ultimately incorrect presumption that the Fulgistani-backed government-in-exile would reverse the coup in Faramount. The Fulgistanis settled the Faramontese in a complex of old, dilapidated public housing projects, which had been designed to house just 10,000, and which had been slotted for demolition. The Bogd Gioro administration essentially just dumped the refugees in these buildings, then left them to their own devices, allowing them to ignore zoning and other local regulations on the expectation that the Faramontese would not be there long. The national government even allowed the People's Republic to establish its own charter primary, secondary, and tertiary schools, funded primarily through the diversion of tax dollars paid by Faramontese Fulgistanis. A strong, unique Faramontese Fulgistani community thus developed in what came to be known as Faratown (later, Old Faratown).

Faramontese Fulgistanis thrived in the 1960s through 1980s, thanks to a confluence of factors. The population had a leg up as so many possessed postsecondary degrees or special skills, both of which were in high demand in Fulgistan. But even those lacking such qualifications found unique opportunities to succeed as the reduced regulations in Old Faratown allowed for small businesses to thrive. Of course, the success of these businesses had to be carefully limited, so as to avoid provoking the communist government's ire. But a number of family-run, single-location restaurants and similar enterprises were allowed to operate freely by the Fulgistanis, helped along by local Fulgistani interest in native Faramontese cuisine. The well-educated population also placed a great deal of import on education, and through donations and RPF expenditures funded the Faramontese charter schools well beyond the level of similar Fulgistani institutions. The University of Faramount at Bogd Gioro, the Faramontese charter university, had by 1990 become a universally well-respected college. Faramontese Fulgistani children gained a reputation for academic success as a result. At the same time, through summer training programs on the Tigre, the People's Republic provided an outlet for less intelligent Faramontese to achieve economic success, giving them the background necessary to become successful career sailors.

The Tunyaz administration had by the late 1960s accepted that the Faramontese immigrants were in Fulgistan to stay, and concluded that the community's non-assimilation was concerning. Tunyaz declined to address the issue, however, largely because his advisors felt it unwise to focus precious political capital on such a small problem. The rapidly growing Faramontese population drew the attention of some of Tunyaz's successors, but none devised much of a policy towards them. It was not until the political stabilization in the 1990s that at last, the People's Great Khural finally took action. The Fulgistani state determined that some assimilation would be necessary, but to avoid angering an incredibly politically active population, combined its assimilatory programs with the fulfillment of a longstanding desire of the Faramontese Fulgistani community: the alleviation of the housing crisis in Old Faratown. Some 35,000 Faramontese Fulgistanis were by that point living in decades-old, run-down housing designed for just 10,000. Indeed, some had even begun illegally squatting in some of the abandoned industrial structures that surrounded Old Faratown, which stood at the center of what could easily be described as one of Bogd Gioro's worst urban ghettos. To add insult to injury, many of these Faramontese Fulgistanis were well-respected academics, physicians, and engineers -- and yet still lived in relatively squalid conditions.

The Fulgistani state undertook its Faramontese three-year plan in 1999, seeking to address the perceived non-assimilation of the Faramontese, the housing crisis amongst Faramontese, and the general poor development of the area surrounding Old Faratown. Specifically, the Bogd Gioro administration undertook the construction of a new neighborhood adjacent to Old Faratown, knocking down the mostly abandoned industrial sector that had been there. This new neighborhood would feature an expansive university campus including a university hospital, sizable elementary and secondary schools, a new campus for the Faramontese government-in-exile, police and fire precincts, mass transit access, a public park, and enough uniform, pre-fabricated, twelve-story apartment buildings to house some 80,000 people. The Faramontese Fulgistani population would thus represent a sizable minority of the population -- but not the entirety or even majority of it. In return for being settled in a newly constructed urban development, the Fulgistanis required the University of Faramount at Bogd Gioro to rename itself as the Cassiano Santianello International University and Medical System, to expand (accepting a substantial Fulgistani faculty), and to accept supervision by a government-appointed board. The Faramontese charter schools were brought completely under government control with only a few small concessions made to allow for greater neighborhood control than permitted elsewhere.

Construction of New Faratown began in 1999, and principally finished in 2002. The vast majority of the Faramontese Fulgistani population had relocated there by 2003, joined by tens of thousands of Fulgistanis. Yet while the program succeed at creating a new, well-integrated, diverse community built around Fulgistani institutions, it failed at one mission: eliminating Old Faratown. There had been a clamoring amongst regular Fulgistanis, and particularly upper middle class Fulgistanis, for access to the New Faratown development. At the same time, Cassiano Santianello University had grown larger than expected, and as a result, a number of plots of land intended for apartment buildings had to instead be used for academic buildings and dormitories. Ultimately, New Faratown featured housing for just 60,000 permanent residents, and only around half of those residences were set aside for Faramontese Fulgistanis. As a result, some 9,000 Fulgistanis were left behind in Old Faratown, mostly the less well-off portion of the population. A new three-year plan from 2005 to 2008 substantially renovated the old, five-story, prefabricated apartment buildings in this area, and by the 2010s, it had again become overcrowded. Still, conditions were better than at any point since the Faramontese Fulgistanis arrived, though admittedly less good than in pretty much any other area of the city.

A photo of the skyline of New Faratown, taken from the Cassiano Santianello University Park.

Demographics

The 43,960 Faramontese Fulgistani people are incredibly diverse, particularly in comparison to the general Fulgistani population. The Fulgi ethnic group is dominant in Fulgistan, constituting the vast majority of the population. The Faramontese Fulgistani population by contrast is highly heterogenous, featuring some forty Faramontese ethnic groups, ethnic Limonaians, and their intermingled children. Additionally, there has been substantial intermingling between Faramontese Fulgistanis and their neighbors, and approximately a quarter of Faramontese Fulgistanis have a Fulgistani parent or grandparent. Two-thirds of Faramontese Fulgistanis were born in Fulgistan. The vast majority of Faramontese Fulgistanis are dual citizens of the People's Republic of Faramount and of Fulgistan.

Faramontese Fulgistanis also stand out for their devout Catholic beliefs. Over 75% of Faramontese Fulgistanis are Catholics, and of these, over 80% say that religion plays an important role in their lives. Close to sixty percent of Catholics report attending church at least once per week. Old Faratown features several vast church buildings, the largest of which, the St. Alban Church, is over 6,000 square feet and has a capacity of 2,000. Yet the most noteworthy Catholic structure in Fulgistan is the St. Januarius Cathedral in New Faratown. This 9,000 square meter structure can contain a congregation of nearly 9,000, and does so on a weekly basis. Some of the most influential voices in the Faramontese Fulgistani community are its Catholic leaders, most notably Archbishop Domezio Carrino, who is the senior-most Catholic official in Fulgistan. Nonetheless, irreligion is a growing force amongst Faramontese Fulgistanis, and especially amongst the younger and better educated in the community. Nearly a quarter of Faramanians now describe themselves as atheists, agnostics, uninterested in religion, or undecided in belief.

The St. Januarius Cathedral in New Faratown, Bogd Gioro

Faramontese Fulgistanis are remarkably well-educated when compared to the general Fulgistani population. Essentially the entire adult Faramontese Fulgistani population has completed secondary school. Nearly forty percent of Faramontese Fulgistanis have an academic degree, thirty percent have a bachelor's degree, nine percent have a postgraduate degree, and three percent have a doctorate degree. Faramontese Fulgistanis constitute a disproportionate percentage of Fulgistani academics, physicians, lawyers, and engineers. Faramontese Fulgistanis constitute in particular a wide majority of the staff of the Cassiano Santianello International University and Medical System, one of the most prestigious universities and hospitals in Fulgistan.

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Edmondo Bottino, a prominent Faramontese Fulgistani scientist.

Faramontese Fulgistanis are far more likely than Fulgistanis to be multilingual due to this high level of education. Approximately eight-five percent of Faramontese are fully fluent in Fulgistani, and most of the remainder are passively fluent. Yet at home, most Faramontese speak Limonaian, and essentially the entire population is fluent in this language, though a growing number of younger Faramontese are only passive speakers of their homeland's adopted language. What's more, over half of Faramontese Fulgistanis are either actively or passively fluent in Anglish.