Sainte-Chloé

Republic of Sainte-Chloé République de Sainte-Chloé
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Prudence, Pureté, Courage" "Prudence, Purity, Courage"
Anthem: "Marche à Sainte Chloé" "March of Saint Chloé"
Capital	Port de la Sainte
Official languages	Gaullican
Recognised regional languages	Chloéois Creole Asterian Ziba
Ethnic groups	Bahiaux- 83.1% Mixte- 7.6% Gaullois- 5.4% Gowsa-2.8% Other- 1.1%
Religion	92.8% Solarian Catholicism 2.1% Irreligious 1.6% Bahian Folk 1.4% Badist 1.3% Other Sotirian 0.8% Other
Demonym(s)	Chloéois Chloesian
Government	Unitary Semi-Presidential Republic
• President	Michel Thiele
• Premier	Genevieve Chevallier
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Chamber of Commons
History
• Discovery and Settlement	1507
• Colony of Sainte-Chloé	1507-1935
• Great Slave Uprising	1829-1830
• Abolition of Slavery	October 28, 1830
• Allied Mandate	1935-1945
• Member of United Provinces	1945-1954
• Republic Established	February 14, 1954
Area
• Total	120,982 km2 (46,711 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 estimate	10,761,180
• 2020 census	10,456,998
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	131.31 billion (XXth)
• Per capita	12,202 (XXth)
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	80.32 billion (XXth)
• Per capita	7,464 (XXth)
Gini (2020)	39.5 medium
HDI (2020)	0.785 high
Currency	Aurucian Shilling (ARS)
Date format	mm-dd-yy
Driving side	right
Calling code	5

This article is about a sovereign country in the Arucian Sea. For the Gaullican Saint it is named after, see Saint Chloé.

Sainte-Chloé (Chloéois Creole: Sen Chloe), officially the Republic of Sainte-Chloé (Gaullican: République de Sainte-Chloé, Chloéois Creole: Repiblik Sen Chloe) is a sovereign nation situated in the Western Arucian Sea in the world between the continents of Asteria Superior and Asteria Inferior. It shares maritime borders with Eldmark to the north, Imagua and the Assimas to the east, Saint Cyracia to the southeast, Aucuria to the southwest and Nuvania to the south. It is comprised of five different islands, the largest main island of Sainte-Chloé, which contains the majority of the population and the southern island of Sainte-Geneviève, and the three small islands of the coast of the main island called the Sainte Trinité after the Three Persons of the Trinity. The country has a Tropical climate and is known for its historic sugar-making output. Among the Arucian states, it has both the greatest land area and has the greatest population with 10.5 million.

Before the arrival of Euclean settlers, the islands were home to several native Asterian cutlures. Sainte-Chloé was discovered in the late fifteenth century by the Gaullican explorer Auguste de Antibes, who named after one of Gaullica's most important Saints, Saint Chloé. It was soon colonized and settled by 1507 by Gaullican settlers, becoming the first Gaullican colony in the New World. Its climate proved well for the making of sugar, and it very quickly became a major trading hub as the "Gateway to the Asterias" because of its key position and its rich sugar production. As the native Asterians used for labor began to die off, the sugar plantations soon became filled with slaves from Bahia. For the next few centuries the colony began to grow and to thrive, growing wealthy off of the sugar trade and its metropolitan trading centres. In 1829, worsening conditions led to the Great Slave Rebellion, in which the slaves rose up against their colonial masters. The Gaullicans were able to crush the revolt, swiftly abolishing slavery in the aftermath in 1830, beginning a long and slow process in relations between the two races. During the Great War, the island served as Gaullica's primary naval base in the Asterias, and eventually was besieged by Allied forces, although the Gaullican forces were able to hold off the attack.

After the war, the island was stripped from Gaullica's possession and fell under the control of a joint Allied commission known as the Arucian Federation. During this time, it transitioned from a colonial possession into a democracy. In 1945, it was joined with Imagua to form the United Provinces of the Western Arucian Islands. Imagua left the United Provinces in 1948 due to cultural and linguistic tensions, and the remaining islands remained in the union. In 1953 the Catholic Labour Party took power under the leadership of Raymond Rivière. The country was reorganized and a new constitution was drafted, with the Republic of Sainte-Chloé being formally established by 1954. Rather than a federal system, it used a unitary system, although it still kept the same flag, provinces and administrative divisions, replacing Imagua with a new province for the capital, Port de la Sainte. Since then, the Republic has been a developing state in the Arucian Sea, known for its two-party system between the Catholic Labour Party and the Social Democrat Party. Recently, heavy ashfalls from the 2020 eruption of Pico de Sangue greatly affected the country, crippling tourism and agriculture and causing a massive disaster for the economy, and political and social unrest is high.

Sainte-Chloé is a relatively developed country with a large service sector, as well as a popular tourist destination for its natural features, beaches and tropical climate. Both historically and still today, the country is called the "Joyau de l'Arucian" or the "Jewel of the Arucian" for its natural beauty and historically for the riches which it brought to Gaullica. Sainte-Chloé is a full member of the Community of Nations and the Organization of Asterian Nations, as well as one of the founding members of the Arucian Cooperation Organization.

History

Pre-Colonial History

Artist's depiction of the Nati Cacique Casiguaya

Before the arrival of Euclean settlers, the island was occupied by several native Asterian cultures. The primary of these was the Nati people, who also had spread from Asteria Inferior before the time of the birth of Sotirias to inhabit the other Arucian islands, establishing several different kingdoms throughout the island, but sharing a mostly common religion, language and society. They were especially notable for having a strong matriarchal system, in which although men were usually the cazicas, the princes or rulers of the tribes, kinship was passed on through the female line. In certain cases, women could become Cacique, most notably Casiguaya, the leader of the largest Nati kingdom during the early Gaullican settlement. They did not build cities, but usally in villages of varying sizes. For the most part, the tribes were peaceful, but wars between tribes still occured.

In addition to the Nati peoeples, Marai founded several cities on the eastern portion of the island, which were part of the Marai trading network, greatly expanding the access and wealth of the island; the Marai and the Nati are said to have largely cooperated. After the invasion of the Imagua by the Native Imaguan people around 700 AD, many of the displaced Nati people fled to the island of Sainte-Chloé, changing the political landscape of the island. After the large collapse of the Marai civilization, the city states became independent from the main Marai settlements but also fell into a state of decline. A few of the cities were abandoned, and the trade between the other islands began to decrease.

Gaullican Discovery and Early Settlement

The Basilica of Saint Chloé, oldest Sotirian Cathedral in the Asterias, completed in 1551.

The island of Sainte-Chloé was discovered in the year 1498 by the Gaullican explorer Auguste de Antibes, who named the island after one of Gaullica's patron Saints, Saint Chloé, and nominally claimed it for Gaullica. Antibes interacted with several of the native peoples of the island, particularly the Nati tribes in the Western part of the island. Landfalls and exploration resulted in a few minor early seasonal settlements on the western shores island, mostly consisting in temporary bases and fortifications. In 1506, a natural defensible harbor was discovered by Gaullican sailors, and soon it was relayed to the Imperial court that a suitable place for a major settlement in the Asterias had been located.

In 1507, Gaullica sent a full expedition, along with settlers, to establish a colony on the island. They established Port de la Sainte, also named after Saint Chloé, on the interior of the natural harbor they had discovered, and it became the centre of Gaullican settlement on the island, making it the oldest continuously occupied Euclean settlement in the Asterias. The island was one of the first Gaullican colonies in the New World, and due to the strategic location of Port de la Sainte, proved quite useful as a hub for the colonization of other places, and a major trade port for the international powers. For this reason Sainte-Chloé would come to be as the "Gateway to the Asterias", and the settlement quickly grew. In addition, to further protect the port from attack from the sea, the Gaullicans began construction of the Citadelle on the island near the mouth of the harbor.

At first, the relation with the natives was indifferent, however, diseases began to wipe out the Nati tribes and the remaining Marai cities. In addition, Gaullica granted wide tracts of land to colonists to settle. Settlers soon began to hire the natives as workers to work on crash-crop plantations, providing protection from enemies but often in practice paying poor wages or providing poor living conditions. The poor conditions helped to kill off more of the remaining population, decreasing the number of natives further; however, disease remained the primary cause of the population decline. Eventually, many of the Nati population rose against the Gaullican colonizers in the Casiguaya War from 1531-1533, lead by Casiguaya. However, the rebellion ended in defeat, with Casiguaya captured by Gaullican authorities. Smaller rebellions later ended with similar results.

Not all landlords treated their tenants poorly, but many did, eventually causing the Gaullican government to begin importing natives from Satucin. Certain influential in the Catholic clergy argued against the treatment of the native populations, in particular the friar and later Bishop of Sainte-Chloé, Claude Saint-Renard. These individuals eventually managed to get the Gaullican government to enact laws which protected the remaining native populations, leading to declarations by prominent members of the royal court and church believed it morally wrong to enslave the natives due to romanticization of their status as “noble savages”. This, however, also had the effect of requiring the need for another source of labour, which was found in the Bahian slave networks. Many of the remaining natives intermarried with the Gaullican settlers and later the Bahian slaves.

"Gateway to the Asterias"

Main Article: Colony of Sainte-Chloé

It was a valuable source of sugar, which proved to be its main export. After the native Asterians who worked on the plantations began to die off, the sugar plantations soon became filled with slaves from Bahia, with Gaullicans settling mostly in the cities or as plantation owners. For the next few centuries the colony began to grow and to thrive, growing wealthy off of the sugar trade and its metropolitan trading centres.

Great Slave Uprising

There were minor slave rebellions occasionally. In 1829, worsening conditions led to a great slave rebellion, in which the slaves rose up against their colonial masters. The Gaullicans were able to crush the revolt, and soon after finally abolished slavery in 1830.

Later Colonial Period

Although they were full subjects and not slaves, they still lacked many of the rights which the whites had. In addition, those who were of mixed race had greater privileges but still less than the whites. The situation gradually improved, although until the Great War the island continued to be dominated by the wealth of the Gaullicans.

Great War and Allied Mandate

During the Great War, the islands served as Gaullica's primary naval base in the Asterias, and eventually was besieged by Allied forces, although the Gaullican forces were able to hold off the attack. After the war, the island was stripped from Gaullica's possession and fell under the control of a joint Allied commission known as the Arucian Federation. During this time, it transitioned from a colonial possession into a democracy, especially under the leadership of Pierre Voloix, a wealthy white man who had ties to the Grand Alliance and was appointed to oversee the transition from colonial possession to democracy.

United Provinces of the Western Arucian Islands

Main Article: United Provinces

In 1945, under the influence of Estmere, it was made a part of the United Provinces of the Western Arucian Islands with Imagua. Sainte-Chloé was divided into six federal provinces, ruled by a common legislature and presidency with Imagua. An Imaguan, Lionel Hegan, was elected as the first President, while Pierre Voloix was selected as the first Prime Minister in a cooperation between his Democratic Party and the Sotirian Democrats of Imagua. The idea seemed viable at the time, and hopes ran high for the project to succeed as cooperation blossomed initially. Plans for a new planned capital city for the United Provinces were developed and the beginning of construction was made. During this time, the United Provinces adopted the common currency of the Shilling with Imagua and developed increase trade with it, as well as a customs union and increased travel. However, the linguistic and cultural differences of the Gallophone and the Estmerphone factions soon developed and tensions festered, and debates over national unity and culture became prominent. One of the most prominent differences was the fact that the vast majority of the Chloéois politicians were Bahian (with a few notable exceptions like Voloix) while most of the Imaguan politicians were Euclo-Imaguans.

Once the Assimas Islands were incorporated into the United Provinces after the Solarian War, conflict arose on whether or not to make them their own province or to incorporate them as part of Imagua. The Gallophone parties of Sainte-Chloé advocated for them being their own Province, but Imagua, the most prominent of the individual provinces, wanted it under its direct control. The Sotirian Democrats threatened Voloix with a vote of no confidence and to tear the government apart if the Chloéois continued to veto the consolidation process. Voloix relented, but the relationship between the government parties was shattered. After relations continued to sour, tensions eventually reached a breaking point. Members of both major Gallophone parties of the Chamber of Commons brought up a motion in 1948 moving to expel Imagua from the United Provinces. The Sotirian Democrats, knowing that although the project might continue to work economically but not politically, agreed with the motion. President Hegan tried to veto the motion, citing the dangerous precedent it would create for the provinces to leave the Union. However, the Chamber of Commons overrode the veto by a large majority, and passed the resolution in early 1948. After a period of negotiation and transition, the process of Imagua's departure from the United Provinces was completed by April of 1948.

The six remaining Chloéois Provinces continued as members of the United Provinces, which now operated practically for Chloéois interests. Although the system worked for a time, the usage of a federal system and institutional corruption under Pierre Voloix eventually began to give rise to opposition. Under the leadership of Raymond Rivière and Camille Pètain, the Labour Party and the Catholic Party merged in 1953 for the third elections of the United Provinces under a platform of constitutional and economic reform, and swept Parliament from the control of the Democratic Party. Voloix barely managed to secure the Presidency and tried to oppose the reform, but Rivière pushed hard for constitutional change with popular backing. There was very nearly a political crisis; however, before tensions reached a boiling point, Voloix agreed to not interfere with the reform process and to see it through in an attempt to keep his position after the transition process. The constitution was rewritten, and the Republic of Sainte-Chloé was established on Febuary 14th, 1954, with Pètain as President and Rivière as Premier of Sainte-Chloé.

Republic of Sainte-Chloé

The first decade of early republic was dominated by Rivière's Catholic Labour Party, with Voloix's Democratic Party being falling in popularity alongside the newer Socialist Party, which disdained the religious nature of the worker's movement. Rivière and Pètain shaped the institutions of the new government, facilitated by the constitution they had formulated. Sainte-Chloé quickly saw a developing economy with important government stimuli and a strong emphasis on trade unionism and also granted priveledges for the Solarian Catholic Church. Education grew rapidly during this time period, especially as the state began to re-fund and expand Catholic education. As such, Catholic Labour became highly popular with its mix of socially conservative policies with economically leftist ideals.

However, problems existed with the economy, particularly, in regards to sugar. During the early 1960s, the sugar industry had already shown some issues, and needed to be propped up by government subsidies. However, conflict between the government's support of the sugar trade unions and the sugar industry magnates caused relations between the government and the sugar industry to begin to sour. In October 1963 sugar prices reached a peak; however, they began to decline downwards in an event known as the Sugar Crash. In 1965 the prices had decreased to the point where the issues had become particularly serious, and the Catholic Labour government struggled to find a good solution to the issue. They eventually proposed a plan which mostly protected workers and farmers rather than the buisness magnates, angering the magnates. As sugar was a major industry, the magnates grouped together to put an ultimatum on President Pètain to call snap elections and oust the current government. Pètain did so, although not willingly, only because the economy would be wholly ruined if the magnates enforced their demands.

The snap elections of 1965 saw the Social Democrat Party, formed from the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party, take a narrow majority in parliament, with the Democratic faction being dominant, along with the election of a Social Democrat President, Martin Célestin, in 1966. Despite the efforts of the new government, the sugar industry did not revive, and the country entered into economic Recession in 1966, from which it would continue to be in for several years. The continue failure to materialize any new growth resulted in the election of a Catholic Labour government in 1969. Under the leadership of François Laurent, the country began to rebuild its sugar infrastructure, finally leading to economic growth in the 1970s, as part of an event known as the Sugar Boom. The Social Democrats were able to win the 1977 elections, but the economic crisis of 1980 again drove them out of government and back into the hands of the Catholic Labour Party in 1981.

Politics

Government

Michel Thiele
President of Sainte-Chloé
since 2020

Genevieve Chevallier
Premier of Sainte-Chloé
since 2021

Semi-Presidential System

• President is popularly elected every six years, appoints 4 Senators, can dismiss parliament, selects Prime Minister and cabinet from Parliamentary majority, head of state.
• Parliament is bicameral, split between Senate and Chamber of Commons.
• Senate has 65 seats, with 28 being appointed by the Provinces for six-year terms coinciding with Presidential elections, and 25 appointed by the President as "members of good standing and good character who represent the people of the nation". Per the 1954 consitution, the country's 12 Solarian Catholic Bishops are designated seats in the Senate, a move which has been contested by the Social Democrats.
• Chamber of Commons has 171 seats, elected from consituencies by the Provinces every four years, but can be dissolved.

Foreign Relations and International Institutions

See also: Gaullica-Sainte-Chloé relations

Military

Sainte-Chloe's military is small, being located as an island nation with no major threat since the Great War. Its forces are divided into two major groups, the Security Forces, which include its ground forces, air forces, and police; and the Navy, which includes its coast guard forces as well as a handful of combat ships for defense.

Administrative Divisions

Administrative divisions of the Sainte-Chloe

Provinces
Province	Population (2020 Estimate)	Capital	Seats in the Chamber of Commons	Notes
Cap Gaullois	979,105	Escalade	7
Capitale	2,323,495	Port de la Sainte	16
Côte d'Auguste	1,411,741	Decouverte	10
Domaine Central	1,964,812	Volonté	14
Pays du Sucre	2,293,209	Tranquille	16
Sainte-Geneviève	1,320,843	Sainte Geneviève	X
Sainte Trinité	467,975	Citadelle	X

10,761,180

Demographics

Ethnic Groups

83.1%- Bahian 7.6%-Mixed 5.4%-Gaullican 2.8%- Gowsa 1.1%-Other

Religion

92.8%- Solarian Catholicism 2.1%- Irreligion 1.6%- Bahian Folk 1.4%- Badists 1.3%- Other Sotirian 0.8%- Other

Culture

Public holidays

1. REDIRECT Saint-Chloe