Lower Aseu

Republic of Lower Aseu
Flag
Map of the Northern Cantalle Islands
Capital	Aseu Port
Demonym(s)	Aseuan
Government
• President	Salma Vargés
Population
• 2022 estimate	2,704,800
Date format	mm-dd-yyyy

The Republic of Lower Aseu, commonly known as Lower Aseu, Aseu, or the Aseuans, is an archipeligic nation in the Northern Cantalle Islands, located in the northeast Cantalle Ocean and sharing maritime borders with Janapa, Arrey, and Marivista. Its northern coasts lay along the Ossinia Sea. The archipelagic state consists of more than 3,000 islands, cays, and islets. The capital and largest city is Aseu Port, which is also the second-largest city in the Northern Cantalle Islands after Périnnois, Ossinia. Other major settlements on the islands include Samuelton, Port Crow, and Aulemers. Lower Aseu's location along the Hurricane Corridor makes it prone to severe weather.

Lower Aseu was inhabited by indigenous populations for thousands of years with limited interaction with mainland Euronia or Adula, until the islands were colonized by Quetana in 1562. Many of the indigenous people either were killed or died of diseases, after which the Quetanans and later Skithans brought large numbers of Adulan slaves to the islands as laborers. Under colonial rule, Aseu became a leading tobacco exporter, with a plantation economy dependent on the slaves and later their descendants. The islands remained a possession of Skith until 1832, when the aftermath of the Zamastan War of Independence and the Barretoan Wars prompted its abandonment. Brief independence followed, until the restored Quetanan empire waged a campaign to reclaim the islands in 1841. Quetana kept its claim over the islands until the 1910 revolution led it to relinquish control, and in 1911 Lower Aseu officially became an independent republic.

During and immediately after the World War, Zamastan occupied Lower Aseu (1950-1956) due to its government's tolerance towards Drambenburg. Francisco Rabellini was installed by Zamastan as president following occupation, but Rabellini was assassinated in 1961. Manuel Carnicero subsequently took power, but he was deposed in a military coup in 1964. A civil war followed, was ended by Zamastanian military intervention, and was followed by the authoritarian rule of Cesar Ayerbe (1967-1973). The surprise election of Miquel Herrero in 1973, however, signaled a shift toward representative democracy. Since then, elections have been observed by CCA-appointed groups, and the country has emerged as a thriving democracy. The assassination of President Luca Juárez Carbonero in 2000 by Ossinian agents led to increased tensions between Lower Aseu and the government of Martin Saint-Yves, but the WEDA-led intervention in Ossinia in 2020 quelled relations. Salma Vargés became the first woman president elected in 2021. In 2022, Lower Aseu expanded its foreign relations with Euronia when it joined WEDA and TIDI. In September 2023, Hurricane Edith became the costliest natural disaster in the country's history.

Politics

Foreign relations

Since 1973, Lower Aseu has had a close relationship with Zamastan, and has close cultural ties with most states in the Northern Cantalle Islands. As with many states in the NCIs, Lower Aseu joined WEDA in 2022.

Lower Aseu's relationship with Ossinia was strained over mass migration to Lower Aseu and the assassination of President Luca Juárez Carbonero in 2000, with citizens of the Aseuans often blaming the Ossinians for increased crime and other social problems. Since 2020, however, the two nations have worked to mend relations.

Armed forces

Soldiers in the Armed Forces of Lower Aseu training

The Armed Forces of Lower Aseu are the military forces of Lower Aseu. They consists of approximately 56,000 active duty personnel. The President of Lower Aseu is the commander in chief of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense is the chief managing body of the armed forces. The Army, with 28,750 active duty personnel, consists of six infantry brigades, an air cavalry squadron and a combat service support brigade. The Air Force operates two main bases, one in southern region near Aseu Port and one in the northern region of the country, the air force operates approximately 75 aircraft including helicopters. The Navy operates two major naval bases, one in Aseu Port and one in Port Crow.

The armed forces have organized a Specialized Airport Security Corps (CESA) and a Specialized Port Security Corps (CESEP) to meet international security needs in these areas. The secretary of the armed forces has also announced plans to form a specialized border corps (CESEF). The armed forces provide 75% of personnel to the National Investigations Directorate (DNI) and the Counter-Drug Directorate (DNCD).

Culture

Due to cultural syncretism, the culture and customs of the Aseuan people have an Adulan cultural basis, influenced by both colonizer and native elements, although endogenous elements have emerged within Aseuan culture; culturally Lower Aseu is among the most-Adulan countries in the NCIs, along with Janapa, Ossinia, and Saint Astaba and Beck. Adulan institutions in the colonial era were able to predominate in the Aseuan culture's making-of as a relative success in the acculturation and cultural assimilation of Adulan slaves slightly diminished Adulan cultural influence in comparison to other NCI countries.

Cuisine

Chicharrón mixto, a common dish in the country

Asuean cuisine is predominantly Quetanan, Eaíno, and South Adulan in origin. The typical cuisine is quite similar to what can be found in other Northern Cantalle countries. One breakfast dish consists of eggs and mangú (mashed, boiled plantain). Heartier versions of mangú are accompanied by deep-fried meat (Asuean salami, typically), cheese, or both. Lunch, generally the largest and most important meal of the day, usually consists of rice, meat, beans, and salad. "La Bandera" (literally "The Flag") is the most popular lunch dish; it consists of meat and red beans on white rice. Sancocho is a stew often made with seven varieties of meat.

Meals tend to favor meats and starches over dairy products and vegetables. Many dishes are made with sofrito, which is a mix of local herbs used as a wet rub for meats and sautéed to bring out all of a dish's flavors. Throughout the south-central coast, bulgur, or whole wheat, is a main ingredient in quipes or tipili (bulgur salad). Other favorite Asuean foods include chicharrón, yuca, casabe, pastelitos (empanadas), batata, ñame, pasteles en hoja, chimichurris, and tostones.

Some treats Asueans enjoy are arroz con leche (or arroz con dulce), bizcocho asuea (lit. "Asuean cake"), habichuelas con dulce, flan, frío frío (snow cones), dulce de leche, and caña (sugarcane). The beverages Asueans enjoy are Morir Soñando, rum, beer, Mama Juana, batidas (smoothie), jugos naturales (freshly squeezed fruit juices), mabí, coffee, and chaca (also called maiz caqueao/casqueado, maiz con dulce and maiz con leche), the last item being found only in the southern districts of the country.

Sport

Baseball is by far the most popular sport in Lower Aseu. The Aseu Professional Baseball League consists of eight teams. Its season usually begins in October and ends in January. After Zamastan, Lower Aseu has the second highest number of Zamastan Baseball League (ZBL) players. In 2013 and 2018, the Aseuan national team went undefeated en route to winning the World Baseball Classic.

Soccer is the second-most popular sport, though internationally the national team has underperformed. Lower Aseu has qualified for the World Cup on 4 occasions, with their best performance being a quarter-finals appearance in the 2009 tournament where they lost to Besmenia.

Other important sports are volleyball, taekwondo, tennis, and judo.