Gangkou

Gangkou
Legation City
From top:Zhengguo Temple, Renmin Square, Queshi-Hapson Bridge, Gangkou overview.
Flag
Country	Zamastan
Dependent Overseer	Yuan
Government
• Lt. Governor	Mylon Croston
Area
• Total	36,200 km2 (13,976 sq mi)
Population  (2018)
• Total	7,078,000

Gangkou is an overseas-Administrative District (Province) and Zamastanian-dependent island and legation-city off the coast of Yuan, with an estimated population of 7,078,000 within its administrative limits. Significant in 19th-century Yuan history as one of the treaty ports established for Ausiana and Euronian trade and contact, Gangkou was one of the original special economic zones of Yuan established in the 1800s. It was given over to Zamastan as part of the 1905 Treaty of Tiaking that established legation cities. Zamastanian influence in the city can be seen in the city's economics and culture. Originally a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages, the past century of Zamastanian administration has let the territory become one of Ausiana's significant financial centers and commercial ports. Gangkou has a major capitalist service economy characterized by low taxation and free trade, and hosts a high concentration of ultra high-net-worth individuals.

People born in Gangkou are automatically granted Zamastanian citizenship, but people who immigrate to the city are unable to gain citizenship unless they move to mainland Zamastan. The city also hosts a naval port that services the Navy of Zamastan. The city has been the focus of historical controversy due to its proximity to the Yuan and Beleroskov mainlands.

History

Gangkou was an island prominent with fishing villages during the majority of the history of the Yuan Empires.

Sio Kong Ng park in the historic quarter of Gangkou, which features both Zamastanian and Yuan architecture

Connecting to Gangkou across the Queshi-Hapson Bridge is the neighborhood of Queshi, which was the main site for the original Zamastanian consulates. Today the area is a scenic park but some of the structures from its earlier history are somewhat preserved. In 1860, Gangkou became a trading port.

During the uprising of the Yellow Flag Rebellion, rebel forces occupied the city. The arrival of Zamastanian armadas and landing forces turned the tide of the occupation, and the control of power shifted following the Zamastanian victory in the Battle of Genghau.

The city of Gangkou was given protectorate status by Zamastan in 1906, following the end of the Yellow Flag Rebellion and the subsequent signing of the 1905 Treaty of Tiaking.

A ruined mansion of aristocrats in downtown Gangkou.

In the 1930s, as a transport hub and a merchandise distribution center, Gangkou's Port's cargo throughput ranked among the highest in Ausiana due to the bilateral effects of Zamastanian and Yuan influence.

Economy

Gangkou Harbor

Gangkou's economy is average by Yuan standards. Manufacturing accounts for a large and increasing share of employment. Canning, garments, lithography, plastic, and toys are some of the principal products, although the city hosts dozens of Zamastanian and other foreign companies that service the technology, retail, and automobile industries.

In 2019, the analyzed data of Gangkou GDP is approximately Z$630.4 billion, making it one of the wealthiest areas in the region proportionate to its population.

Development zone

With an area of 2.34 km² (0.90 sq mi), Gangkou Free Trade Zone lies at the north part of the city, established by Zamastanian authority in 1987. It has been comprehensively developing export processing, storage, international trade, finance and information industry. Its goal is to establish a modernized international zone that is open to overseas by drawing experience from international free trade zones.

Geography

The urban area of Gangkou in 2020, along with its major islands. Sediment discharging from the Gangtze River can be seen.

Kajian Mountain

Gangkou is an island in West Ausiana. The main island, known historically as Gangkou Island, makes up 99% of the area controlled by the Zamastanian government, measuring 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 sq mi) and lying some 180 kilometres (112 mi) across the Sancheon Gulf from the southwestern coast of mainland Yuan. The West China Sea lies to its west. Smaller islands include a number in the Sancheon Gulf including the Anghu archipelago, and the Ninen and Catsu Islands. These smaller islands are often in dispute with the Zamastanian government and the Yuaneze government claims.

The main island is a tilted fault block, characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of five rugged mountain ranges parallel to the east coast, and the flat to gently rolling plains of the western third, where the majority of Gangkou's population reside. There are several peaks over 3,500 m, the highest being Yu Pan at 3,952 m (12,966 ft), making Gangkou the world's fourth-highest island. The tectonic boundary that formed these ranges is still active, and the island experiences many earthquakes, a few of them highly destructive. There are also many active submarine volcanoes in the Gangkou Straits.

Gangkou contains four terrestrial ecoregions: Tian Nan subtropical evergreen forests, Gankou Sea Islands, North Gangkou monsoon rain forests, and Gangkou subtropical evergreen forests. The western mountains are heavily forested and home to a diverse range of wildlife, while land use in the eastern and northern lowlands is intensive.

The city of Gangkou is located on the Gangtze estuary of island's southwest coast. The land is formed by the Gangtze's natural deposition and modern land reclamation projects. As such, it has sandy soil, and skyscrapers are to be built with deep concrete piles to avoid sinking into the soft ground. The Zamastanian-administrations administer both the main island and 4 of its surrounding islands.

Political and legal status

Lt. Governor of Gangkou, Mylon Croston, meets with President Xi Jingyi in Shanghan, Yuan, 2018

The political and legal statuses of Gangkou are contentious issues. The People's Republic of Yuan (PRY) claims that the Zamastanian government's claim over the island is illegitimate, referring to it as the "Gangkou Authority". However, since the Treaty of Tiaking in 1905, Zamastan has held soveriengty over the island. Gangkou has its own currency alongside the Zamastanian dollar, both of which are accepted monetary trade as opposed to the Yuaneze yen. Gangkou also has a widely accepted passport, postage stamps, internet TLD, armed forces and constitution with an independently elected president, all alongside Zamastanian government functions.

Internationally, the island is generally recognized as Zamastanian sovereign territory. Only a handful of nations, most prominently Yuan, dispute it.