Bondulagh

Bondulagh Mbiet Bondún Lach (Te Rova Kadlarach) Kote Honga Pokapo (Te Rova Lainer)
City
North Bondulagh CBD Bondulagh Castle Piedophei Square Onetoho Cathedral Luxapo Hills The Point Stadium, Mawson Lakes
Nickname:  City of Rugby
Motto(s):  Ne ie sorai isi y en fin ie cane returne (Te Rova Kadlarach) "Know that I will be here and in the end I can return"
Bondulagh shown within mainland County Bondulagh
Bondulagh Location within South Neviersia
Coordinates: 38°15′23″S 162°47′19″W
Country	South Neviersia
Region	Lainerovan Kadlara
County	County Bondulagh
Founded	6 February 1342
Founded by	Calamoti Danmircogo
Government
• Body	City of Bondulagh Authority
• Mayor	Michelle Clarke (PULK)
• Deputy Mayor	Ciaran Evanhope
Area
• City	486 km2 (188 sq mi)
• Metro	2,747 km2 (1,061 sq mi)
Population  (2024)
• City	1,654,109
• Density	3,402/km2 (8,810/sq mi)
Demonym	Bondulaner
Time zone	UTC+14 (Central Veropan Time)
Website	bondulagh.gov.sn

Bondulagh (pronounced [bɒndjuːlæ]) ( listen); Te Rova Kadlarach: Mbiet Bondún Lach; Te Rova Lainer: Kote Honga Pokapo, lit. "central confluence") is the third-most populous city in South Neviersia and is the regional capital and largest city of Lainerovan Kadlara. As of 2024, the city has an estimated population of 1,654,000 and a wider metropolitan population of 2,339,000. Other major population centres within the metropolitan area include Llynford, Torakagh, Meridovia and Montago.

Bondulagh is situated in the southwest of the country, 34 kilometres from the border with Helessima. The city stretches 27 kilometres from the coast to the Montago Mountains, forming part of the larger Kadlaran Ranges. The founder of the city, Calamoti Danmircogo, leader of the Bondulainer tribe, founded Bondulagh close to the confluence where the River Montago and River Wyvern meet. Bondulagh city centre is laid out in an imperfect grid pattern, featuring over 20 canals and various public squares, the most notable being Piedophei Square. The north of the city is predominantly hilly and forested, with an average elevation of 410 metres. Tourism is a major industry in Bondulagh, facilitated by the city's Bondulagh Mawson Lakes International Airport.

Bondulagh thrived economically during the Lainerovan era and resisted European colonisation longer than other cities in South Neviersia. During the 100-Year War, the city's resources became increasingly depleted due to disrupted maritime routes to Lormagh-Clouthdin, the second-largest city in Lainerovan Kadlara. The war culminated in the Great Fall of Bondulagh, the period the British Empire (along with other European powers) invaded the city and ended Lainerovan rule. Bondulagh Castle was severely damaged from fires induced by British soldiers and Lainerovan rioters. Today, the remains of the castle still stand and have been classed as a UNESCO Heritage Site.

The city became the epicentre of the 9-year Naming Conflict Wars in the 1950s between ethnic Lainerovans and Europeans, commencing with the Rugby Riots at the Point Stadium in Mawson Lakes. Since the Treaty of Otenova in 1959, Bondulagh has been noted for its extensive and progressive political reforms. The city became known as the "City of Rugby" due to the revitalisation of rugby union among the community, catalysed by the re-opening of the Point Stadium in 2007 and the match between South Neviersia and England, the first match held at the Point Stadium since the Rugby Riots.

Name

The name Bondulagh is the short-form of the Te Lainer Sortoma tribe "Bondulainer", who has inhabited the region for approximately 29,000 years. The origins behind the prefix "Bondu" are disputed between the old Te Rova Lainer word for bush ("bondhun"), possibly referring to the Konuere bushes of the city, or the purple jacarandas, which the native inhabitants called "bondiu". The official Te Rova Lainer name of the city, Kote Honga Pokapo, translates to "central confluence", referring to the confluence near the city centre where the River Wyvern and River Montago meet.

Popular modern nicknames for the city include "Bondy" (short for "Great Ol' Bondy") and the "City of Rugby", in reference to the city's rugby union culture.

Geography

Climate

As with most of Lainerovan Kadlara, Bondulagh has an oceanic climate (Cfb) with cool summers and mild winters.

Governance

Bondulagh is governed by the City of Bondulagh Authority (COBA). Michelle Clarke of the People's Union of Lainerovan Kadlara (PULK) was elected as Mayor of Bondulagh on 8 January 2024, with Ciaran Evanhope of the Territorian Front Party as the Deputy Mayor. The council is composed of 81 city councillors, three for each of the 27 wards. Elections are held every three years to elect one third of the councillors for a four-year term. The council is jointly controlled by PULK and the Territorian Front.

As the regional capital of Lainerovan Kadlara, Bondulagh is home to the Parliament of Lainerovan Kadlara at the Latermagh House (or Parliament House) in the North Bondulagh district, adjacent to the Supreme Court of Lainerovan Kadlara.

Population

The residents of Bondulagh are known as Bondulaners.

SN Statistics counted a total of 1,654,109 inhabitants within the City of Bondulagh, and a wider metropolitan population of 2,339,406, which accounts for more than 42% of Lainerovan Kadlara's population. Compared with other major cities, Bondulagh is growing at a rate similar to Darwinschtad. Most of the population growth in recent years is concentrated in the northside and lakeside suburbs, including Mawson Lakes, Phibsbragh and Konuere.

Infrastructure

Bondulagh is served by the Bondulagh Mawson Lakes International Airport in the city's northeast Mawson Lakes district and Onetoho Airport for regional and general aviation flights.

Bondulagh's public transport network is known as Transport for Bondulagh (TfB), providing bus, ferry, suburban rail and regional rail services. Transport for Bondulagh is subsidised by Local Government Lainerovan Kadlara, the regional authority for Lainerovan Kadlara. The city has a "Zero-Fees Zone" covering bus and train journies within the city centre and surrounding inner-city areas.

The Bondulagh Central Train Station is served by local, national and international rail services, including the CrossRova "Big Four" train line from Bondulagh to Darwinschtad, via Adel and Davenport, one of the longest in the country. The Port of Bondulagh provides ferry services to the Bondulagh Islands, Mawson Lakes, Lormagh-Clouthdin, including international services to Helessima's Avuere Peninsula.

Education

Primary and secondary education

Primary and secondary schools are operated by Lainerovan Kadlara's Department of Education and are usually non-denominational, with a few religious schools for Nevyirists. Unlike most South Neviersian regions, the minimum school leaving age for Lainerovan Kadlaran students is 18 years old, increased from 17 years old in 2012.

Lainerovan Kadlara was the first region (and currently one of three) to allow students aged 16 or older to register for an exemption from compulsory education if they participate in vocational training such as an apprenticeship. This was introduced in 2009 after a pilot program in Bondulagh. Youth Training Lainerovan Kadlara (YTLK) was founded the year after, catering to students aged between 16 and 25.

Tertiary education

There are four public universities in Bondulagh: the University of Bondulagh, Onetoho University, the University of Mawson Lakes and Bondulagh University of Hawthorn. Also in Bondulagh are three private universities (the University of Phibsbragh, Bondulagh Lincoln University and Bondulagh Arts University), and two constituent universities: the North Bondulagh Campus, part of the University of Lainerovan Kadlara, and the Latermagh Campus, part of the University of South Neviersia.

Notable people

• Kael Mataorpi, rugby union player and captain of the Lainerovan rugby union team
• Harvey Sotiphi-Clarke, rugby union player
• Matthew O'Leary, rugby union player
• Alex Jо̄raiford, rugby union player
• Laura Trengrove, cricketer
• Pauline Otlara, athlete
• Tirо̄n Uzandthorpe, journalist
• Jacquéline O'Brien, journalist and co-founder of RE: BONDULAGH!
• James Wood, businessman
• Mountifort Kennedy, businessman
• Riо̄n Orо̄tiene, politician
• Michelle Clarke, politician and incumbent Mayor of Bondulagh
• Chris Demagh-Wyvern, politician and incumbent President of South Neviersia

Sister cities

Bondulagh maintains relationships with the following cities:

• Dublin, Ireland (1961)
• Asentua, Neviersia (1969)
• Otaha, Kaveiros (1976)
• Zollioures, Allevarres (1979)
• Kingerstall, Manima (1984)
• Averzo, Helessima (1998)
• Kelapajoona, Manima (2000)
• Overi-Vorschnem, Ambelviser (2000)
• Calgary, Canada (2001)
• Waterford, Ireland (2003)
• Brisboniel, Knarbergia (2010)

See also

• Lainerovan Kadlara