Assimas County
Assimas Parish
Parrocchia degli Assime | |
|---|---|
| File:AssimasIsland.png | |
| Country | File:ImaguaFlag.png Imagua and the Assimas |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Capital | San Pietro |
| Government | |
| • Sheriff | Edgardo Moccio |
| Area | |
| • Land | 9,282.56 km2 (3,584.02 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 301,549 |
| • Rank | 2nd in Imagua and the Assimas |
| Time zone | UTC+11 (Imaguan Standard Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | not observed |
The Assimas Parish (Etrurian: Parrocchia degli Assime) is the largest parish of Imagua and the Assimas in area, at 9,282.56 square kilometers in area, and the second-most populous parish in the country, with the 2011 census reporting its population at 301,549 people.
Comprising the entirety of the Assimas Islands, it was ruled first by the Caldish from the mid-1530s to 1564, then by Geatland until Eldmark gained its independence from Geatland. Eldmark maintained sovereignty over the Assimas until it was sold to Etruria in 1813, which maintained it under their rule until its defeat in the Solarian War. Afterwards, the islands were seized by Estmere, who attached it to the self-governing colony of Imagua, which two years later became independent as Imagua and the Assimas.
Despite the institution of official bilingualism via the Imaguan constitution via the First Amendment, during the 1950s and early 1960s, tensions between the Estmerish and Etrurian populations escalated, with the establishment of separatist movements. Thus, in the mid-1960s under the premiership of Efrem Lacovara, the Fifth Amendment was passed, and in 1969, the Assimas Autonomy Act of 1969 was passed.
In the mid-1990s, under Austin Houghton, he attempted to repeal these policies, as he argued that it was inherently unfair to the people of Imagua, which helped fuel increasing tensions between the two. Following his defeat in 1997, the constitution was amended again to entrench the protections given to the Assimas with the Seventh Amendment.
Etymology
The name of the Assimas Parish derives from the name of Assim Asteris, who was the first non-indigenous explorer to have discovered Asterias Superior and Asterias Inferior. The name of the islands were given by the first Caldish explorers to settle the large island of Imagua.
Government
The Assimas Parish, like any other parish (except for the city of Cuanstad is run by the parochial council (Etrurian: consiglio parrocchiale), comprising of sixty members, making it the largest parochial council in Imagua and the Assimas. The parochial council is led by a Sheriff (Sceriffo or Sceriffa), currently Edgardo Moccio, who was elected by the council in 2016.
Unlike all the other parishes in the country, Assimas Parish has been granted autonomy, first by the Assimas Autonomy Act of 1969, and then further cemented by the Seventh Amendment to the Constitution of Imagua and the Assimas in 1997.
Both of these documents guarantee that the parochial government shall receive powers over education, welfare, and social development within the islands, which means that the parochial council of the Assimas Parish has more substantial powers than any other parish government on the islands. Due to this, turnout for parochial elections in the Assimas averages around 75%, compared to 65% for Cuanstad, and 25% for other parishes.
As of 2018, there are 93 municipalities (Etrurian: comuni) within the parish borders, and is one of only two parishes (the other being Cuanstad) to not have any area not part of a municipality.
Economy
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While the Assimas Islands had historically been based on subsistence farming and fishing, following the fall of Cuanstad to Estmerish forces in 1658, Peterstad became a major economic center for the Assimas.
In the nineteenth century, following Etruria's purchase of the islands, it became an industrialized economy, with factories opening, which helped ensure the development of a manufacturing sector, which quickly became dominant in the area. It would remain dominant until the 1960s and 1970s, when deindustrialisation took place.
Unlike Cuanstad, which transitioned to being based on tourism and the financial sector, the Assimas economy shifted towards tourism, which led many on the islands to leave for Imagua, or for other countries in order to find work. This trend continued until the late 1990s when the dot-com boom occurred, and San Pietro became a centre for the local information technology sector.