West Monroe
The State of West Monroe | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Motto: "The Empire State" | |
 State of West Monroe Monroe | |
| Capital | Rhone |
| Official languages | English |
| Demonym(s) | West Monrone |
| Government | |
• Governor | Bill Haslam |
| Legislature | Congress |
| Senate | |
| House of Representatives | |
| Establishment | |
• Joined Ibica Confederation | April 23, 1549 |
• Federation | January 1, 1701 |
| Area | |
• Total | 603,880 km2 (233,160 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2015 census | 32,314,526 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2015 estimate |
• Total | $58,797 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $1,900,000,000,000 |
West Monroe is a state located in the southern region of Ibica. West Monroe is the 8th largest and most populous of the Ibican states. West Monroe is bordered to the north by Callahan and Petra, to the east by East Monroe, to the south by the Bosporus Ocean, and to the west by Panamor. Rhone is both the state's capital and largest city. Willmington, the nation's capital, is also the state's second largest city.
Geography
West Monroe is the largest Ibican state, with an area of 375,234.00 square miles (971,851.6 km2). West Monroe is in the south central and southwestern regions of the country. With 10 climatic regions, 14 soil regions and 11 distinct ecological regions, regional classification becomes problematic with differences in soils, topography, geology, rainfall, and plant and animal communities. One classification system divides West Monroe, in order from southwest to east, into the following: Monroe Coastal Plains, Interior Lowlands, Great Plains, and Basin and Range.
The Monroe Coastal Plains region follows the shore of the Bosporus on the southwest section of the state, and extends to the foothills of the Georgia Range in East Monroe. Vegetation in this region consists of thick piney woods. The Interior Lowlands region consists of gently rolling to hilly forested land and is part of a larger pine-hardwood forest.
Government and politics
The current West Monroe Constitution was adopted in 1775. Like many states, it explicitly provides for a separation of powers. The state's Bill of Rights is much larger than its federal counterpart, and has provisions unique to West Monroe.\
===State government===\
West Monroe has a plural executive branch system limiting the power of the governor, which is a weak executive compared to some other states. Except for the Secretary of State, voters elect executive officers independently; thus candidates are directly answerable to the public, not the governor. This election system has led to some executive branches split between parties and reduced the ability of the governor to carry out a program. The executive branch positions consist of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Land Commissioner, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, the State Board of Education, and the Secretary of State.
The bicameral West Monroe Legislature consists of the House of Representatives, with 150 members, and a Senate, with 51 members. The Speaker of the House leads the House, and the lieutenant governor, the Senate. The Legislature of West Monroe is one of only three state legislatures that meets year round, the others being Angola and Albion.
The judiciary of West Monroe is one of the most complex in the country, with many layers and overlapping jurisdictions. West Monroe is notable for its use of capital punishment, having led the country in executions in the 21st century
The West Monroe Department of Public Safety is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction. Over the years, the DPS have investigated crimes ranging from murder to political corruption. They have acted as riot police and as detectives, protected the West Monroe governor, tracked down fugitives, and functioned as a paramilitary force.
The West Monroe constitution defines the responsibilities of county governments, which serve as agents of the state. What are called commissioners court and court judges are elected to serve as the administrative arm. Most cities in the state, those over 5,000 in population, have home-rule governments. The vast majority of these have charters for council-manager forms of government, by which voters elect council members, who hire a professional city manager as operating officer.
Education
East Monroe has 1,064 state-funded kindergartens, elementary, junior- and senior high schools.
The state supports a network of public universities and colleges, the East Monroe State University System. The East Monroe State University, flagship campus of the East Monroe State University System in Madison was ranked #23 among public schools in the nation.
In the 1920s the state required all children to attend public schools. The school year was set at 131 days, although some areas were unable to meet that requirement.
Although unusual in the West, school corporal punishment is not uncommon in East Monroe, with 20,083 public school students paddled at least one time, according to government data for the 2011–2012 school year.
Economy
East Monroe's rank as one of the poorest states is related to its dependence on mining and resource extraction, late development of its frontier bottomlands in the Madison Delta, repeated natural disasters of flooding in the late 19th and early 20th century that required massive capital investment in levees, and ditching and draining the bottomlands, and slow development of railroads to link bottomland towns and river cities.
Entertainment and Tourism
The legislature's 1980 decision to legalize casino gambling along the Madison River and the Bosphorus Coast has led to increased revenues and economic gains for the state. Gambling towns in East Monroe have attracted increased tourism. In 2012, East Monroe had the second largest gambling revenue of any state, with $2.25 billion.
Transportation
Air
East Monroe has three airports with commercial passenger service, the busiest in Charlotte (Charlotte Garner International Airport) and others in Carsonville (Carsonville International Airport), and Madison (Madison Regional Airport)
Roads
East Monroe is served by four interstate highways:
and four main Ibica Routes:
as well as a system of State Highways.
Rail
Passenger
San Marcos, Charlotte, & Northern Railroad provides scheduled passenger service along the Ibica View Line. The line begins in Charlotte, and has a stop in Essex.
The Southern Ibica Railroad's Capital Express line stops in Carsonville.
Freight
All three of Ibica's Class I railroads serve the state.