Sangur, Gabrielland
Sangur | |
|---|---|
| City of Sangur Sngōreh Kzamā | |
 Clockwise from top: Skyline of Sangur, Arsyan Parliament, Sangur city hall, Hgaztak monument, East Sangur canals, Addarti Road | |
| Nickname: "City of a thousand rivers" | |
| Motto(s): "Klōmeh Gzit, Aršēhē Mzol" ("Pride of Kalamar, Soul of Arsya") | |
| Country |  Gabrielland |
| Region | Arsya |
| Province | Arsya |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Lohmmi Tāgār (PDA) |
| Area | |
| • Capital city | 217.9 km2 (84.1 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Capital city | 2,701,304 |
| • Metro | 3,814,815 |
| Demonym(s) | Azongur (m), Azēngēr (f) |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (GST) |
| Postal code | 7 |
| Area code | 381 |
| Vehicle registration | R/(A-R) |
Sangur (Arsyan: [ˈsɑŋkʏr], Gabrielt: [saˈŋʊr]) is the capital city and largest city of the Kingdom of Arsya, both in term of area and population. With a population of 2.7 million people, it is the second largest city in Gabrielland and makes it one of the most populated cities in the Dokodo Union. The city, along with several satelite cities, form the Sangur metropolitan area, home to 3.8 million people or about 10% of the population of Arsya. It is also the administrative center of the region and province of Arsya, making it the administrative center of three different administrative levels. The city is bordered by the Arsyan sea to its east, Včin municipality to its north and west, as well as Kazogur municipality to its south.
The city was first documented as Margandda in an early Arsyan manuscript from the 8th century AD, where it served as the capital of the Kingdom of Junram. The importance of Margandda grew during the consolidation of the Tahkki kingdom in the late 11th century AD, when the city was conquered by the invading forces and made the capital of the Tahkki kingdom. In the early 14th century, a group of Arsyan kings hired mercenaries from Anderum to beseige the capital of Tahkki and take control of the surrounding lands. In 1308, the seige was declared a victory, although pyrrhic, and the mercenaries promptly renamed the city into Sangur as an homage to the Sangur back in Anderum. It became the capital of the Arsyan confederation, then the Arsyan kingdom, and finally the realm of Arsya in modern-day Gabrielland, with Sangur also serving as the capital of the short-lived Arsyan Republic between 1976 and 1985.
Sangur is a world city of culture, politics, and media. The economy of Sangur is mainly based on high tech firms, institutions, and coroporations, encompassing a diverse and sundry forms of service, manufacture, and goods, with the bulk of Gabrielland's startup and high-tech research facilities mainly located in Sangur. Sangur also serves as the railway and air hub of northern Gabrielland, and also serves as the capital of the Gabrielt automotive union. The downtown of Sangur is also a world-heritage site, as it preserve the buildings, canals, and landscape presented in the Arsyan Baroque style from the 18th centuries, a style which is still popular in Sangur today.
Renowned universities within Gabrielland are located in Arsya, including the Arsyan Institute of Science (AIS) and the Royal Arsyan University (RAU), the oldest university in Arsya. The city has numerous museums, parks, monuments, and historic buildings, with the most famous ones being the Arsyan Parliament, the city hall, and the Hgaztak monument. The Arsyan People's Zoo is the largest zoo in Gabrielland, and is frequented by visitors, with a record high attendance in 2019.
History
The history of Sangur could be first attributed to the documentation by classical Arsyan scribes from the Junram Kingdom, in which the city was said to be named after King Margandda II of the Malarri Kingdom, to which it served the capital of the entire kingdom from the rise of the Junram dynasty to its fall to the Tahkki Kingdom in around 1086 AD. Remnants of houses and buildings have been dug up near the banks of the Kalamar river near the sea along with several household items and housewares dating back to the early 8th century, further strengthening the writings from the Junram Kingdom.
The city would change hands multiple times in history, with the Tahkki Kingdom seizing the city and repurposing the city as the capital until being besieged by mercenaries from Anderum in 1308, when the city was declared a city state in the Margandda treaty of 1308, then renamed into Sangur. It served as the capital and political hub of the Arsyan confederation during its concpetion in the late 17th century, then becoming the royal capital of the Arsyan Kingdom in the 19th century, until its incorporation into Gabrielland and Arsya where it retained its capital status for the Kingdom of Arsya, however no longer a national capital.
Early beginnings
The earliest piece of evidence found to indicate the existence of an ancient city within the grounds of present-day Sangur was unearthed in 1981, when a park was excavated near the Arsyan parliament in the city center to unearth a fully-intact house filled with various sorts of household items and objects, carbon-dated to be from the early 8th century. In the manuscripts, the city was described as being the city of Margandda, serving as the capital of the Junram Kingdom. Subsequent excavations in nearby locations unearthed more social places such as markets, shops, and boutiques from the era.
Given the importance of the city, both for its already huge population even for classical Arsya and its strategic location at the banks of the Kalamar river near the mouth, the city was highly contested by neighboring kingdoms and duchies. Early defence strucutres such as towers and walls were at least known since the times of the Arsyan confederation, however were not attributed to the Junram Kingdom. The old city walls of Margandda is the dividing line between the old downtown of Sangur and the rest of Sangur, and also the world heritage side in modern applications.
Tahkki Kingdom
In 1085, the Tahkki Kingdom invaded the Junram Kingdom and incorporated into their territory as a vassal, however, the surrounding areas of Margandda were kept as an integral part of the kingdom and was made the capital, moving the capital from Vratama. The Tahkki Kingdom, with its larger size both in population and area, brought tremendous changes to Margandda, revamping and renovating the city to fit the needs of a capital city worthy of a kingdom the size of Tahkki. In 1138, the first well-preserved building in Sangur was built (Gaztur's tower), and was a sign of an early attempt at urban renewal done by city authorities at the time.
The city limits of Margandda kept expanding in response to the ever increasing population coming from all over Tahkki, and by the late 12th century, the city was recorded to have a population of 100,000 people, a massive size for the time. Numerous protests were recorded against the Tahkki Kingdom for bad urban planning and sanitation, which led to the 1207 plague of Arsya, killing every third Arsyan and half of Margandda.
In 1308, the city was besieged by Anderic mercenaries hired by other kings in Arsya to reclaim the capital from the Tahkki kingdom. Upon the success of the siege, the city was renamed into Sangur and was declared a city state which served as a neutral economic hub for many kingdoms that the Kalamar flowed through.
Arsyan Confederation and Kingdom
Upon the creation of the Arsyan confederation in the 17th century as the coordinating body and alliance between Arsyan-speaking staes, the neural city state of Sangur was made the capital of the Arsyan Confederation as it was seen as a neutral compromise between states as well as an economically prospering city, providing the basic foundations for a capital. Upon designation as capital, Sangur was renovated and refurbished to repurpose it as the capital for all Arsyans in case a kingdom or empire was to be set up comprising of all the Arsyan sates of the confederation as nationalism and pan-Arsyanism had been growing over the past few decades leading up to the creation of the Arsyan confederation.
As a result of being located in lowlands and marshy groudnds, Sangur flooded frequently, with seasonal floods being commonplace throughout the Kalamar river. In the early 18th century, massive canals and waterways were constructed in Sangur at the behest of the confederate agreements. These canals would divert water flow through a variety of channels and streams to ease the flow of water during rainy season or the sort. As a result, many houses were demolished to make way for these canals, however as another side effect, the first public housing estates and compounds were constructed in Sangur in the Arsyan baroque style prevailing throughout Arsya at the time. The public housing built in the Arsyan baroque style proved popular, and the city sought to refurbish all buildings to fit in the style.
The declaration of the Arsyan Kingdom also meant the declaration of Sangur as its capital, as many would expect. During the reign of the Arsyan kings, Sangur was heavily invested in by royals to beautify the city in an effort to transform Sangur into a city fit for a capital and the center of Arsyan exellence, art, and beauty. Sangur gained several new landmarks and buildings under the Kingdom of Arsya, such as the Sangur city hall, Arsyan parliament, and possibly most noted is the Riehtto palace built in 1824 as the residence of Arsyan kings.
Sangur became a focal point in the struggle for the Arsyan-Gabrielt unionist movement. Many unionists first voiced their support for the union in Sangur as early as the 1910s upon the talks between the Gabrielt and Arsyan delegations in Sangur. Sangur would eventually become the site of a massive protest against the imperial Arsyan government, leading to the union of Gabrielland and Arsya in 1926. The act of union (1926) was also signed in Sangur.
Modern Gabrielland
Sangur would continue to become the capital of the Arsyan realms, as well as become the new economic capital of Gabrielland.
In 1976, the city became the capital-in-exile of the legitimate Gabrielt and Arsyan government after Dzakwanist forces seized control of Vailhims on the 11th of February 1976 and declared Dzakwanist Gabrielland. Six days later, the old government proclaimed a new Gabrielt and Arsyan Republic with Sangur as its capital-in-exile, however, by 1977 the name was scrapped and the Arsyan Republic was proclaimed by the government to maintain international recognition of the Gabrielt state. Sangur became the capital of the Arsyan Republic between 1977 and 1985.
In 1985, Sangur was declared the economic capital of Gabrielland after constitutional amendments were enacted on the 1st of March 1985.
In 2001, the port of Sangur was inaugurated, serving as the hub of Gabrielt export and import activities.
Geography
Topography
Being in northern Gabrielland and on the banks of the Kalamar river, the land around the city is fairly flat and low lying surrounded by marsh, itself being part of the greater east Arsyan lowlands. The low lying region situated by the banks of a tidal river causes some of the worst floods to occur in Arsya and Gabrielland as a whole. Although low lying, several city districts mainly located further upstream are situated on the Mzermek hilly region, an abnormal uplift of land which stretches into central and south Arsya. The districts closest to the sea, however, have fallen under sea level since at least the late 1700s, and is a primary reason of the construction of Sangur's famous canal and waterway system.
The tallest point in Sangur city proper is the Mritas peak, situated in the Klizōr district at a height of 137.3 meters above sea level, situated far from the coast, while most of the historic downtown and seafront of Sangur have dipped below sea level, with the lowest point being situated at Pehssin square at 5.6 meters below sea level.
Climate
Sangur's climate could be described as oceanic (Cfb), with strong influences from the eastern winds blowing into Arsya as a whole. Sangur has mild summers and cool winters, with snowfall occurring during winter months at varying rates of precipitation throughout the years. Due to the relatively low latitude of Sangur, summers are not that extreme and winters not that rigorous, although occasional blizzards and heat waves still occur, although affecting not only Sangur but the majority of Arsya too.
Summers are warm and somewhat humid with a mean of 19-20°C, a high of 26°C and a low of 14°C, with the average precipitation during summer months being rain at around 67.31 mm of rain during the months of June-August. Winters are cool with a daily mean of around 4°C, a high of 7°C and a low of -3°C to 0°C.
| Climate data for Arsyan Royal Observatory, elev. 19 m, 1979-2015 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) |
18.1 (64.6) |
24.3 (75.7) |
29.9 (85.8) |
34.5 (94.1) |
35.7 (96.3) |
37.3 (99.1) |
38.1 (100.6) |
33.1 (91.6) |
27.2 (81.0) |
21.5 (70.7) |
16.6 (61.9) |
38.1 (100.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) |
5.9 (42.6) |
9.1 (48.4) |
13.6 (56.5) |
18.1 (64.6) |
20.4 (68.7) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.4 (74.1) |
18.7 (65.7) |
14.1 (57.4) |
8.3 (46.9) |
5.4 (41.7) |
14.3 (57.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.1 (35.8) |
2.5 (36.5) |
5.8 (42.4) |
8.6 (47.5) |
13.6 (56.5) |
16.1 (61.0) |
18.6 (65.5) |
18.2 (64.8) |
14.8 (58.6) |
10.4 (50.7) |
5.8 (42.4) |
3.4 (38.1) |
10.0 (50.0) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −2.4 (27.7) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
0.1 (32.2) |
2.3 (36.1) |
6.4 (43.5) |
10.5 (50.9) |
13.7 (56.7) |
12.5 (54.5) |
11.6 (52.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
3.4 (38.1) |
1.0 (33.8) |
6.7 (44.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −26.8 (−16.2) |
−31.1 (−24.0) |
−14.3 (6.3) |
−8.1 (17.4) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
1.5 (34.7) |
5.6 (42.1) |
4.8 (40.6) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
−14.4 (6.1) |
−21.5 (−6.7) |
−31.1 (−24.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 77.9 (3.07) |
59.8 (2.35) |
77.9 (3.07) |
52.8 (2.08) |
67.5 (2.66) |
88.5 (3.48) |
86.7 (3.41) |
88.9 (3.50) |
77.4 (3.05) |
77.0 (3.03) |
79.2 (3.12) |
78.9 (3.11) |
912.6 (35.93) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 13.1 | 10.2 | 13.3 | 10.1 | 9.7 | 12.4 | 11.4 | 10.2 | 10.8 | 10.5 | 11.7 | 12.4 | 135.8 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 106.9 | 129.0 | 158.8 | 221.6 | 283.4 | 258.7 | 287.5 | 263.1 | 204.6 | 167.9 | 123.0 | 117.4 | 2,321.9 |
| Average ultraviolet index | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Cityscape
The cityscape of Sangur has been greatly influenced by both previous administrations and the quality of the land surrounding it. It was subject to massive renovations and urban renewals back in the 18th and 19th centuries, greatly due to an effort to improve the flow of the Kalamar river into the Arsyan sea with the construction of massive canals and waterways in the 18th century. The Arsyan confederation, who at that time made Sangur the capital of the confederation, ordered the total rehabilitation of Sangur, inviting professionals from abroad to help succeed their ambitions. During the total reconstruction of Sangur, Arsyan baroque architecture and its derivatives flourished, and became the primary style of buildings rehabilitated, many of which could still be seen today.
The Kingdom of Arsya also contributed its share to influence the cityscape of Sangur. During the height of monarchism in Gabrielland, Arsyan monarchs would spend massive amounts of the state treasury in constructing massive structures and buildings in the Arsyan baroque style, as well as renovating buildings across Arsya to fit in with the style of taste. Many famous landmarks, such as the Arsyan Parliament, the Sangur city hall as well as the Hgaztak monument were commisioned under the reign of Klirdis II in an effort to make Sangur a world-class city at that time.
High rises are strictly regulated and only permitted in certain areas of the city. The tallest building in Sangur is the Arsyan Trader's Union building at 155 m tall. Most buildings in Sangur are between 6-8 stories tall.
The cityscape of Sangur has been named by some to be "one of the most beautiful" in the world owing to its intact baroque architecture and waterways. It was visited by 12 million travellers in 2019.
Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1700 | 130,000 | — |
| 1800 | 350,000 | +169.2% |
| 1900 | 730,000 | +108.6% |
| 1950 | 1,434,037 | +96.4% |
| 1960 | 1,557,393 | +8.6% |
| 1970 | 1,700,381 | +9.2% |
| 1980 | 1,920,483 | +12.9% |
| 1990 | 2,150,385 | +12.0% |
| 2000 | 2,347,594 | +9.2% |
| 2010 | 2,540,391 | +8.2% |
| 2020 | 2,701,304 | +6.3% |
According to the latest estimates, Sangur has a population of 2,701,304 as of 1 January 2020 living in an area of 217.9 km² with a density of 12,397 people per square kilometer. The Sangur metro area, which covers the municipality of Včin and Kasogur, contains a population of 3,814,815 people with an area of about 768.2 km², making it the largest metro area in Arsya and the second largest in Gabrielland, although it ranks low when compared to metro areas in other Dokodo Union member states. Sangur is also the largest city proper in Arsya.
The racial makeup of Sangur is increasingly becoming multi-racial. Arsyans make up the majority at around 91% of the population, with a majority of them being born within the city. Ethnic Gabrielts make up 6% of Sangur's population, a higher proportion when compared to Arsyans living in Vailhims (2%), with the rest made up of mostly Grafenlandish and people from all over the Dokodo Union. A sizeable minority of Junterlandish people also exist within the city.
Ethnic groups
| Ethnic Group | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| Arsyan | 2,452,784 | 90.8% |
| Gabrielt | 159,377 | 5.9% |
| Grafelandish | 29,714 | 1.1% |
| DU citizens | 35,117 | 1.3% |
| Others | 24,311 | 0.9% |
Arsyans make up almost 91% of Sangur's population, followed by Gabrielts and Grafenlandish. Sangur has been inhabited by Arsyans since its founding with notable minorities including the Grafenlandish and the Bak people in the past. However, Sangur is becoming increasingly multi-racial with more Gabrielts and citizens from other DU member states moving into the city. Gabrielts make up 6% of the population, up from 4% in 2010. Many Gabrielts who move to Sangur are mostly internal migrants with no Arsyan blood or heritage seeking for employment.
In 1976, 10,000 Gabrielts, mostly politicians and their families as well as some businessmen, fled Dzakwanist Gabreilland and settled in Sangur which had become the capital of the Arsyan Republic. This marked the first great migration of Gabrielts into Sangur since the treaty of union in 1926. Their descendants today number in the tens of thousands and make up a sizeable portion of ethnic Gabrielts in Sangur, although many of them have married with Arsyans. Their descendants are no longer counted as Gabrielt, but Arsyan.
Languages
Arsyan is the primary language of education, commerce, media, administration and daily life in Sangur, as is with the rest of Arsya, however, most Arsyans are bilingual in both Arsyan and Gabrielt. All administration in Sangur, while in theory should be able to support both Gabrielt and Arsyan, is only conducted in Arsyan. Gabrielt is studied from grades 1-12 and as an elective in university as the "national language" of the nation.
Other languages spoken in Sangur mostly come from neighboring nations or other DU member states, with Grafenlandish, Kuronobean, and Bak being some of the most popular foreign languages in Sangur.