Dominion of Columbia
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Dominion of Columbia | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
| Motto: A Mari Usque Ad Mare (Latin) "From Sea to Sea." | |
 Dominion of Columbia, in light red | |
| Capital | District of Cambridge |
| Largest city | New York City |
| Official languages | English
French |
| Recognised regional languages | Spanish Italian |
| Ethnic groups | 1.
2. 3. |
| Religion | Secular State |
| Demonym(s) | Columbian |
| Government | Federal Partliamentary Constitutional Monarchy |
• Her Majesty | Queen Elizabeth II |
| H.E. Galvin Greene | |
| N/A | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| House of Commons | |
| Independence from the United Kingdom | |
• First Colony Established | 1607 |
• British North America Act | July 2nd, 1776 |
• Constitution Act | September 1st, 1946 |
| Population | |
• 2010 census | 362,352,257 |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate |
• Total | WIP |
| Currency | Columbian Dollar ($) |
| Driving side | right |
Columbia, officially known as the Dominion of Columbia, is a country located in most of North America only bordering Mexico to the south. It consists of 28 provinces and a federal district. The Dominion of Columbia has the third highest population in the world, and is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse nations in the world shaped by centuries of immigration. The Dominion officially gained independence in 1982, although it is still apart of the British Commonwealth and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom is still the official head of state of the country.
Columbia is officially governed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, consisting of 28 provinces. The capital of the country is the District of Cambridge, while the largest city in the country is New York. The District of Cambridge is the governmental hub of the nation, being home to the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Columbia contains an executive branch led by the Prime Minister and his/her government, a legislative branch led by Parliament with the lower house of the House of Commons and the upper house of the Senate and finally a judicial branch led by the Supreme Court. The Prime Minister works at the pleasure and discretion of Her Majesty, although in her absence a Governor-General is appointed to assume official royal duties. This position, as well as the oversight of the British royal family, is now a mere formality and Columbia is a sovereign independent state.
Etymology
The name "Columbia" refers to Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, who was the first European explorer credited with reaching the New World and setting foot on North America. Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World led to a scramble of European powers colonizing the new continent(s). Columbus' mixed past and history in regards to indigenous populations has raised questions about retaining the nation's name, although no significant or noteworthy action has been taken thus far. Provinces and cities are named mainly after three different groups: the English (who colonized most of the Dominion of Columbia stretching from the Atlantic Coast to the Northwestern territories), the French (who colonized the middle of America, stretching from Montreal to New Orleans), and the indigenous population (who inhabited all of the land of Columbia prior to European settlement). Names referencing Spanish and Mexican origin are also abundant, due to the proximmity and history of Spanish (and then later Mexican) territories in southwestern Columbia.
Geography
History
Pre-European Settlement
Prior to European settlement, the lands of North America consisted of hundreds of native, indigenous tribes each with varying languages, culture, and religions. Indigenous peoples entered the region nearly 12,000 years ago through a land bridge from Siberia in the now Bering Strait, travelling from Siberia to Alaska. Ever since that period, the continent has been isolated from the rest of the world. Societies in pre-European America developed advanced agriculture, state societies, and grand architectural projects. The military and warfare aspects of these tribes however was severely lacking in strength in comparison to European settlers and colonizers.
British and French Colonization
The first Europeans to arrive in the contiguous United States were Spanish conquistadors such as Juan Ponce de León, who made his first visit to the southern tip of Georgia in 1513. Even earlier, Christopher Columbus landed in Puerto Rico on his 1493 voyage. He is accredited as the first European to set foot on the continent, which is where the Dominion would get its name from. The French established their own colonies as well along the Mississippi River, cutting the English colonial territories in half. Successful English settlement on the eastern coast of North America began with the Virginia Colony in 1607 at Jamestown and with the Pilgrims' Plymouth Colony in 1620.
By the mid 18th century, North America was divided into three main colonizers - Spain, France, and Great Britain. In a vast majority of the territories that would make up now Columbia however, it was a split between the French and the British. The "Thirteen Colonies" - consisting of Great Britain's atlantic possessions, were treated as overseas dependencies. Great Britain also controlled the colony of Hudson Bay, further to the northwest near modern-day Saskatchewan. French overseas dependencies stretched from modern-day Quebec to Louisiana.
Growing Dissent within the Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies' relationship with their mother country of Great Britain worsened significantly through the mid-18th century. Following the French and Indian War which lasted 9 years from 1754 to 1763, the French North American colonies along the Mississippi river were transferred into British control. Although this was a victory for the British, they had also procured significant debt and were in the midst of a financial crisis. The crown under King George III saw the Thirteen Colonies as partly responsible, as most portions of the war (excluding sections of which fought in Europe) were fought in the protection of aforementioned colonies. The crown did such under strict, unpopular, and unapologetic taxes on anything from sugar to stamps. Dissent in the colonies led to a general anti-British sentiment, peaking in what was dubbed the Boston massacre, when British soldiers opened fire on a mob of settlers, angered and enraged at the British. After throwing clubs and stones, one soldier shot the first shot which led to the others following suit. This event was widely publicised throughout the colonies, and significantly brought sentiment against Britain.
With a steady increase of rebellious actions, with American patriots burning the HMS Gaspee in 1772, and the dumping of 92,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor in 1773, Great Britain responded with a series of punitive acts to punish the Thirteen Colonies for their disobedience. The first were passed in 1774, ending the Colony of Massachusetts' local governance and restricting Boston's commerce. Colonists up and down the Thirteen Colonies in turn responded to the punitive actions, referred to as the "Intolerable Acts" with additional acts of protest, and by convening the Continental Congress, which petitioned the British monarch for repeal of the acts and coordinated colonial resistance to them.
The Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was summoned in early 1776 to encourage dialogue between the British crown and the colonies, prevent futher violence, and repeal the punitive and intolerable acts lobbied against the colonies. An impassioned plea to King George III from the Congress convinced the monarch sufficiency and, to the dismay of the British Parliament, which sought no compromise and further punitive action, offered the Continental Congress an offer regarding the fate of the thirteen colonies. The Continental Congress was offered the status of a home rule dominion, able to rule its internal affairs while still being loyal and under the crown of Great Britain. The British North America Act was subsequently written and proposed to both the Continental Congress and the British parliament in Westminster in 1776. With co-operation between both entities, it passed both the Congress and Parliament (although narrowly being passed in parliament). The British North America Act officially went into effect and the Dominion of Columbia officially established on July 2nd, 1776.
Early Years of the Dominion
Abiding by the British North America Act of 1776, the first elections were to be held in November of 1776.