Los Angeles
Free Democratic Republic of the Island of Los Angeles 3 official names
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |||||||||
| Anthem: The People's March | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Capital and largest city | Playadiestat | ||||||||
| Official languages | Conversilha Engelpraaten Agnian Serran | ||||||||
| Ethnic groups (2023) |
| ||||||||
| Religion (2015) |
| ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Angelean | ||||||||
| Government | Unitary Parliamentary Republic | ||||||||
| Ricardo Johansen | |||||||||
| Willem Aalves | |||||||||
| Luzia Faria | |||||||||
| Legislature | Grand National Congress | ||||||||
| Presidium | |||||||||
| Supreme National Council | |||||||||
| Established | |||||||||
| 1540s AD | |||||||||
| 1671 AD | |||||||||
| 1756 AD | |||||||||
| 7 April 1801 | |||||||||
| 15 April 1974 | |||||||||
| 2 March 1986 | |||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 2023 estimate | 30,200,000 (11) | ||||||||
• 2015 census | 29,092,321 | ||||||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2022 estimate | ||||||||
• Total |  $1.18 trillion | ||||||||
• Per capita | | ||||||||
| Gini (2022) |  31.8medium | ||||||||
| HDI (2022) | 0.900 very high | ||||||||
| Currency | Angelean Valero (V͇) (AVA) | ||||||||
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy | ||||||||
| Driving side | right | ||||||||
| Calling code | +80 | ||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | LA | ||||||||
| Internet TLD | .la | ||||||||
Los Angeles, officially the Free Democratic Republic of Los Angeles, is a sovereign country comprised of the Island of Los Angeles and numerous smaller islands. It is one of the largest island states on Manala, with just over 30 million people. It has a diverse climate, with tropical regions in the southern half and northern tip separated by a highland, where the ocean and higher temperatures play a moderating effect on the country's climate. Further east, this highland turns into dry desert.
The ancestors of Indigenous Angeleans came from an unknown location. Some recent evidence has led historians to theorize that roughly 30-40,0000 years ago indigenous groups arrived by sea from Alanna and began forming their own cultures and groups, but there is no evidence of a signifigant seafaring civilization in Alanna at this time. By the time of the arrival of Serran explorers in the late 1500s the indigenous tribes had maintained some of the longest known cultural traditions in the world. Alannan explorer Mbku Kalenene was the first known nonnative to arrive in what is now Los Angeles in 1401, but he arrived in the desert portion of the country and decided never to return. Onslander explorer Jeroen Vlootman discovered some of the more habitable portions of the island in 1529 and reported them back to the Onslander Empire, which settled some small trade outposts in the south over the 1540s, most notably what is now the town of Jerostad. These Onslander settlements struggled in the tropical climate and with raids from Alannan pirates posing a major issue. A Ndibeanyan chain of settlements was established in the 1560s, but were abandoned by 1580 due to a greater need for troops and resources back home in one of the internecine wars in what is now in Alanna.
It would not be until 1600 that that the Serran explorer Álvar Hernando de Paoloa discovered the island for the Serrans and named it Isla de Los Angeles, or Los Angeles for short. In 1607, Paoloa returned with a colony and established the colony of Nueva Serran City]. Several years later, in 1615, Agnia established its own colonial holdings on the east of the island. As the nonnative population grew the native populations were increasingly displaced. Smallpox and warfare had cut the native population down to roughly 15% of its numbers before the arrival of the Serran colonies. By 1630, Agnia's colony, mostly due to the much more moderate weather and valuable resource deposits, had grown rapidly, outstripping both Serran and Onslander colonies on the island. seized the colony from the Serrans. It is about this time that the language of Conversilha developed as the island became a trading hub, including pirates operating in the area. In 1671, Serro annexed the Agnian colonies with the support of Onsland. The peace would last until 1756 when, as a part of the Sexdick War, Onsland and Serro fought over territory in Los Angeles and the Furbish Islands. Onsland won, and annexed the Serran colonies. For the first time, all of the island was under the political control of a single power.
However, in the late 1700s, when Onsland began to fall to the newly unified Alannan Empire, the restless Los Angelean population saw its chance. In 1805, as a part of the Gagian Revolution, which distracted other colonial powers, the ongoing war between Alannan and Onsland, and the ongoing independence conflict in the Furbish Islands the colony of Los Angeles revolted. Despite a proposal to make Los Angeles an autonomous territory of the Furbish Islands, both sides rejected the plan. Los Angeles would slowly democratize over the 1800s, moving from an aristocratic society dominated by wealthy colonial interests to a more egaltarian democracy. In 1839, a new and fully democratic constitution was adopted. Despite not participating in either of the first two Great Wars, a Gagium-backed coup toppled the democratic government and replaced it with a communist puppet state. Despite being nominally communist, Los Angeles support for the Third Great War was lacking and the country's participation was initially limited serving as a safe harbor for Laurillac Pact forces. As casualties increased for the Laurillac Pact, a small number of Los Angelean troops, about 1.3 million, served in the conflict, mainly in the navy and army. In 1979, Los Angeles withdrew from the Laurillac Pact. A joint invasion by Alanna and Inglaterra was attempted, but failed. After the war, Los Angeles was not occupied and returned to democracy, despite keeping much of the symbolism and positions established during the communist government. Los Angeles has since maintained a stable liberal democratic parliamentary government and wealthy capitalist market economy.
Politically, Los Angeles is a unitary parliamentary republic. Eight provinces serve as administrative divisions. The population of just over 30 million is relatively urbanized and heavily concentrated along the southern and eastern coasts. The capital and largest city is Playadiestat, but other major cities include Jerostad, Nueva Serran City, Paoloa, and Santa Maria. Los Angeles's population is highly diverse, with large numbers of Serran, Agnian, and Onslander populations in addition to a mixed ethnic group called Eilandpersoonian. An interesting trait of Los Angeles is that it is the largest (and one of the only) nations with a creole as an official langugage; the language of Conversilha is primarily based off of Agnian-Serran vocabulary, but has signifigant influence from Onslander, Gagian, Fluvian, and various Alannan languages. Additionally, while the colonial languages of Onslander, Serran, and Agnian are all present, Los Angeles has its own distinctive dialect and accent. Of note, the Onslander dialect, called Engelpraaten, reflects what has been called a halfway point between Eilandwons, spoken in the Furbish Islands, and conventional Onslander, spoken in Alaoyi.
Abundant nature resources, a well-developed industrial economy, tourism, and a vibrant agricultural sector generates most income in the country. Los Angeles's status as a large port of call, popular vacation destination, and outsized influence in the manufacturing of luxury products make the country into one of the wealthiest on the planet, with a GDP per capita of $39,202. It ranks highly in the Human Development Index, quality of life metrics, democracy, health, education, civil liberties, and economic freedom. It is a member of the TBD MILITARY ALLIANCE with Alaoyi and the Antarctic Circle States and has a close relationship with the Furbish Islands. It is a founding member of the Global Community.
Politics
Main Article: Politics of Los Angeles
Government
Main Article: Government of Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a unitary, parliamentary, representative, democratic republic. Legislative power is formally invested into the Supreme National Council, which consists of representatives from each of the country's 1509 municipalities plus 300 representatives of provinces. The Supreme National Council meets at the start of every five year term to formally inaugurate the new Presidium and to elect a new president. The Supreme National Council, while theoretically wielding all power in the country, in practice delegates this power to other organs of government. Any citizen over the age of 18 without a conviction for felony can serve on the Supreme National Council as a municipal representative, however delegates younger than 35 are rare. Method of election varies widely, in some municipalities the mayor serves as delegate or appoints one in his stead, in others the local electorate elects their councilor. However, given the lack of power of the Supreme National Council, it is commonly a sinecure for distinguished citizens of the local electorate.
After inaugurating a new session of government, the Supreme National Council elects a committee, called the Presidium, to administer the country when the Supreme National Council is not in session. While nominally a temporary measure, the Presidium is in practice a full-time legislative body and de facto operates as the sole house of the country's legislature. While the Supreme National Council could, in theory, elect any of its members to the Presidium, the Presidium is, in practice, always made up of the 300 provincial representatives, who are elected as a singular slate. Any citizen over the age of 16 can serve on the Presidium, but no one younger than 25 has ever been elected. Candidates can run for one of the 150 constituency seats, representing geographic districts, or one of the 150 party seats, elected via province-wide proportional elections.
The president, currently Ricardo Johansen, is the head of state and is invested primarily with minor, usually ceremonial, responsibilites and powers. He is elected by the Supreme National Council for an unlimited number of five year term and presides over the body whenever it is active. Otherwise, the president is a purely ceremonial head of state. The second-highest official is the Chairman of the Presidium, who oversees daily sessions of the Presidium and is elected by the Presidium and serves as a neutral third party arbiter of parliamentary discourse. The third-highest official and head of government is the general-secretary, who is recommended to the president by the Chairman of the Presidium and appointed by the president. However, in practice the general-secretary requires the confidence of the Presidium and therefore is usually the leader of the largest party or coalition in the Presidium. The general-secretary, currently Willem Aalves, exercises executive power with his Advisory Council.
In order to amend the constitution a two thirds vote in the Presidium and majority vote in the Supreme National Council are needed. The president has the power to veto legislation, including amendments, but rarely uses it. Legislation which would otherwise impact human dignity, separation of powers, and the rule of law is forbidden.
Political Parties
Main Article: Political Parties of Los Angeles
Los Angeles initially, for much of its early history, operated under a two party system until the communist government took power in 1971. After democratization, constitutional reforms allowed for a multiparty system to develop. Modern Los Angelean politics is dominated by two political alliances;, the center-right Movement for Reform (primarily dominated by the Citizen's Voice Group) and the unified political party, the Communist Party. Despite the name, the Communist Party (Conversilha: Kibra Kommunista) is widely considered to be a center-left big tent party equivalent to center-left parties found in most developed liberal democracies.
An additional third group, the centrist Independent Democratic Alliance (primarily dominated by the Centrist Party) is made up of regional centrists parties and is considered a major influence in Los Angelean politics, often filling the role of a swing vote in Los Angelean coalitions.
Foreign Relations
Los Angeles's foreign relations network includes diplomatic missions in virtually every country and embassies in the vast majority. Los Angeles is a member of the Global Community, Gobal Monetary Fund, International Bank, and the Trans-Galian Partnership. Los Angeles maintains particularly close relations with Alaoyi, whom it sees as a valuable ally against Alanna, which Los Angeles's government has declared to be a "state with hostile intent" since 2004. The governments of Los Angeles and the Furbish Islands alos have mutual defense agreements, and a Furbish naval base is located in Playadiestat. Los Angeles troops regularly conduct joint training with Alaoyi, the ACS, the Furbish Islands, and Niagara.
Los Angeles is a founding memory of the TBD alliance, alongside Alaoyi and the Antarctic Circle States.