Topagunea
Topagunea
Topagunea (Miersan) | |
|---|---|
City | |
 | |
| Motto(s): Яінкоа, сеніде, ґараіпена! (Lemovician) God, family, victory! | |
| Country |  Lemovicia |
| Entity | Lemovician Entity |
| Province | South Bidegurutzean |
| Founded | TBD |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Antselmo Mazquiariain |
| Population (2017) | |
| • City | 148,572 |
| • Rank | 2nd in Lemovicia |
| • Urban | 148,572 |
| • Metro | 362,356 |
| Time zone | TBD |
| • Summer (DST) | not observed |
Topagunea (Lemovician: Топаґунея, Miersan: Mistózburó, Narodyn: Містозбору, Mistozboru) is the capital of Lemovicia, situated on the Andia River, in the province of South Bidegurutzean, of which it is the capital, situated adjacent to the city of North Topagunea, in the Zbieg Province of the Miersan Entity. With a population of 148,572 people, it is the largest city in the Lemovician Entity, and the second-largest city in Lemovicia, after Sechia.
Etymology
The name Topagunea is a Lemovician term meaning meeting point, as according to Lemovician tradition, it was the site of a traditional meeting ground between the various clans, with the site marked by an oak tree. However, many archaeologists and historians argue that the site of present-day Topagunea was not the traditional site of Topagunea, with most suggesting that the meeting point was situated in the city of Loiola.
A calque of Topagunea was the origin of the Narodyn, Mistozboru (Містозбору), which was borrowed into the Miersan word Mistózburó.
History
(TBC)
Lemovician Civil War
After the conclusion of the Lemovician War of Independence in December 1979, Saroi Garnica promulgated the 1979 constitution, which made Topagunea the capital of Lemovicia. During the next several months, Garnica instituted policies to make Topagunea the economic and political centre of the fledgling nation, especially as Garnica sought to institute national syndicalist policies.
Following the suppression of protests in Sechia on 5 March, 1980, protests broke out against the Lemovician government on 8 March, 1980, but these protests were brutally suppressed by the Lemovician Armed Forces and the local police forces.
Thus, following the declaration of independence by the Miersan separatists at the end of the month, and Otxote Sasiambarrena's declaration of his presidency, Topagunea found itself under the control of the Lemovician government. However, from the beginning, it was a prized target, given its status as the national capital, and the belief that seizing the city would cripple the ability of the Lemovician state to function.
Thus, on 10 April, 1981, the first Battle of Topaguanea took place, which ended with the Lemovician government succeeding over the opposition forces. Thus, Topagunea was largely safe from the war until the second Battle of Topagunea took place in 1983, which saw the Miersan separatists besiege the city. While they did ultimately take control of the outer neighbourhoods of the city, a stalemate developed in Topagunea, which was only interrupted in 1986 when the third Battle of Topagunea took place, which saw the southern neighbourhoods of Topagunea fall to the Miersan forces, with the neighbourhoods under Miersan control eventually becoming the municipality of North Topagunea.
However, over the course of the Lemovician Civil War, the city experienced substantial damage by all three sides fighting the conflict, with substantial areas of the city being damaged or destroyed, particularly during the three battles in 1981, 1983, and 1986, but also during the various skirmishes fought in and around the city until the end of the civil war in 1992.
Post-war and contemporary era
After the Alikianos Accords was signed ending the Lemovician Civil War in June 1992, the areas of Topagunea occupied by the Miersan forces became the separate city of North Topagunea, which was situated in the newly-established Zbieg Province carved out of the former Bidegurutzean Province. As the traditional provincial capital, Loiola, was now under Miersan jurisdiction, Topagunea became the provincial capital of the newly-established South Bidegurutzean Province (although the capital of the Lemovician Entity where Topagunea was situated at was set up in Zubiharra).
During this period, reconstruction of Topagunea took place, which was greatly facilitated by the fact that as the national capital of Lemovicia, it was essential to rebuild the buildings where Lemovician institutions were housed. As well, as many Lemovicians who previously lived in Loiola and other northern communities fled south, many of them settled in Topagunea, with the result that the 1997 census saw Topagunea become the second-largest city in the country.
By the early 2000s, most of the buildings in Topagunea that were damaged by the civil war had been repaired: however, as Sechia was far less damaged than Topagunea, Topagunea's stature as an economic hub on the national level suffered, particularly after the opening of the Sechia International Airport in 2004, which quickly displaced the Topagunea International Airport as the country's primary international airport.
Nonetheless, as the largest city of the Lemovician Entity, it still maintained a significant economic role, while due to its status as the national capital, politicians and their staff helped contribute to the local economy, thereby helping Topagunea maintain its position as the second largest city in the country. This continued into the 2010s, although with focus moving away from the Euclean Community to Samorspi, Topagunea has been losing some prominence to Sechia.
Geography
The city of Topagunea is situated on the banks of the Andia River, and although Topagunea is around the transition between the Lemovician highlands and the Lemovician lowlands, it is considered by most Lemovicians to be part of the lowlands, and it is significantly flat.
Climatically, Topagunea sees lows between −7 °C in January to 14 °C in July, and highs between -2 °C in January, and 22 °C in July.
Government
The local government of Topagunea is a mayor–council government, with a mayor (Lemovician: алкатеяк, alkateak, Miersan: burmistrz) elected every four years from all citizens residing in the city, currently held by Antselmo Mazquiariain, who served in office since 2012.
The mayor presides over the city council (Lemovician: удалецеа, udaletxea, Miersan: rada miejska), which comprises of sixteen members, each elected from sixteen wards at the same time as the mayor of Topagunea.
Demographics
As of the 2017 census, Topagunea has a population of 148,572 people within its borders, and a population of 362,356 within its metropolitan area, making Topagunea the largest city in the Lemovician Entity (and by extension, South Bidegurutzean Province), as well as the second largest city in all of Lemovicia, after Sechia in the Miersan Entity.
(TBC)