Saint-Baptiste
Republic of Saint-Jean-Baptiste | |
|---|---|
Motto: "Nous esperons" "We hope" | |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | Port-Anne |
| Official languages | Principean |
| Recognised regional languages | Baptistois Creole |
| Ethnic groups (2018) | 70.6% Black 19.8% Multiracial 8.6% White 1.0% Other |
| Religion (2018) | 94.8% Apostolic 4.8% Irreligious 0.4% Other |
| Demonym(s) | Baptistois Batiswa (Baptistois Creole) |
| Government | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
| Emmanuel Ménard | |
| Marc-Antoine Vernier | |
| Legislature | Chamber of Deputies |
Independence from  Blayk | |
• Independence declared | 1 July 1947 |
• Current constitution | 10 March 1990 |
| Area | |
• Total | 148 km2 (57 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | Negligible |
| Population | |
• 2018 census | 31,880 |
• Density | 215/km2 (556.8/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2019 estimate |
• Total | $910 million |
• Per capita | $28,545 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2019 estimate |
• Total | $680 million |
• Per capita | $21,330 |
| HDI (2019) |  0.720high |
| Currency | Baptistois dollar (SBD) |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +25 |
| Internet TLD | .sb |
Saint-Baptiste (Baptistois Creole: Sen Batis), officially the Republic of Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Principean: République de Saint-Jean-Baptiste; Baptistois Creole: Repiblik Sen Jan Batis), is an island country located in the Rum Gulf of the Demontean Ocean, to the west of Amandine and Audonia. Both the smallest sovereign country in the world by both population and area, Saint-Baptiste is one of Marceaunia's major tourism destinations in the present day.
Originally colonized by Vervillia in 1551, the island of Saint-Baptiste was later annexed into Blaykish control, where it formed a dedicated cash crop economy based on primarily the cultivation of sugar, tobacco, and coffee, the latter dominating Baptistois exports in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, harvested mainly by an enslaved population during the colonial period. Saint-Baptiste officially gained independence from Blayk in 1947 after the Second Great War, with the newly-sovereign country being ruled by the dictator Claude-Antoine Bachelet as President until his death in 1988. During the Bachelet regime, Saint-Baptiste secured itself as a tourism destination initially favoured by the Balkish upper class and later the wider middle class from Amandine and Audonia. Since the fall of the Bachelet regime and democratization in the 1990s, Saint-Baptiste has been characterized by a quickly developing economy that is adjusting to a growing service industry, especially in regional tourism.
The capital and main port, Port-Anne, is located on the south-east of the island, and over half of the country's 32,000 inhabitants live in or around 10km from the town. Other towns and communities of note include Patois and Pointe-à-L'anse.
Due to Saint-Baptiste's expanding tourism industry, there has been concerns of ecological damage and degradation from construction and urban sprawl, especially in regards to the island's remaining agricultural industries. Attempts have been made since the 1990s to curb development on certain plots of lands, and the discussion of a national park or green belt have been proposed as solutions to preserve Saint-Baptiste's natural landscape.
History
Prior to colonization
Early colonial rule
18th and 19th centuries and the coffee boom
Early 20th century and the Great Wars
Post-independence
Geography
Saint-Baptiste is located in the northern region of the Rum Gulf, off the coast of Marceaunia Major. The island, with a total landmass of 148 square kilometres, is dominated by hills and valleys that extend from Mont Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the highest point of the island at 988 m (3240 ft) above sea level. The mountain essentially splits Saint-Baptiste into a rocky north and a more flat and arable south, where the majority of the island's population resides, and has historically settled. The closest landmass to Saint-Baptiste is [TBA].
Climate
Saint-Baptiste lies in a tropical rainforest climate, typical for the islands and coast in the Rum Gulf. The island sees consistent weather ranging around the mid-20s to low-30s Celsius year-round, and typically sees a large amount of sunlight over the year, helping the formation of a robust tourism industry around Saint-Baptiste's consistent climate. The rainy months are usually from August to November, with September seeing the most precipitation during the year. The tropical climate of the island helped the growth of the sugar, coffee, and tobacco industries during the 18th and 19th centuries, which remain important agricultural exports of Saint-Baptiste.
| Climate data for Saint-Baptiste | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 25 (77) |
26 (79) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
32 (90) |
33 (91) |
35 (95) |
35 (95) |
33 (91) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
26 (79) |
30 (86) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22 (72) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
24.5 (76.1) |
28.5 (83.3) |
29 (84) |
31 (88) |
31 (88) |
29 (84) |
26 (79) |
25 (77) |
22.5 (72.5) |
26.3 (79.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 19 (66) |
20 (68) |
20 (68) |
21 (70) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
27 (81) |
27 (81) |
25 (77) |
22 (72) |
21 (70) |
19 (66) |
23 (73) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 79 (3.1) |
42 (1.7) |
36 (1.4) |
62 (2.4) |
88 (3.5) |
77 (3.0) |
91 (3.6) |
118 (4.6) |
139 (5.5) |
116 (4.6) |
124 (4.9) |
89 (3.5) |
1,061 (41.8) |
| Source: Association géologique de Saint-Jean-Baptiste | |||||||||||||
Flora and fauna
The flora and fauna of Saint-Baptiste are typical of Rum Gulf islands, including endemic flora such as Anne's rose, the national flower of Saint-Baptiste. Coconuts and mahogany are also found on the island, with the latter providing for a notable woodworking cottage industry in the 17th and 18th centuries. Endemic fauna include the rock iguana and the tree frog, as well as a variety of sea life from sea turtles to sharks
The extensive dependency on plantation agriculture during the colonial period between the 16th and 19th centuries has destroyed much of the island's indigenous wildlife and flora, especially due to soil erosion and deforestation. This has lead to almost all native species being deemed endangered by the scientific community, with some being critically endangered. Alongside this is a large amount of invasive species that have taken root on Saint-Baptiste, mainly during the colonial period. According to some estimates, around 87% of Saint-Baptiste's fauna are considered not native to the Rum Gulf region. This includes domesticated animals such as cattle, pigs, and goats. In terms of flora, almost all of the island is covered by invasive species, mostly numerous oak species endemic to Auressia. The quizzical existence of a grove of baobab trees, native to Idica, on the former Les Chantes estate is seen as a prime example of Saint-Baptiste's ecological changes due to colonization.
Politics
Saint-Baptiste is a unitary semi-presidential republic in which both a President and Prime Minister hold extensive and legislative power over the country's domestic and foreign affairs. Saint-Baptiste's current constitution, ratified in 1990, provides the framework of a democratic system in which both the President and Prime Minister, who heads a cabinet approved by the President, have an equal amount of power and influence over legislation and decision-making. This cohabitation can cause tension over which position has more authority in drafting and approving legislation. This issue, partially caused by vagueness in the country's constitution and a veto power that the President holds, has created calls for a new constitution or extensive reforms.
Saint-Baptiste has a unicameral legislature, the Chamber of Deputies, which is elected for a four-year term by direct election by first-past-the-post voting. The Chamber creates and debates legislation, and also gives its support to the Prime Minister to form and maintain a government, alongside presidential approval. The fourteen deputies are elected in and represent fourteen single-member districts on the island. The average deputy represents around 2,277 people, meaning that elections are traditionally run in small communities and local and personal politics often are given high priority by candidates.
Before the 1990 constitution, Saint-Baptiste was a fully presidential republic, in which the President held the majority of the legislative power. The original 1947 constitution was under suspension for almost the entirely of its existence by the Security Act of 1948, which superseded the constitution and allowed the formation of a dictatorship around President Claude-Antoine Bachelet until his death in 1988.
The country's legal system is heavily influenced and built from the Blaykish legal system, and as such has built its judicial system around common law. Since independence in 1947, the court of final appeal is the Constitutional Court.
Saint-Baptiste has been an active member of the international community since democratization, joining the Assembly of Marceaunian States in 1996. Since then, the country has involved itself heavily with both the Assembly and individual foreign relations, mainly with the states of Amandine, Audonia, Albrennia, and Rocia.
Elections and political parties
Saint-Baptiste has a two-party system between the National Action Party and the Democratic Centre Union, who dominate the Baptistois political scene. Both parties have self-identified as part of the political centre, and as such political divisions on the island are based more in patronage and personal ties than ideology. Third parties historically have had difficulty finding success in Saint-Baptiste, although the Baptistois Labour Party has garnered some limited support in more recent years.
Administrative divisions
Saint-Baptiste is divided into six parishes (Principean: paroisses), which are considered the only official subdivisions on the island. Port-Anne, the country's capital, is the only legally recognized town on the island, with local administration and boundaries being coterminous with the parish of Sainte-Anne. All other communities, even if recognized in a de facto form, are not legally distinct from the parish level.
| Parish | Population | Area km2 | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Anne | 12,063 | 11 | |
| Saint-Antoine | 2,694 | 34 | |
| Saint-Luc | 4,228 | 29 | |
| Sainte-Marie | 4,946 | 39 | |
| Saint-Maurice | 1,460 | 12 | |
| Saint-Paul | 6,489 | 23 |
Military and police
Since independence, Saint-Baptiste has not had a functioning military presence, and constitutionally is barred from raising a standing army "unless in times of war or destabilization", according to the wording of the 1990 constitution. On the foreign stage, the country has adamantly proclaimed itself a neutral country since at least 1958. In place of an armed forces, Saint-Baptiste organizes and operates a police force made up of around 500 officers, who have authority over customs and trade, maintaining the peace, and dispelling unlawful activity. The Baptistois police force historically has faced controversy during the Bachelet regime, operating as a militia beholden to the President and engaged in oppressive activity. The police force was disbanded and reformed under the current Saint-Baptiste National Police in 1992.
The country also has a national Coast Guard separate from the police, which patrols Saint-Baptiste's waters and partakes in joint operations with neighbouring nations, most prominently Amandine. The Coast Guard maintains a fleet of 50 patrol boats, the largest being the SBS Sirène. The Coast Guard's main activities include patrolling internal waters for illegal smuggling and fishing, rescue missions, and international operations within the Rum Gulf.
Demographics
As of 2018, Saint-Baptiste has a population of 31,880, the smallest population for a sovereign country in the world. The majority of the country's inhabitants live on the eastern coast of the island, focused primarily around the towns of Port-Anne and Pointe-à-L'anse. Port-Anne itself contains thirty-eight percent of the island's population, showing a strong trend of urbanization and growth in Saint-Baptiste's largest towns and communities.
Ethnicity
The vast majority of Saint-Baptiste derive from the slave population that was brought to the island from Idica during the 17th and 18th centuries. According to the 2018 census, 22,521 Baptistois (70.6%) claim ancestry from Idica and other groups traditionally classified as black, while 2,735 (8.6%) claim ancestry from various white groups, traditionally from Vervillia and Amandine. A significant portion of Baptistois (6,304; 19.8%) identify as multiracial, having ancestral ties to both black and white communities. During the colonial period, a strict and expansive racial classification system was in use, but in the present day, those with multiracial heritage are typical referred to as mélanges in Principean, or melanje in Baptistois Creole. A further 320 (1.0%) identify with another ethnicity, these being often temporary workers or recent immigrants.
Language
The sole official language of Saint-Baptiste is Principean. Brought by Vervillian colonists and settlers, Principean is considered the sole legal and professional language on the island, and traditionally was the language of "high culture" during the island's history as a colonial possession, and still remains the language of education, government, and commerce. Since colonization, Baptistois Principean has developed a separate dialect from standard Principean, retaining archaic structure and grammar from the 17th century. This is most seen in the retention of sacres, profane sentences with religious connotations that have been dropped by the rest of the Principean-speaking world over time.
Despite Principean's cultural clout, the majority of Saint-Baptiste's population speaks Baptistois Creole, a creole language derived from an admixture of Principean, Taino, and various Idican languages. Initially spoken by slaves on the island, the language, often just referred to as Kreyòl, remains the dominant language among black Baptistois, as well as a sizable portion, if not a majority, of multiracial people on the island. As Saint-Baptiste does not question use of language for its census, it is unclear how many native speakers of Baptistois Creole there are, although most scholars state around seventy-five percent of Baptistois speak it before they speak Principean. Traditionally, Baptistois Creole has held connotations of poor education, illiteracy, and classist and racist notions of inferiority, and as such has historically been oppressed by Principean-speaking elites. In the modern day, Baptistois Creole has garnered more recognition, and the language has begun to see more official use, particularly in local government use and trade. Since 1992, Baptistois Creole has been legally deemed by the Baptistois government as a "language of regional importance", although there is a notable movement to adopt it as Saint-Baptiste's second official language, or even replace Principean altogether.
Education
Saint-Baptiste's education system is heavily influenced by the education system ofBlayk, and operates a similar three-tier model. Primary (école primaire, typically ages 5-13) and secondary (école secondaire, 14-17) schooling is free of charge and accessible to all citizens and non-citizens of Saint-Baptiste, and primary education is mandatory by law. Since 1952, there are three public school boards on the island, administering over four secondary schools and twelve primary schools. Alongside this system is the private Our Lady of Peace Collegiate, which provides a Perendist-derived education for both primary and secondary students.
Tertiary schooling (école optionnelle, or "optional school"), such as university degrees and doctorates, is provided locally by the University of Saint-Baptiste and Sacred Heart University. The University of Saint-Baptiste is a public secular university, while Sacred Heart University is a Perendist-run institution, accredited and funded by the Baptistois government. Despite opportunities for higher education in the country, Saint-Baptiste suffers from a brain drain from educated professionals, who often study in foreign universities and later immigrate permanently due to a lack of high-paying jobs within Saint-Baptiste, with Amandine particularly drawing in educated Baptistois.
Religion
The large majority of Baptistois (30,222; 94.8%) adhere to Apostolic Perendism, with a low percentage believing in another faith (127; 0.4%) or lacking religious belief altogether (1,531; 4.8%). Saint-Baptiste is considered one of the more religiously monolithic and devout in Marceaunia, and the Apostolic Church remains influential in education, politics, and everyday life. The religion initially came with Vervillian missionaries in the sixteenth century, and has been dominant since. Baptistois Apostolics are organized under the [not!Bishopric] of Sainte-Anne, under the [not!Archbishopric] of Colette, in Amandine.
Economy
Saint-Baptiste's economy is reliant heavily on tourism and the service industry around it, while agriculture remains a notable secondary industry on the island. Since 1996, Saint-Baptiste has been a member of the Assembly of Marceaunian States, and its economy is heavily tied to those of neighbouring Amandine and Audonia. The country's official currency is the Baptistois dollar, and has a relatively high standard of living for the region, although income inequality has been deemed a noticeable issue on the island.
Tourism
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Tourism has been a notable industry on Saint-Baptiste since the late 19th century, when members of the Blaykish upper class visited the island under assumptions that the tropical air and climate would provide medicinal benefits. By the early 1960s, tourism became the dominant economic force in Saint-Baptiste, driven by a burgeoning middle class in neighbouring Amandine and Audonia. Today, tourism accounts for the vast majority of Saint-Baptiste's economic infrastructure, and the island sees around 1.1 million visitors yearly. Around 67% of Baptistois are employed in either the tourism sector or related service industries, such as retail. Main points of interest include the capital of Port-Anne, the island's beaches, and the hiking trails located in the country's interior. The majority of tourist arrive to Saint-Baptiste either through Jean-Jacques Celice International Airport or through the port-of-entry in Port-Anne.
Saint-Baptiste's reliance on tourism has worried both domestic and foreign groups regarding its lack of economic diversification, and the country has historically been hit hard in times of global economic downturn, most notably from 2005 to 2010.
Agriculture
Saint-Baptiste's second-largest industry is in agriculture and farming. Traditionally the island's economic backbone, Saint-Baptiste was a major supplier of coffee, sugar, and tobacco during the colonial period under Blayk through a complex plantation economy, and still retains a reputation for high quality coffee and rum. During the peak of the plantation system in the 18th and early 19th centuries, the island's labour force was primarily made up of enslaved labourers from Idica. Since the country's independence in 1947 and the growth of the tourist industry, the agricultural sector has sharply lost primacy as many Baptistois shifted towards the service industry, and today modern-day plantations and farms face the issue of urban sprawl from towns and a growing lack of arable land.
Transport
Saint-Baptiste is connected to mainland Marceaunia by the port-of-entry of Port-Anne, as well as cruise ship docks located in Port-Anne, Pointe-à-L'anse, and Villenoire. The island is also serviced by the its only public airport, the Jean-Jacques Celice International Airport, established in 1940 and converted to civilian use in 1946. Around seventy-five percent of the country's annual 1.1 million visitors enter Saint-Baptiste through Jean-Jacques Celice International, with the remainder from cruise ships.
The only highway encircling the island, SB-A, was officially designated in 1938 as a way to connect military operations on the island during the Second Great War, and today services most communities in Saint-Baptiste, allowing drivers to circumnavigate the country in around four hours. Since 2005 the public bus system GO Saint-Baptiste has operated transportation services throughout the island, primarily for tourists.
Culture
Sports
Association football is considered the most popular sport in Saint-Baptiste, and the country's national football team has successfully entered the quarterfinals of the [INSERT not!FIFA HERE] numerous times since its formation. Cricket is also popular in Saint-Baptiste, with wicketkeeper Joseph Adnet being the most well-known Baptistois cricketer, further popularizing the sport in the 1970s and 1980s.
Cuisine
Baptistois cuisine heavily incorporates methods and traditions from numerous cultures, namely colonial Blaykish cuisine and modified indigenous Idican methods of cooking and preparing food. As a centre of sugar production throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Baptistois dishes have often used sugar as a notable ingredient, especially in desserts. Also commonly included as ingredients are rice, fish, and wheat. Saint-Baptiste also has a deep culinary history with both seafood and barbecue, the latter one of the few pre-colonial indigenous customs to survive on the island. Due to this, barbecue (or in Baptistois Creole, babekyou) has remained a defining feature of a unique Rum Gulf cuisine. The most internationally recognized dish from the island is commonly considered either pelau, an admixture of meat (usually goat) and rice, or poulet sec (literally "dry chicken"), a barbecue dish usually paired with brown rice.
In terms of alcohol, Saint-Baptiste maintains a robust and vibrant drinking culture, especially around rum. The island at peak sugar production in the mid-18th century supplied almost a quarter of the world's rum, and still in the present day produces a substantial quantity. The largest rum producer in the country, Les Portiellers, has since the 19th century established itself as a producer of luxury and quality spiced rum.
Music
Baptistois musical tastes are diverse, with much of the island's traditional music originating from spirituals and work songs popular among Idican slaves during the colonial period, often referred to by the Baptistois Creole term kantik. In the modern day, kantik have helped to influence the genres of reggae and calypso, although niether are entirely native to Saint-Baptiste. In recent decades, rock, punk, and Auressian-based pop music have seen growing popularity.
