Los Angeles

Free Democratic Republic of the Island of Los Angeles 3 official names Conversilha Liber i Demokrátiko di e Repúblika e Isla di Los Angeles Engelpraaten Onslander Vryje Demokratische Republiek van det Eiland Los Angeles Agnian República Democrática Livre da Ilha de Los Angeles Serran República Democrática Libre de la Isla de Los Ángeles
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: The People's March
Capital and largest city	Playadiestat
Official languages	Conversilha Engelpraaten Agnian Serran
Ethnic groups (2023)	68.2% Eilandpersoon 10.7% Indigenous Angelean 9.2% Agnian 3.9% Onslander 3.1% Jewish 2.3% Serran 2.6% Other
Religion (2015)	69.8% Catholic 12.1% Onslander Reformed Church 3.7% Other Christian 3.2% Jewish 11.2% Unaffiliated or other
Demonym(s)	Angelean
Government	Unitary Parliamentary Republic
• President	Ricardo Johansen
• General Secretary	Willem Aalves
• Chairman of the Presidium	Luzia Faria
Legislature	Grand National Congress
• Upper house	Presidium
• Lower house	Supreme National Council
Established
• Onslander Colonization of Los Angeles	1540s AD
• Conquest of Los Angeles by Serro	1671 AD
• Conquest of Los Angeles by Onsland]]	1756 AD
• Independence	7 April 1801
• Bloodless April	15 April 1974
• 1986 Angelean Elections	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)	31.8 medium
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 capital and largest city is Playadiestat, but other major cities include San Andreas, Nova Ralume, Paoloa, Jerrostad, and Santa Maria

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 Jerrostad. 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 San Andreas. Several years later, in 1615, Agnia established its own colonial holdings on the east of the island, centered around the city of Nova Ralume. 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. 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 and 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 16 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 genera 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.

Human Rights

International organizations have frequently held Los Angeles and its human rights record in immensely high standing, with basic freedoms such the freedom of assembly, association, and expression being widely observed and protected. Angelean have in recent history been protected by a strict set of codified working laws in Los Angeles and enjoy a wide variety of workplace rights and freedoms to ensure safety and fair working conditions. However, advocates for migrant workers frequently have criticized Los Angeles for its treatment of young and disproportionately male migrant workers; these foreign workers, usually from Alanna, have historically had no real legislation protecting their working conditions and often fall prey to poorer working conditions and lesser wages. In addition, discrimination against these migrant workers is considered common.

Women and members of the LGBTQ+ community have reported that, despite considerable legal protections, cultural attitudes sometimes impede progress for these groups. Women in Los Angeles are frequently paid only 76% of what a man is paid for the same amount of work. While some discrimination against gay or lesbians in Los Angeles does exist, including lack of recognition for same-sex marriage, the majority of cases of human rights violations is primarily reported by transgender individuals. The Angelean government does not recognize transgenderism and no legal protections for transgenders exist in Los Angeles. Indigenous Angeleans, who are disproportionately of disadvantaged socioeconomic standing, have shorter life spans, and make up a disproportionately high number of imprisoned persons, thus receiving disproportionately high levels of social welfare payment as well as preferential employment and tertiary educational placement in state sectors.

Historically, other than during the period of hardline communist rule in the early 1970s and 80s, Los Angeles has generally respected the civil and political rights of a vast majority of the population.

Economy

Main Article: Economy of Los Angeles
Los Angeles has a major advanced capitalist mixed economy, ranking as the tenth-largest economy in the world and the third-largest economy in Galia. It is regarded as one of the world's wealthiest countries. Its location and historical tie as a large port-of-call means that Los Angeles is considered a major player in world trade and exports. It has the 7th highest Human Development Index. It preforms well by most metrics, especially in life expectancy, quality of life, healthcare, and education. Los Angeles is well known as one of the largest agricultural sectors of any developed economy and for an influential and high quality manufacturing sector. While historically mining and exploitation of resources has been very important to the Angelean economy, mining revenues have declined, especially due to the environmental movement of the late twentieth and early twenty first centuries.

Los Angeles's manufacturing is notable due to the relatively smaller number of multinational corporations, with Angelean law incentivizing Angelean-owned corporations in the manufacturing sector. Angelean manufacturing is focused on the export of high-quality luxury goods, often described as competing not on quantity but rather on quality. Despite being unable to compete with the low costs of products from third-world manufacturing centers such as Alaoyi or Alanna, Los Angeles's products have been praised for their quality. Angelean products rank highly in consumer perception, one study found that 84% of consumers in eight countries trusted Angelean products. Los Angeles was the world's tenth largest exporter in 2021. Its closest trade ties are with Alaoyi (14%), Gagium (12%), the Fluvannia (11%), and the Furbish Islands (9%). Alanna traditionally formed a major trade partner, but due to the start of civil war in the 2010s trade between the two has heavily declined.

Manufacturing and industry makes up about 22% of Los Angeles GDP and 24.1% of the workforce, with several thousand manufacturing firms and employing over 230,000 people. The largest firm is Kalberg, which employs over 32,000 people. However, over half of all Angelean manufcturing firms employ less than 2,000 people. Manufacturing is primarily centered in the southeast and central portions of the country, especially around the provinces of Jerroland, Nuevo Serro, and Noord Groenkus.

The Bank of Puntonorte, headquartered in the northern city of Puntonorte, is one of the largest international banks in the world and one of the oldest banks in continuous operation. Los Angeles has a strong financial industry, thanks to its history of being a stable and prosperous economy for several decades, in addition to generous tax incentives for banks. The financial sector is the largest single economic activity in the service sector.

In addition, considerable mineral resources, particularly copper and iron making exists, primarily centered around the northern highlands of the country. The provinces of Lugarseco and Westelijke Grogebied are the largest exporters in the country. While iron production has declined, copper mining has risen. Los Angeles is one of the largest producers of copper and zinc worldwide, and has considerable iron exports. Historically, coal and peat mining, especially in the south, were critical parts of the economy. Alanna operated coaling stations in the south during the early 20th century, but these stations were closed down by 1935.

Los Angeles currency is the Valero, which is the fifth most traded reserve currency in the world. Its monetary policy is set by the Republican Bank, but currency is printed by the Angelean Printing Bureau.

Agriculture

There are over 450,000 farms in Los Angeles, primarily centered in Nova Agnia, Nuevo Serro, Zuid Groenkus, and Noord Gorenkus. Los Angeles's about 70% of farms are small and family owned, averaging just 21 acres per farm.