Agnannet
Agnannet ⴰⴳⵏⴰⵏⵏⴻⵜ | |
|---|---|
Clockwise from top: Imperial City and Kaharna Avenue, seasonal dust storm near city center, Sacred Tree museum, Agnannet beach on the Obul river, Oasis Park in the Riverside district. | |
.svg) Flag | |
| Country |  Charnea |
| Territory | Upper Obul |
| Districts | 12 districts
|
| Settled | 14th century |
| Area | |
| • Agnannet Metropolitan | 177 km2 (68 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 217 m (713 ft) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Agnannet Metropolitan | 5,045,700 |
| Demonym | Agnannetan |
| Postcode districts | CA, CE, CT |
| Area code | 145 |
Agnannet (Tamashek: ⴰⴳⵏⴰⵏⵏⴻⵜ, or archaic ⴳⵏⵏⵏⵜ) is the capital of Charnea as well as Upper Obul Territory, and is the largest city in the country with a population of 5 million people inhabiting the Greater Agnannet region totaling 249.8 km2 (96.4 sq mi) of which the city proper makes up 177 km2 (68 sq mi). The city is located on the banks of the Obul river in the region of the north bend flowing north and west from Lake Agnan and the Khalisa Hydroelectric Dam, and south from the Great Pyramid of Agnan which is located just outside the Greater Agnannet region. The north bend of the Obul river is also called the Krane meaning "Crescent" for its near perfect semicircular curvature. Agnannet is a bipartite metropolis divided by the Obul river, with the old city and most of the modern urban region to the north of the river, and the five smallest of the total twelve city districts to the south of the river. The southern half of the city is relatively new and the result of urban expansion in the 19th century, standing in clear contrast to the northern city which is far older and shows a more medieval character in many neighborhoods.
The city of Agnannet was founded in the 14th century during the Ihemodian Wars which saw the transformation of the Kel Kaharna tribal confederation of nomadic Imuhagh transform into the mostly settled Empire of Charnea. A strategic position on the Obul river was chosen to be the seat of the new empire, as it would allow rapid communication and movement of goods and troops to the other major population centers along the river, and likewise the fortified locations alongside the north bend would allow unwanted movement or communication to be cut off at that location. Medieval Agnannet was relatively sparsely populated, inhabited mainly by bureaucrats and the martial population which provided the basis for imperial armies and retinues in the early decades of the Imperial era.
The city would grow over time as more Imuhagh and Berberized slaves known as Ikelan came to settle in and around the permanent center of power, and it would eventually become a significant center of population in the Empire as more people were moved north up the Obul river. The growth of Agnannet into a major metropolis under the Empire inextricably tied the political direction and social heart of Charnea to the city, which was by far the largest city in Charnea by the 19th century and would remain so until the population boom in the Obul delta led to the rise of Koros as a rival Charnean metropolis. Koros eclipsed Agnannet in population between 1934 and 1960, after which Agnannet regained the number 1 spot following the integration of the city of Ayewasiy into Greater Agnannet, which was subsequently divided into four municipal districts.
Agnannet is the economic, financial and cultural capital of Charnea, serving as the hub for almost all the national rail lines and the highway system. It is served by 17 hospitals, 19 universities and two airports of which Agnannet International Airport is the largest by a wide margin and has been recently reconverted for civilian use after having served as an ad hoc military base between 2015 and 2020. There are many cultural and religious institutions based in Agnannet, including major temples of Tamdda-ddin and the headquarters of the Tamashek Language Academy which serves as the central authority over Tamashek, the official language of Charnea.
Etymology
The origin and exact meaning of the word Agnannet is uncertain, however the most supported theory suggests a Zarma origin as "Agnan Ne", meaning "Here is Agnan" referring to the Charnean myth that the legendary founder of the Kel Kaharna, Agnan of the Tree, died at the site where the Great Pyramid now stands north of the modern city. An alternative theory suggests an Imuhagh origin of the word as Agnan Nig, or "Agnan Above". This theory also relates to the name for the Tamashek word for the Upper Obul region still used to the modern day, Obul Nig. The identity and name of the city is however closely tied to Agnan of the Tree and the legends of the Kel Kaharna in most interpretations of the name.
History
Founding (1366-1450)
Early Modern Era (1450-1800)
Kamara Era (1800-1911)
Recent History
Geography
Climate
Agnannet has a desert climate ( Koppën Classification BWh ) typical of the Ninva Desert characterized by long, extremely hot summers and short, pleasant winters. The heat becomes extremely elevated in the dry season with temperatures regularly exceeding 40°C (104°F) and at times reaching as high as 49-50°C (between 120.2 and 122°F) between the months of April and October, which make up the dry season in central and northern Charnea. The average temperature does not drop below 20°C (68°F) at any point during the year, and there has never been any recorded temperature below freezing. However, ground frost can occur during winter nights in the countryside outside the city to the north and east. Rainfall is concentrated between the months of December and March, with the Agnannet receiving very little precipitation overall and almost none whatsoever during the dry season. Dust storms are a relatively common occurrence, and particularly severe dust storms have been known to come over the city once every few years to once every decade and reduce visibility to as low as 10 meters, causing the cancellation of flights out of the city's airports and the shutting down of most schools for the duration of the dust storm.
| Climate data for Agnannet (1965-2011) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32.5 (90.5) |
33.8 (92.8) |
37.0 (98.6) |
41.2 (106.2) |
44.1 (111.4) |
46.2 (115.2) |
47.1 (116.8) |
49.8 (121.6) |
43.0 (109.4) |
41.5 (106.7) |
38.0 (100.4) |
31.9 (89.4) |
49.8 (121.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 21.3 (70.3) |
24.4 (75.9) |
28.7 (83.7) |
34.4 (93.9) |
38.4 (101.1) |
40.3 (104.5) |
42.5 (108.5) |
41.6 (106.9) |
40.3 (104.5) |
35.3 (95.5) |
27.8 (82.0) |
22.3 (72.1) |
33.1 (91.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.4 (59.7) |
17.3 (63.1) |
25.4 (77.7) |
26.9 (80.4) |
33.9 (93.0) |
34.7 (94.5) |
34.2 (93.6) |
34.7 (94.5) |
33.5 (92.3) |
28.4 (83.1) |
21.2 (70.2) |
16.3 (61.3) |
26.8 (80.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 9.0 (48.2) |
11.2 (52.2) |
15.2 (59.4) |
20.4 (68.7) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.0 (80.6) |
29.3 (84.7) |
29.2 (84.6) |
25.4 (77.7) |
21.1 (70.0) |
15.5 (59.9) |
10.3 (50.5) |
20.0 (68.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 1.3 (34.3) |
1.5 (34.7) |
4.5 (40.1) |
11.0 (51.8) |
13.0 (55.4) |
20.1 (68.2) |
22.6 (72.7) |
22.7 (72.9) |
15.1 (59.2) |
14.0 (57.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
1.6 (34.9) |
1.3 (34.3) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 20.5 (0.81) |
18.0 (0.71) |
17.9 (0.70) |
11.0 (0.43) |
8.9 (0.35) |
4.0 (0.16) |
4.7 (0.19) |
2.0 (0.08) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.8 (0.03) |
9.7 (0.38) |
16.6 (0.65) |
114.2 (4.49) |
| Average rainy days | 9.1 | 7.3 | 9.4 | 5.3 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 3.3 | 10.3 | 48.8 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 47 | 36 | 23 | 21 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 36 | 47 | 26 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 212.4 | 226.6 | 219.8 | 242.3 | 287.7 | 328.2 | 332.1 | 309.2 | 271.6 | 311.4 | 269.2 | 214.3 | 3,224.8 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 63 | 71 | 59 | 63 | 70 | 80 | 80 | 77 | 74 | 87 | 82 | 65 | 72 |
| Source: Meteorological Association of Charnea | |||||||||||||
Districts
- North Bank
- Imperial City, also known as the Metro District forms the downtown area together with Riverside district
- Riverside, located between Imperial City and the river and hemmed in to the east and west by Monument Row and Kaharna Avenue respectively
- Katake, also known as the Oxidental District due to a strong and historical Mutulese and Rezese presence
- Ledzuko-Agran
- Ouragannan, serves as the cultural center of the Ikelan community in Charnea
- Azjar
- Cosolkuma
- South Bank, orginally made up of only the Zarma slum of Djerma Ne then expanded in the 1960s to include the formerly separate municipality of Ayewasiy
- Djermane or Djerma Ne, the main Zarma ethnic enclave in Agnannet
- North Ayewasiy
- South Ayewasiy
- East Ayewasiy
- West Ayewasiy
Demographics
In 1980, Agnannet was 78% Imuhagh, 16% Ikelan, and approximately 5% Zarma. Since that time, the city has experienced significant demographic upheavals as a result of wars and instability in the country between 1985 and 2020. During the Ninvite War, most migrants were women and children displaced from eastern Charnea. The influx was mostly female as the men in the family had primarily joined militia groups or the military, which led to a decades long gender-imbalance in the population of Agnannet. The main disruptions to the ethnic makeup of the city occurred in the decade of the 2010s, which saw a significant influx of Hatherian Gharbaic people and to a far lesser extent further Zarma immigration and migration from many other minority groups such as the Fula and Deshritic people. The highly diverse population of refugees from Charnea's 11 main ethnic groups was mostly very poor and unable to secure housing inside the city for this reason, instead establishing informal settlements around the outskirts of the city and in the open desert outside the Greater Agnannet region. A majority of the recent migrants remain in slums outside the traditional city limits of Agnannet, and have been under the provisional oversight of the Outer Agnannet Authority since 2021.
Today, just under 60% of the city is ethnically Imuhagh, 15% Ikelan, 11% Charnean Gharib, 9% Zarma, and a remaining 5% accounting for various other Charnean ethnicities and residents of foreign nationality. Nearly 20% of the 5 million residents live in slums or other forms of informal housing due in large part to the multiple crises of the recent Charnean Collapse and Transition Conflict, which hit Agnannet especially hard as a result of the chaotic Agnannet Crush that killed many and left many more homeless in mid 2015. A slight majority for females has resurfaced in Agnannet, reflective of the overall trend in Charnea in which women outnumber men across most demographics.
Economy
The capital is the financial and economic center of Charnea, and has the highest concentration of economic activity anywhere in the country with its rival city of Koros a close second. Agnannet has expanded in two main bursts of urban development, one recently taking place in the early 2000s as part of a reconstruction project after the Ninvite War including a new airport, improved roadways and increased public transportation, and an older and more extensive expansion which took place in the 1960s and included the construction of the large Khalisa Hydroelectric Dam and accompanying Lake Agnan reservoir, providing the city with its main source of both fresh water and electricity. The headquarters of most government agencies and nationwide buisness firms are located in Agnannet. This includes the state owned oil company COPEC, the company HQ of the weapons manufacturer Kaokazuka, and such financial institutions as the Agricultural Bank of Southern Charnea, the Obul Bank and the Bank of Charnea.
Historically, industry in Agnannet has been based around the textile industry and the production of animal and plant based fabrics with manufactories inside the city. This is still the primary economic activity in Azjer and the Ayewasiy districts in which imported or domestically sourced fibers typically received by rail or riverboat are turned into textiles and then further worked into clothing items. Agnannet textiles are very rarely exported outside of Charnea and are usually sold in the city's own local markets. The Great Sooq, located in Riverside district, is the largest open air market in the world with over 14,000 stalls divided into 25 sections and receiving roughly 250,000 visitors every week. The sections of the market are divided by type of merchandise, which varies from clothing and furniture to farm animals and firearms. It is the primary retail center of Agnannet and the entire Upper Obul-Azgwag-Achra region. Semi-regular travel by rail or automobile to Agnannet from neighboring cities and regions specifically to visit the Great Sooq is not uncommon.
Education
Healthcare
Transportation
Bridges
Public Transit
Agnannet has historically lacked a significant public transportation system, relying almost entirely on autobus networks running on the paved and unpaved streets of the inner and outer city for most of its history. The first such bus line was established in 1931 and ran along Monument Row as part of an effort to accommodate growing tourism in the older and more scenic parts of the city. A major expansion to the bus network occurred during the 1960s development of the city which saw all major neighborhoods and districts of the city connected with bus lines, which were based out of two major terminals located in the center of Imperial City and the northern Azjar district nearest the tourist hotspot of the Great Pyramids just outside the Greater Agnannet region. Buses remain the main means of public transportation and are ubiquitous on most busy Agnannet roads, ranging from large city buses typical of urban bus systems to small micro-bus vehicles which serve the more remote neighborhoods of Agnannet.
No rail-based transportation scheme existed in Agnannet until 2007 when the Agnannet Light Rail (ALR) was established with four lines built and several dozen more planned to connect all parts of the city. Light rail was and still is the proffered method of mass transit expansion in Agnannet and across most urban centers over tram or subway as Charnean city planner assert it has greater speed and capacity than tram systems but is far less expensive than a subway making it a good balanced option for the growing cities of Charnea. However, many parts of the ALR project were put on indefinite hold during the crises of the 2010s and have only recently resumed work. Notably, the planned light rail bridge project which would add a dedicated rail expansion to three of the four cross-Obul bridges connecting northern and southern Agnannet was never completed, leaving the ALR network cut in half until the bridge expansions can be completed, which is expected to occur in 2025. This project, along with all management of public transit in the city of Agnannet is overseen by the Transit Authority for the Capital Region.