Cassier

Republic of Cassier République de Cassier
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: "A Mari Usque Ad Mare" (Solarian) "From Sea to Sea"
Anthem: Ô Cassier
File:Cassier orthographic projection.png Cassier (dark green).
Capital	Nouvelle-Rayenne
Largest city	Andade
Official languages	Gaullican
Ethnic groups	Euclean group (76.9%) Coiusian group (15.9%) Aboriginal group (4.9%) Badawiyan group (1.5%) Other (0.8%)
Demonym(s)	Cassien
Government	Federal parliamentary constitutional republic
• President	Jean Tremblay
Legislature	Parlemant
• Upper house	Sénat
• Lower house	Chambre des communes
Establishment
• Formation	July 1, 1757
• Declaration of Independence	October 14, 1920
Area
•	7,196,305 km2 (2,778,509 sq mi)
Population
• 2018 estimate	39,689,032
• Density	5.52/km2 (14.3/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	$1.627 trillion
• Per capita	$41,000
HDI (2018)	0.926 very high
Currency	Cassien Franc (F) (CAF)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+1
Internet TLD	.ca

Cassier, officially the Republic of Cassier (Gaullican: République de Cassier) is a country in the northern part of Asteria Superior. Its provinces and three territories extend from the Vehemens Ocean to the Lumine Ocean and northward into the Florian Ocean, covering 7.19 million square kilometres, making it the world's largest country in total area. Cassier shares its southern borders with Lorcania, Nuxica, and Chervolesia. Cassier's capital is Nouevelle-Rayenne, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Andade, Saint-Marie, and Barnier.

As a whole, Cassier is sparsely populated, the majority of its land area being dominated by forest and tundra. Cassier's population is primarily centered around urban centers in the south, with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities. Cassier's climate varies widely across its vast area, ranging from arctic weather in the north, to hot summers in the southern regions, with four distinct seasons.

Various indigenous peoples have inhabited what is now Cassier for thousands of years before Euclean colonization. Beginning in the 16th century, Estmerian and Gaullican expeditions explored and later settled along the west coast. Gaullica would come to colonize and control much of what is today western Cassier, and by 1757 the nation would be officially consolidated as a colony of Gaullica. Cassier embarked on a vigorous expansion across Asteria Superior throughout the 19th century, acquiring new territories, displacing native Asterian tribes, and gradually admitting new provinces until it spanned the continent by 1849. By the end of the century, Cassier had extended across much of Asteria Superior, and its economy, driven in large part by the Industrial Revolution, began to soar. Cassier would not become a fully independent nation until the Declaration of Independence (Gaullican: Déclaration d'indépendance) was officially ratified by the Cassien National Assembly on October 14, 1920 which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on Gaullica.

Cassier is a federal republic and a representative democracy within a parliamentary system. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, and education. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries. Cassier's long and complex relationship with neighbouring Asterian states has had a significant impact on its economy and culture.

A developed country, Cassier has among the highest nominal per capita income globally as well as one of the highest rankings in the Human Development Index. Its advanced economy is one of largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Cassier is part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings including the International Council for Democracy and Asterian Forum for Cooperation and Development.

Etymology

While a variety of theories have been postulated for the etymological origins of Cassier, the name is now accepted as coming from the Saint Marcus !Iroquoian word kaska, a borrowing from the !Kaska language meaning "black bird". In 1535, indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Saint-Marie region used the word to direct Gaullican explorer Rogerin Dummont northwards and up the Saint-Marie river to the regions were the Kaska peoples lived. Though Dummont never reached the tribe due to poor conditions and geography he later used the word Cassier to refer not only to the lands of the Kaska tribe but to the entire northern reaches of Asteria Superior. By 1545, Euclean books and maps had begun referring to the whole of the region along the Saint Marcus River as Cassier.

From the 16th to the early 18th century "Cassier" referred to the part of Nouvelle-Gaullica that lay along the Saint Marcus River. In 1740, the area became two Gaullican colonies called Upper Cassier and Lower Cassier collectively named the Cassiers. Upon formation on July 1, 1757, Cassier was adopted as the legal name for the whole of Gaullica's northernmost possessions in Asteria Superior at the Verlois Conference, and the word Domain was conferred as the country's title. By 1920s, the term Dominion of Cassier was no longer used following the Declaration of Independence, which severed all official ties with Gaullica. The newly established government of Wilfrid Édouard ended the practice of using 'Domain' in the Statutes of Cassier in October of 1920.

History

Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples in present-day Cassier include the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, the last being a mixed-blood people who originated in the mid-17th century when First Nations and Inuit people married Euclean settlers. The term "Aboriginal" as a collective noun is a specific term of art used in some legal documents, including within the Cassien constitution.

The indigenous population at the time of the first Euclean settlements is estimated to have been between 200,000 and two million, with a figure of 500,000 accepted by Cassier's Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. As a consequence of Euclean colonization, the population of Cassier's indigenous peoples declined by forty to eighty percent, and several First Nations, such as the !Beothuk, disappeared entirely. The decline is attributed to several causes, including the transfer of European diseases, such as influenza, measles, and smallpox to which they had no natural immunity, conflicts over the fur trade, conflicts with the colonial authorities and settlers, and the loss of indigenous lands to settlers and the subsequent collapse of several nations' self-sufficiency.

Although not without conflict, European Cassien's early interactions with !First Nations and !Inuit populations were relatively peaceful. First Nations and Métis peoples played a critical part in the development of Euclean colonies in Cassier, particularly for their role in assisting Euclean coureur des bois and voyageurs in the exploration of the continent during the Asterian Superior fur trade. Gaullica and indigenous peoples began interactions during the Euclean colonization period, though the !Inuit, in general, had more limited interaction with Euclean settlers. However, from the late 18th century, Euclean Cassiens encouraged indigenous peoples to assimilate into their own culture. These attempts reached a climax in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with forced integration and relocations. A period of redress is underway, which started with the appointment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission by the Government of Cassier in 2008.

Euclean colonization

The first Eucleans to settle in Cassier were mariners from Varienland and Caldia who established seasonal fishing and whaling outposts along the west coast in the 15th century. In 1534 Gaullican explorer Rogerin Dummont explored much of western Cassier’s coast and major rivers during his first voyage. Upon discovering the Gulf of Saint Marcus he planted a 10 meter (33 ft) cross bearing the words “Long Live the Queen of Gaullica” and took possession of the territory of Nouvelle-Gaullica in the name of Queen Anne the Financer. Due to a combination of factors such as distance, a harsh climate, and native resistance the first Gaullican colonists established short-lived seasonal settlements and forts.

In 1535 under orders from the Gaullican crown Dummont founded Monbec City, Monbec, as the first permanent Gaullican settlement in Cassier. Among the colonists of Nouvelle-Gaullica Cassiens exclusively settled the Saint Marcus valley, Chicadiens settled the present day Terre-Neuve archipelago and Gulf of Chicadie, and fur traders and missionaries explored further inland and the Dummont river watershed and Lorcania. Gaullican explorer Nathan de Beaumont arrived in 1603 explored deeper inland up the Saint Marcus river in search of an interior route to the Lumine ocean. While he failed to cross the continent his expedition had discovered Lake Beaumont and gold in the upper Saint Marcus watershed, sparking an influx of Gaullican and Cassien settlers into central Cassier. A dwindling Asterian Superior beaver population combined with the large increase in Euclean colonists further into the continent following the discovery of gold created tensions between the colonies and the various indigenous peoples. By 166X the majority of aboriginal nations were at war against each other, fighting over the few remaining areas with beaver populations and Euclean encroachment. These conflicts would culminate in the Fur Wars which saw New Gaullica and aligned tribes fight decisively defeat a coalition of resisting tribes in Upper Cassier, resulting in the burning of dozens of native villages and subsequent forced migration to the north and east. This relocation would prove to only be a temporary solution as settlers continued to aggressively push further inland. Conflicts between and against the Asterian tribes would remain an ever present threat for the next two centuries, however none would be on a similar scale seen in the Fur Wars.

Unsuited for the more profitable cash crop plantations found further south, Nouvelle-Gaullica's economy would be restricted to mining, timber, and the fur trade. Despite claiming large portions of northern Asteria Superior and the discovery of gold the population of Nouvelle-Gaullica would remain below 30,000. With competing colonial powers with large and more profiable colonies endeavouring to assert their dominance in the region Nouvelle-Gaullica's claims to the interior would remain teneuous. In the late 16th century the colonial government began offering large land grants to aspiring settlers and immigrants in the upper Saint Marcus river as well as the regions surrounding Lake Beaumont. Though much of the land issued in these grants were often large expanses of untamed forested wilderness the promise of a new life and property was attracting to many hopeful Gaullicans and immigrants. Other incentives were given to colonists already inhabiting Nouvelle-Gaullica encouraging the growth of larger families. Over the span between the late 1600's and the 1730's Nouvelle-Gaullica's policy of aggressive population growth and settlement would cause the colony's population to more than triple. The rising population would further increase the demand for more land in order to sustain the colony, driving settlers further east. This growth would also result in the creation of the first generation of colonists that were predomiantly born in Nouvelle-Gaullica, laying the foundation for what would develop into the Cassien identity.

In 1729 Gaullica's victory in the Gilded Wars formally defined Nouvelle-Gaullica's southern boundary with New Estmere at the Dummont River, securing Nouvelle-Gaullica's claims to Lake Beaumont and its surrounding areas. A majority of colonists welcomed Gaullica's newfound dominance over Asteria Superior with Nouvelle-Gaullica's status being elevated within the empire due to their shared cultural and lingustic ties. Despite the favouritism displayed towards the colonies in Gaullican colonial policies the number of settlers pushing east decreased between the 1730 and 1764, with would be colonists desiring to settle in the newly acquired and more profitable possessions in the south. Tensions and disputes over land and territory between Nouvelle-Gaullica and the former Estermish colonies to the south would continue however, though they were generally resolved in Nouvelle-Gaullica's favour.

On July 1, 1757 representitives from the colonies of Nouvelle-Gaullica would gather in the Gaullican capital of Verlois and ratify the Gaullican Asterian Superior Act of 1757 which confederated the colonies of Upper Cassier, Lower Cassier, Nouvelle-Sylvagne, Chicadia, and Terre-Neuve into the Domain of Cassier. The term Domain was chosen to indicate Cassier's self-governing status within the Gaullican colonial empire. This confederation emerged from multiple impulses: Gaullica wanted the Nouvelle-Gaullica to defend itself and allow it to focus more its resources elsewhere; a newfound Gaullican-Cassien nationalism sought to unite the colonies into one country within the Gaullican empire, dominated by the Gaullican language and culture; and fears of encroachment of non-Gaullican settlers northward. On a political level, there was a desire for the expansion of responsible government and elimination of the legislative deadlocks between the colonies of Nouvelle-Gaullica, and their replacement with provincial legislatures in a confederation.

Post Confederation

The establishment of a confederation of colonies within the newly eastablished Domain of Cassier satsified the growing number of colonists who desired a greater say in matters of government policy. Cassier's government would be organized in a bicameral parliamentary system which, while granting Cassiens the ability to elect their own representitives in the legislative branch, would have strong oversight via an appointed govenor from the Metropole in the executive. The govenor of Cassier acted as the final executive authority in the king's sted, having the power to veto any piece of legislation passed by the parliament.

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Geography and climate

Cassier encompasses much of the continent of Asteria Superior, sharing land borders with the Lorcania, Nuxica, and Chervolesia to the south. Cassier stretches from the Vehemens Ocean in the west to the Lumine Ocean in the east; to the north lies the Florian Ocean. Svobinsk is to the northeast which shares a maritime boundary in Hailett's Sea. By total area (including its waters), Cassier is the largest country in the world.

Cassier is home to one of the Asteria Superior's northernmost settlements, Cassien Forces Station Balise, on the northern tip of Daucourt Island – the closest point to the North Pole outside of Svobinsk. Much of the Cassien Arctic is covered by ice and permafrost due to polar currents that create a much colder climate than other nations at the same latitudes. Cassier has the longest coastline in the world, with a total length of xxx,xxx kilometres (xxx,xxx mi).

Since the end of the last glacial period, Cassier has consisted of eight distinct forest regions, including extensive boreal forest on the Cassien Shield. 42 percent of the land acreage of Canada is covered by forests, approximately 8 percent of the world's forested land, made up mostly of spruce, poplar and pine. Cassier has over 2,000,000 lakes—563 greater than 100 km2 (39 sq mi)—which is more than any other country, containing much of the world's fresh water as well as the geographically massive Lake Beaumont - a remnant of the most recent ice age glaciation and the largest body of freshwater in the world. There are numerous also fresh-water glaciers in the Eastern Mountains and the Coast Mountains.

Cassier is geologically active, having many earthquakes and potentially active volcanoes, notably Mount Carpentier massif, Mount Bérengère, Mount Brunelle massif, and the Mount Constance volcanic complex.

Average winter and summer high temperatures across Cassier vary from region to region. Winters are generally harsh in the majority of the country, particularly in the interior and Prairie provinces, which experience a continental climate, where daily average temperatures are near −15 °C (5 °F), but can drop below −40 °C (−40 °F) with severe wind chills. In most inland regions, snow can cover the ground for almost six months of the year, while in parts of the north snow can persist year-round. The east coast has a temperate climate, with a mild and rainy winter. On the west and east coasts, average high temperatures are generally in the low 20s °C (70s °F), while between the coasts, the average summer high temperature ranges from 25 to 30 °C (77 to 86 °F), with temperatures in some interior locations rarely exceeding 40 °C (104 °F).

Politics and Government

Cassier is described as a "full democracy", with a tradition of liberalism, and an egalitarian, moderate political ideology. An emphasis on social justice has been a distinguishing element of Cassier's political culture. Peace, order, and good government, alongside an implied bill of rights are founding principles of the Cassien government.

At the federal level, Cassier has been dominated by three major parties, the far left Labour Party, the centre-left Liberal Party, and the centre-right Conservative Party. The historically predominant Liberal Party position themselves at the centre of the Cassien political spectrum, with the Conservative Party positioned on the right and the Labour Party occupying the left. Far-right politics have never been a prominent force in Cassien society while far-leftists movements have gained some support historically, though few have ever exerted a real influence in federal politics. Four parties had representatives elected to the federal parliament in the 201X election—the Liberal Party, who currently form the government; the Conservative Party, who are the official opposition; the Labour Party; and the Green Party of Cassier.

Demographics

Culture

Sports

The roots of organized sports in Cassier date back to the 1770s. Cassier’s official national sports are ice hockey and lacrosse. Other sports such as golf, soccer, baseball, tennis, skiing, badminton, volleyball, cycling, swimming, bowling, rugby union, canoeing, equestrian, squash and the study of martial arts are widely enjoyed by much of the population recreationally.

Cassier shares several major professional sports leagues with its neighbours. Cassien teams in these leagues include nine franchises in the Asterian Hockey League, as well as several !Major League Soccer teams and the Cassier men's national soccer team, at least one team in !Major League Baseball, and the !National Basketball Association. Other popular professional sports in Cassier include football, which is played in the Cassien Football League, National Lacrosse League lacrosse, and curling.