Lesser Verde
The Confederacy of Lesser Verdean Islands Le Confederació de Los Islas Menores Verdistas | |
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 Flag | |
Motto: La Resistencia a la Tiranía es la Obediencia al Verde. (Verdean: Resistance to tyranny is obedience to the Jade One.) | |
 The Lesser Verdean Islands in comparison with other Verdean islands. | |
| Capital | El Sacramento |
| Largest city | Vittoria |
| Official languages | Classical Verdean |
| Recognised national languages | Vulgar Verdean |
| Ethnic groups |
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| Demonym(s) | Zafira, Zafiras Rubecan, Rubecans Lapecen, Lapecens |
| Government | Presidential Republic |
• President | Albino Feliciana Tancredo Oquendo |
| Legislature | National Congress |
| Establishment | |
• Indpendence from Second Verdean Republic | 8-19 de Mesvacío DI 131 |
• Independence from Federal Republic of Capisaria | 45-49 de Mesjandra DI 190 |
• Formation of the Confederacy of Lesser Verdean Islands | 52 de Mesjandra DI 190 |
| Area | |
• Total | 115,747 km2 (44,690 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• DI 218 estimate | 12,456,987 (16) |
• DI 214 census | 12,403,422 |
• Density | 107/km2 (277.1/sq mi) |
| GDP (nominal) | DI 217 estimate |
• Total | $110,692,786,482 NSD |
• Per capita | $8,886 NSD |
| Currency | Meridonian Unit |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyy DI |
| Driving side | right |
| Internet TLD | .lv |
The Confederacy of Lesser Verdean Islands (Verdean Le Confederació de Los Islas Menores Verdistas) is a federal Presidential Republic, located in the Westernmost portion of the Verdean Archipelago region of Greater Meridon. Lesser Verde is a diverse nation, with several different peoples calling the Lesser Verdean Confederacy home. The Republic is one of the most liberal in the Verdean Archipelago, though the states of the Confederacy do attempt to care for citizens as best as is possible. The Lesser Verdean Islands are somewhat behind the other islands, but there has been effort put making Lesser Verde an equal to the other islands of the Archipelago.
Humans first came the Verdean Archipelago 10,000 years ago, with the Lesser Verdean Islands being settled completely within a few generations. Early societies would form within a few thousand years of the arrival of humans, and these early societies would become the most influential in the Archipelago. These early societies would fare the best with the collapse of early civilization, and some smaller cities survived this collapse. The Lesser Verdean Island of Rubí would play an important role in the early phases of what would become the formation of the First Verdean Empire.
During the age of the First Empire, the Lesser Verdean Islands would become gradually less important as Plata, Dorado, and most of all Verde began to outstrip them in population, cultural importance, and economy. Throughout the Imperial Age, the lesser islands would become involved in a number of civil wars. When the Empire met its end the lesser islands would become minor industrial facilities and agricultural centers for the Republic, then the Second Empire, and then the Second Republic. When the unity of the archipelago foundered the lesser islands found themselves under the rule of warlords at first, and then independent governments of the islands. The islands would fall under Capisarian occupation in the DI 140s.
The Lesser Verdean islands would collectively be bought up by the Capisarian Kijubi Consortium, and collectivized into the Conglomerated States of Lesser Verde. The corporate state would oversee a harsh regime that managed the agriculture and industry of the islands. The islands would be among the last to be liberated during the Verdean fight for independence, and the Capisarian Revolution. They would formally declare independence in DI 188, maintaining their unity even as they reformed a government. In DI 189, the new constitution of the Confederacy of Lesser Verdean Islands was declared.
The Confederacy of Lesser Verdean Islands is a somewhat underdeveloped state, struggling to build the strong economic base that could compete with the other islands in the Archipelago. The federal government is working to correct this fact. The Confederacy has relatively high levels of equality between the classes, though not necessarily the highest of the Culturally Verdean nations. Lesser Verde is a non-power, relying primarily on maintaining good relations with its neighbors, especially The Republic of Verde.
Etymology
The term Lesser Verde is a modern term dating back to the Capisarian conquest of the Verdean Archipelago. Lesser Verde was a modern state carved from Isla Lapis, Isla Rubí, and Isla Zafiro. The terms for the islands are older, being religious in nature. According to Verdean legend, the islands are physical manifestations of their gods, Isla Lapis represents the Jester, the cosmic balance in the universe; Isla Rubí represents the Seneshal, justice; Isla Zafiro represents the cupbearer, and community. The term for Lesser Verdeans depends largely on the island they hail from; those from Zafiro are referred to as Zafira or Zafiras; those from Rubí are Rubecan or Rubecans; those from Lapis are Lapecen or Lapecens.
History
Main Article: Verdean History
Early History
Modern humans began to arrive on the Lesser Verdean Islands roughly 10,000 years ago, with early civilizations forming around 6,000 years ago. These early city-states, proved short lived however, as within a few centuries, infighting and disease took the lives of most of the denizens of these islands and destroyed these civilizations. When, after several centuries cities began to reform, the Lesser Verdean islands proved to be pioneers of several technologies that began the classical age, becoming major cultural centers of early classical Verdean civilization.
During the classical period, the Lesser Verdean Islands were disproportionately influential in forming what would become the cultural basis of Verdean culture with the traditions of El Sacramento, later the Regio; writing, the earliest basis of Verdean maritime tradition, and most notably early modern Verdean language. Towards the end of the Classical and early Post-Classical periods, the Lesser Verdean islands saw a brief decline in importance as the larger islands of Dorado, Plata, and Verde began to properly exert their influence over the archipelago, and to a lesser extent across the sea.
As the post-classical period moved on however, the Lesser Verdean islands would prove to become, temporarily at least, the most important islands of the archipelago once more, as the Queens of Isla Rubí unified the largest and most important cities of Verde under their banner. In the final couple of of centuries the Rubecan Queens would unify all of Isla Verde, and eventually all of the Verdean Archipelago under the banner of the First Verdean Empire.
Imperial Period
In the first few generations of the Verdean Imperial Period, Isla Rubí would maintain its importance as the first dyansty of Verdean Imperial Monarchies maintained their close connection to the island. As dynastic shifts began to occur a century into the First Empire's reign, Isla Rubí would decline in importance, and Isla Lapis, and Isla Zafiro similarly being marginalized by a new dynasty of monarchs from Isla Verde. During the first major Imperial Civil War, in an attempt to reclaim their influence, several nobles hailing from the Lesser Verdean Islands supporting the rebels against the crown. When the rebellion succeeded, the islands received some additional money and support from the crown, however, this came to an end as the coffers of the Empire were emptied in the 8th century AdI.
In the Middle Imperial Period, the Lesser Verdean Islands took part in many of the major exchanges of crops between the Archipelago and the continent of Especia, as the Empire seized colonies in Especia. These islands became substantial breadbasket for the Empire. Aside from this agricultural revolution, the Lesser Verdean Islands became significant sources of ships for the Empire, particularly trading ships, though they never quite reached the levels of productivity in that respect that the shipyards at Corazón del Río.
In the Late Imperial Period, the Lesser Verdean Islands became minor industrial centers, particularly Isla Lapis which became the headquarters of the Ortega Company, formed by Alejandro Ortega after the development of industrial machinery powered by the oil of whales. As the industry began to fail in the last year of the Imperial Period, the Lesser Verdean Islands became substantially poorer as tens of thousands went without work. When people, now destitute, began to lose access to food, bread riots ravaged the Lesser Verdean Islands, with Lapis becoming little more than a den of anarchy, and even as the revolution spread throughout the Archipelago, organized crime ran rampant on the islands.
Post-Imperial Era
During the days of the republic, the Isla Lapis and Zafiro became increasingly focused on agricultural production as manufacturing centers gradually moved away from the Lesser Verdean Islands, and to Isla Verde. Isla Rubí maintained some of its industries even by the end of the Republic, as a number of inventors took up residence on Isla Rubí during the shift away from whale oil powered industry towards more modern fossil fuel based industries. In particular the shipyards of Rubí became a major source of early coal-fired steamships on Isla Verde. When the Republic gave way to the Second Empire, the Lesser Verdean Islands saw a short rebirth in importance, particularly after the invasion of Los Cuarzos by the Empire, and the secret construction of the first ironclads in Meridonian History. During the Carlosian War, the Lesser Verdean Islands remained relatively untouched throughout most of the war, with its agriculture and shipbuilding taking greater importance than providing manpower for the Army, though by DI 69 and DI 70 it too was drained of manpower. After the end of the conflict, the islands were devastated by the loss of wartime shipbuilding, and the loss of much of its adult male population, and in spite of reconstruction efforts by the Verdean Empire, languished once again, with Isla Zafiro even partially being taken over by a foreign power. At the end of the Valden War, the islands falling under the control of the various military warlords that had seized power in the fall of the Second Republic.
The Lesser Verdean Islands, particularly Isla Zafiro was seized by Capisarian Federal Republic swiftly. Within a decade of taking these islands they were sold off to the Capisarian corporation, the Kijubi Consortium, and formed into a unified corporate extraterritoriality, the Conglomerated States of Lesser Verde. As the first, and largest corporate state in Capisaria, the Lesser Verdean States were host to a number of failed industrial projects started by the Kijubi Consortium. To ensure that these corporate ventures would have an ample supply of labor, the company would ban native industry, and crush protest with ruthless force provided by the Seraph Security corporation. With rebellion crushed, the Lesser Verdean islands would become a dumping ground for the industries that natural Capisarians would not take part in.
The Lesser Verdean islands would be the last liberated from Capisarian rule, with the heavy Seraph presence proving to be a tough resistance against the revolutionaries. After the conclusion of the Revolution, the Lesser Verdean islands, in a secret meeting, delegates from the Lesser Verdean Islands agreed to remain united under a single banner to better pool resources, and be a relevant contend in Verdean affairs. The Conglomerated States were reformed into the Confederacy of Lesser Verdean Islands. The new federal government would attempt to rebuild, receiving much help from the Republic of Verde, and managed to make some improvements in the condition of the islands, particularly in rebuilding the island's agriculture around feeding the populace, where the Kijubi Consortium had heavily emphasized export crops. When the Doradan War began, the Confederacy sized with the Verdeans, providing a small force to assist in the invasion and occupation of Dorado, however, as of DI 216 these troops have been withdrawn, as the Confederacy shifted budget priorities back toward domestic development.
Geography
The Confederacy of Lesser Verde is composed of three distinct islands, Isla Zafiro, Isla Rubí, and Isla Lapis. These three islands have a total land area of 44,690 square kilometers with Isla Zafiro being the largest, and Isla Lapis being the smallest. Isla Zafiro and Isla Lapis are relatively flat with rolling hills, and flatlands, Isla Rubí is comparatively mountainous, dominated by a small mountain range on the Westernmost portions of the islands. Each of the islands has a different major climate. Isla Zafiro is relatively dry, with a semi-arid climate, though to a lesser extent than Western Verde. Isla Lapis is wetter, with a more temperate climate. Isla Rubí has a wet tropical climate. Lesser Verde is a diverse nation with a little under 12,000 species of animals and vascular plants. The highest point in the Confederacy is La Tía on Isla Rubí. Isla Lapis and Rubí have a number of rivers that feed fresh water to the biomes of the the islands, and a Isla Zafiro is largely reliant on a single larger river, the Río Zafiroso.
Demograhpics
The Confederacy of Lesser Verdean Islands has a population of 12,456,987, and is relative stable with a minimal upward growth trend. The population is quite diverse with a large number of Especian descended citizens as a result in the agricultural shifts in the mid and late Imperial Periods. Roughly a quarter of the population, three million people live in the twenty largest population centers, though nearly two thirds of the population live in medium sized communities of roughly twenty to forty five thousand persons. Small farming communities, though formerly quite important on the island, have been on a steady decline since the colonization of the islands by Capisaria. The official language of the Confederacy is Classical Verdean, though most speakers on the island speak Vulgar Verdean instead, which is a recognized language in the Confederacy. It lacks an official religion, though practice of Regio dela Verde is nearly universal among the population, with the exception of Isla Zafiro which largely practices Diternalism.
Largest cities or towns in Lesser Verde
2014 Census | |||||||||
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| Rank | Island-State | Pop. | Rank | Island-State | Pop. | ||||
 Vittoria  Bordaña |
1 | Vittoria | Isla Zafiro | 834,001 | 11 | Salvación | Isla Zafiro | 85,752 |  Ciudad Cantanmenta  El Sacramento |
| 2 | Bordaña | Isla Lapis | 262,123 | 12 | Polequito | Isla Zafiro | 82,101 | ||
| 3 | Ciudad Cantanmenta | Isla Rubí | 241,166 | 13 | Malacá | Isla Zafiro | 81,152 | ||
| 4 | El Sacramento | Isla Rubí | 226,787 | 14 | Trono Lapis | Isla Lapis | 62,568 | ||
| 5 | San Fernando | Isla Zafiro | 211,115 | 15 | Esclusas Rubecateca | Isla Rubí | 58,781 | ||
| 6 | San Silva | Isla Zafiro | 186,756 | 16 | Ojos Zafirosos | Isla Zafiro | 56,221 | ||
| 7 | Guanaca | Isla Lapis | 177,521 | 17 | Granada | Isla Lapis | 55,140 | ||
| 8 | Friteca | Isla Rubí | 152,765 | 18 | La Coruña | Isla Zafiro | 52,421 | ||
| 9 | San Pedro | Isla Rubí | 100,650 | 19 | Especia Oeste | Isla Lapis | 50,987 | ||
| 10 | Libertad | Isla Lapis | 86,221 | 20 | Bajo Toledo | Isla Zafiro | 50,018 | ||
Government
The Confederacy of Lesser Verdean Islands is a federal presidential republic, wherein the individual islands hold a significant amount of legislative power. There are two major levels of government, that at the national level, largely responsible for federal administration of the nation; and the states largely responsible for legislation. The national legislative body is the unicameral National Congress, which is largely responsible for the expediture of national monies, and the head of government is the President of the Confederacy, both of which are elected on a first past the post basis at the end of a four year term, by the general adult citizenry. Currently the multiparty system is split in between four parties, with the two largest (and generally those with the most likelihood of actually gaining seats in the assembly) parties being the Progressive Party, and the Liberal Conservative Party, though the two largest alternative parties, the National Front, and the Orteguista Vanguardist Liberation Front have rapidly gained popularity in recent years, and many believe that they might move from being the third and fourth men, to being those that have a chance at seizing power. Generally speaking, the Confederacy maintains a foreign policy orientated around close relations with its neighbors, particularly the much larger, and much wealthier Isla Verde.
Economy
Economic Indicators
| Monetary Unit: Meridonian Unit (μ)
Conversion Rate: μ1 = $1.7733 NSD Fiscal Year: 5 de Mesisa-4 de Mesisa Nominal GDP: $110,692,786,482 NSD GDP per Capita: $8,886 NSD Labor Force: 7,474,192 Unemployment: 523,193 (7%) |
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The economy of Lesser Verde is perhaps, the most right-leaning of modern Verdean nations, with a capitalist means of production under moderately Social Democratic principles. Lesser Verde is actually a slight net exporter of goods, and is largely an agricultural nation with most of the labor force working in agriculture. In more recent years, there has been a slight shift towards tourism and services and other Post-Industrial pursuits. The labor force is 7,474,192 or roughly 65% of the general population. While conditions of the people on the island have improved significantly since the revolution, poverty is still quite common on the island, especially among those who are unemployed, and nearly 15% of the population is considered to be living under the national poverty line. Since the revolution, transport infrastructure has expanded significantly, with rail lines in particular seeing substantial improvement in quality thanks in no small part to the actions of Verdean and Capisarian development organizations. The power production system is however, lagging somewhat behind the transportation system. The government controls roughly 27% of the value of the economy with significant portions of government expenditure dedicated to economic development and providing services to the population, with law enforcement and national defense also relatively important budget priorities.
Military
The armed forces of the Confederacy of Lesser Verdean islands, which is supervised by the President of the Confederacy as its Commander in Chief. The armed forces are unified under the command of the Confederate Navy, which includes the Naval Infantry, with the exception of a small detachment of separate Presidential Guards. The Confederate Navy is entirely funded by the state, and staffed by volunteers. There are currently 16,156 personnel serving in the Armed Forces, with the current size of the Presidential Guard detachment standing at 218 strong. Currently the budget of the Confederate Navy is $553,463,932, or .5% of the nation's GDP. Currently the Confederate Navy largely operates using second hand equipment sold by Capisarian, Verdean, and Valian military forces.
Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement in the Confederacy of Lesser Verdean Islands is almost entirely provided at the level of individual Island-States, with smaller local, and national law enforcement authorities. These state police forces provide most of the beat law enforcement, investigations, traffic enforcement, and to a significantly lesser extent counter-terrorism, with local law enforcement authorities providing assistance with these functions, or outright taking on those roles within the largest urban centers. The national police, referred to as the Confederate Investigative Bureau, which assists state police forces in investigations with specialized expertise. Law enforcement authorities currently have 124,575 persons serving in that capacity, and has a budget of $415,097,450 NSD.
Human Development
In spite of efforts to develop the Confederacy, it remains a relatively underdeveloped nation, the most underdeveloped nation among the core of Culturally Verdean Nations. This is perhaps excepted by the the education system which is significantly better than other systems thanks in no small part to volunteers from the Republic of Verde who teach citizens of the Confederacy not only basic education, but even more advanced subjects. Most Confederate citizens receive an education over the course of roughly ten to twelve years with a few being further educated by another three to four years. Healthcare is largely provided a by large number of, admittedly understaffed and under-equipped, clincs as well as a few larger hospitals that also seem to suffer logistically. The average of standard of living in the Confederacy is fairly low in comparison to most other Verdeans, with perhaps the exception of Doradans, and the overwhelming majority lacks the luxuries that are common in better developed nations.
Culture
The culture of Lesser Verde is heavily influenced by that of its cousins in the Republic of Verde, with the other major cultural influencer being that of Native Especian cultures. Religious activities are relatively unimportant to the average citizen of the Confederacy, especially in comparison to citizens of many other Culturally Verdean Nations. Architecture is a hodgepodge in the Confederacy with heavy influences from classical, modernist, and pragmatist influences. The various islands have distinctive cuisine culture, though seafood generally appears universally. The Confederacy is a net importer of entertainment, though in recent years the television industry has begun to grow in influence. Currently Lesser Verde, operates a number of bullfighting and football arenas, as well as a number of venues for Soliluna, a game imported by Native Especians.