Montecalvo

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Montecalvo
City
Castillo de San Juan Bautista.jpg
President's Summer home, Rio Negro Palace, Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro.jpg
Calle Bethencourt Alfonso 01.jpg
Parque 15.jpg
Salvador BA.jpg
Clockwise from top: the Castelo Negro, the Parque Central, the Luz no Fin de Terra atop the Castelo de Punto Sur, the Casa Amarelo, Calle Eutelo Testa Arceo.
CountryChampenia
GeneralityMontecalvo
DepartmentMontecalvo
CommuneMontecalvo
Established708 A.D
Royal CapitalSeptember 1, 1507
LegislatureCity Assembly of Montecalvo
Government
 • MayorMarcos Vina Ferreiro (PDL)
Area
 • City642 km2 (248 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)
 • City1,507,315
 • Density2,300/km2 (6,100/sq mi)
 • Urban
2,069,093
 • Urban density3,222.8/km2 (8,376.8/sq mi)
 • Metro
3,576,408
DemonymMontecalvito/Montecalvita
Time zoneUTC -6
Websitewww.cidademontecalvo.ca

Montecalvo is a city located in the southeast of Champenia. It is the principality's administrative capital. The Royal Family of Champenia, including the Prince, also reside in the city. With just over 3.5 million inhabitants, Montecalvo is the second largest city in Champenia after Arausio.

The region around Montecalvo has been inhabited since pre-Latin times, but the city itself was not founded until after the collapse of the Latin Republic. A trading and fishing port, Montecalvo's initial prominence faded after the rise of rival ports such as Bosventos and Arausio. The city was largely destroyed during the latter stages of the Princely Wars, resulting in large population and economic losses. However, the unification of Champenia in the late 15th century provided a new renaissance for the city. At the behest of Prince Ignacio I, Montecalvo became the official royal capital of the new united Champenia on September 1, 1507. As the city was still suffering from centuries of neglect, Ignacio I presided over one of the largest renovations and expansions of his new capital in Champenian history, providing many of the historical religious buildings, fortifications, and palaces that still exist today. Further growth came during the 17th century, when the city became Champenia's administrative capital. Under the rule of Prince Sexto V, Montecalvo saw its second great expansion with the creation of the Nova Cidade, a redevelopment of the central city using planning and architectural designs from Aininian Emérique Harnois. These also included new buildings for cultural activities such as art galleries and theatres.

Since the late 17th century, Montecalvo has been at the forefront of Champenia's historical and cultural development. It hosts numerous museums, theatres, art galleries as well as Champenia's most prestigious artistic institutions. Montecalvo has also been at the front of Champenia's intellectual development, hosting Champenia's legislative bodies, government agencies and ministries, and some of Champenia's most prominent universities and other educational establishments. These have made Montecalvo one of the cultural capitals of Conitia.

Montecalvo today is a vibrant multicultural city and one which enjoys a high standard of living. It is also one of the most environmentally friendly cities in Conitia, and regularly features in surveys as one of the most livable cities in Esquarium. Montecalvo has a booming tourism industry, with the city recently establishing a new record of 4.7 million visitors in 2017.

History

Geography

Montecalvo is situated in southeastern Champenia on a narrow coastal plain between the Lazarene Sea in the south and the foothills of the Cadea de Sol. Over its gradual expansion, the city has moved eastwards and westwards along the coastal plain and now numerous beaches and bays can be found within the city and its wider metropolitan area.

Several prominent hills and low rises can be found around the city. These areas are often part of urban parks or the site of historical sites. Many of the hills are named after a specific animal that either once inhabited the hill. The tallest of these hills is Monte Cabra, located in the south central part of the city. It has a prominence of 92 metres above the surrounding city. Further south, closer to the coast, is Monte Sal. Rather than a hill, Monte Sal is the name of a short ridge that stretches for several kilometres in the city's southeast. It is home to some of the city's most exclusive homes and neighbourhoods. In the city's north central area, Monte Real is the most prominent and notable for being the location of two royal palaces and the Royal Gardens.

Praia Central on Montecalvo's central coast.

Montecalvo's beaches are some of the city's greatest natural attractions, with the city itself home to 21 different beaches in numerous bays found along the coastline. Many of the city's central beaches, such as Praia Central and Praia de Reis, are some of the most popular and most famous within the city, and have often featured in promotional films and postcards, making them among the most widely known natural icons of Montecalvo. Many other beaches in the city, such as Praia de Este and Area Laranxa are more popular among locals as they are less packed with tourists.

Most of Montecalvo's beaches are separated by rocky headlands, with the most famous of these headlands being Punto Sur, the southernmost point of land in Champenia and the second most southern point on the Hagierian Peninsular. These headlands provide homes and refuges for numerous bird species, as well as seals and sea lions. The colonies of these birds and mammals are in of themselves popular tourist attractions. These headlands are protected areas and together form the Montecalvo Marine Reserve, which stretches along the entire coast of the city.

Several rivers flow through Montecalvo, the largest of which is the Rio Verde, which flows through the central city and into the sea at the western end of the Praia Central. The Rio Verde is the most important river of the city, as it facilitated trade and communications in the early days of the modern city. Significant redevelopment of the river front has been undertaken in order to make it more attractive to tourists as well as more pedestrian friendly. Other rives, such as the Rio Ferreira and the Rio Ignacio, flow into the Rio Verde. Much of the land around these rivers has remained parkland, including one of the few remaining mangrove forests in Montecalvo.

Climate

Montecalvo has a tropical savanna climate, with the climate classification code AWha applying to Montecalvo's specific climate. Being located within the tropics and facing the Lazarene Sea, Montecalvo's climate is very much influenced by the ocean. The city experiences two seasons, wet and dry.

The wet season lasts between April and November, with the wettest period of the year occurring between May and October. The wet season is marked by an increase in temperatures in addition to the heavy rainfall, with an increase in humidity occurring in the late season. Daily temperatures during this period average between 27-30°C and high temperatures averaging between 30-33°C. Rainfall during this period is plentiful, with five of the eight months of the wet season recording over 100mm (3.9 inches) per month. A slight increase in the number of rainy days is recorded, although cloud cover remains consistent. This is largely due to the majority of the rainfall occurring during convective activity, especially in the middle and late parts of the wet season when the sea is at its warmest. These thunderstorms can produce torrential rain that often results in minor flooding, although in the past it has produced serious flash floods when storms move considerable distances inland. Humidity is reasonably high, with 77-79% humidity between April and July, and 80-83% between August and March.

The dry season is comparatively short, lasting for four months of the year between December and March. Cooler temperatures prevail during the dry months of the year and a marked decrease in rainfall. However, high humidity remains for half of the season and doesn't drop until February. Daily temperatures average between 25-27°C and high temperatures between 26-29°C. Nights are cooler too, averaging around 20-21°C. Rainfall is also signifcantly lower during this period, as water temperatures in the Lazarene Sea are often cooler, and thus produce less convective activity. The climate during the dry season is considered to be the best climate, with a mixture of mild or warm temperatures and pleasant, sunny weather.

Montecalvo's highest recorded temperature is 38.9°C, observed on July 5, 1995. It's lowest recorded temperature is 12.7°C, observed on January 19, 1942.

Parks

Montecalvo has a large system of parks and reserves spread throughout its metropolitan area. Most of the parks are the responsibility of individual communes that make up the metropolitan area of Montecalvo. Two royal gardens and the world's only urban national park complete can be found within the urban limits of Montecalvo.

The Crown of Champenia maintains the grounds of the two royal residences within Montecalvo; the Palacio Imperial and the Casa Amarelo. The former has substantial parkland and gardens which are open to the public throughout the year, the only exceptions being statutory holidays and whenever official royal functions, such as diplomatic visits of foreign heads of state, are being held at the palace itself. The gardens are the largest of any royal property in Champenia, and contain over a dozen separate fountains and ponds. Over 100 different species and varieties of flowers and flowering plants can be found among the many flowerbeds within the gardens, with the gardens itself designed by Aininian designer Laurent Surette. The gardens that surround the Casa Amarelo are usually off limits to the general public when the Prince and his family are in residence, and are only opened when the Prince is away. The gardens there are smaller than those at the Palacio Imperial, and were considered to be more personal affairs for the Princes who have tended them.

Montecalvo's most famous park is the Parque Central, which is located in the central city. Although not the biggest urban park, it is by far the most well known and most popular, appearing in numerous Champenian-language movies and TV shows, as well as in several foreign films. The Parque Central is considered to be the focal point for the central city, and is surrounded by many cafes and upscale restaurants.

Esquarium's only urban national park, Antonio Valladares National Park, is located on Montecalvo's central coast just behind the Praia Central. Prior to the explosion of urban development in the 1950's and 1960's, the area was covered in thick mangrove swamps. Progressive urban development threatened to completely destroy the mangroves until protests began in 1971 to protect them. In 1973, the remaining 215 hectares was designated as protected land and development prohibited. The significance of the mangrove protests in the 1970's in establishing environmentalism as a mainstream social and political movement within Champenia resulted in the park being upgraded to national park status in 1998, and renamed in honour of the leader of the protest movement that saved it, Antonio Valladares Mato, in 2003. It is the most visited and smallest national park in Champenia, and the only one in Esquarium served by a metro station.

Montecalvo's oldest park is the Xardín Real Botánico located in the north of city close to the two royal residences. It was first created as part of the wider renovations by Prince Ignacio I in January 1511 and has steadily grown and developed ever since. The gardens host a variety of flora and fauna and were initially created as a private garden for the Prince to acclimatise various plants from more temperate countries. In August 1543, Prince Ignacio II decreed that the gardens be opened to the public for their enjoyment, and the focus be put on preservation and education of tropical flora and fauna found within southern Champenia. The park is currently maintained and owned by the Botanical Society of Montecalvo (Sociadade Botánico de Montecalvo), Champenia's oldest non-profit organisation.

Government

The Montecalvo City Council is composed of two primary authorities; the Mayor, who serves as the executive and manages the communal government of the city, and the Communal Legislative Assembly (Asemblea Lexislativa Comunitaria), who are the legislative body. An additional body, the Executive Council, exists as the primary policy-making body of the council.

The Mayor of Montecalvo is the executive of the city council, in that all final decisions reached by the Executive Council and all legislation passed by the Communal Legislative Assembly are approved by the Mayor. The Mayor's role also involves appointing officials to head departments that manage the city's public services and agencies. The Mayor, like all others in Champenia, are elected to five year terms, with ranked voting determining who wins the mayoralty. The incumbent mayor is Marcos Vina Ferreiro, who took the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) to its third consecutive electoral victory in 2014.

Casa Cívico is the seat of the Montecalvo City Council.

The Communal Legislative Assembly is the legislative body of the Montecalvo City Council and essentially functions as a minor parliament with significantly more limited powers. The Assembly has a total of 60 sitting members who are elected to their positions concurrent with the mayor. Each of the members come from 15 multi-member voting districts which use ranked voting to determine who wins seats. Legislation passed by the Assembly is generally limited to laws that concern city matters, and do not have any effect outside of the commune. In addition, the Assembly acts as a body that generally holds the Executive Council and the Mayor to account surrounding policy and other matters of local governance. Currently the Democratic Liberal Party has a majority in the Assembly, holding 34 out of 60 seats. The second and third largest political parties are the National People's Party with 22 seats, and the Ecological Movement with three seats. The remaining seat is held by an independent candidate.

The Executive Council (Consello Executivo) is the body that fits between the legislative and executive bodies of the city council. It is composed of 20 appointed members who oversee departments, public services, and the agencies which provide those services. Representatives from the city's emergency services and the Chamber of Commerce are also present on the council. All members have the ability to debate, discuss and set public policy for the city's government and future planning.

Outside of the city council is the Metropolitan Council (Consello Metropolitano), which is composed of the mayors of the 25 communes that make up the metropolitan area of Montecalvo. The Metropolitan Council's primary function is the broad coordination and planning of essential government services. It encourages cooperation and communication between the diverse local government authorities on key public policies as well as joint planning and response towards civil defence emergencies.

Administrative Divisions

The commune of Montecalvo is divided into 16 different neighbourhoods or barrios. These have virtually no sublevel of government whatsoever outside from local community groups. Neighbourhoods are primarily geographic subdivisions used for the provision of essential services and administration.

The barrios of Montecalvo are:

Furthermore, Montecalvo's metropolitan area is composed of an additional 25 communes that compose both urban and semi-urban areas. These communes are administered independently of the commune of Montecalvo, but contribute equally to shared public services.

Economy

The skyline of the central business district of Montecalvo.

Montecalvo has a GDP of ₱8.04 trillion ($54.02 billion) with a GDP per capita of ₱5.3 million ($35,839). The city itself constitutes 5.7% of the national GDP, with the metropolitan area responsible for 15.2%. It ranks second in Champenia in terms of total GDP and GDP per capita, behind Arausio. Montecalvo's economy is diversified and robust, with significant manufacturing, finance, trade, and tourism sectors.

Montecalvo has Champenia's third largest manufacturing sector behind Arausio and Carranxa, with the sector responsible for 12.6% of the GDP. Most manufacturing in Montecalvo is precision manufacturing as well as light manufacturing, consisting primarily of white goods and electronic appliances. Successive initiatives have been implemented, aimed at encouraging domestic and multinational companies to set up manufacturing facilities in Montecalvo's metropole. These initiatives have been very successful, resulting in Montecalvo's status as Champenia's second largest electronic goods manufacturer. Microchips, motherboards and other electronic hardware are also manufactured around Montecalvo, owing to the city's investment in attracting information and technology companies. Many of these companies are domestic firms, often having corporate offices in the city. These companies often produce specialist electronic components rather than compete with cheaper mass manufacturing elsewhere. Among these companies are Navitec, which manufactures components and microchips specifically for navigational aids and GPS systems.

Outside of light and precision manufacturing, Montecalvo is known for its coachbuilders, in particular those for passenger vehicles and buses. Over two dozen companies once existed in the city building bespoke bodywork for a variety of customers. Changes in manufacturing processes and subsequent decline in customers saw the majority of these companies disappear. The three leading coachbuilders in Montecalvo were amalgamated in 1955 to create Carrocerías de Montecalvo, which is still in business. Commonly abbreviated to CM, the company manufactures bodies for buses in addition to railway carriages for Champenia's state railways. The company remains an important employer in Montecalvo, and has factories across Champenia and wider Conitia.

Finance and banking are important services in Montecalvo, contributing 19.3% to the GDP of the city. The city is home to Champenia's major financial institutions, including the Royal Bank of Champenia, the Ministry of Finance, and the Royal Mint. Two of Champenia's largest banks, the Royal Bank and the National Savings Bank, are also headquartered in the city, in addition to the Royal Pension Fund and Royal Insurance, Champenia's largest provider of public health insurance. Although most major banks are headquartered in Arausio, Montecalvo is home to many of Champenia's credit unions, the largest being Crédito Mutuo and Sociedade Agrícola, the latter being the largest provider of banking services to rural communities. Approximately 12.3% of the labour force is employed in Montecalvo's finance and banking industry, the largest proportion in the services sector. The city ranks quite low in Conitia in terms of financial importance, ranking 25th in Conitia and 52nd in Esquarium in terms of size, value and importance.

Trade and logistics is a small but fast growing industry in Montecalvo, particularly thanks to regional and national initiatives to increase rail freight as well as the global explosion in online shopping. Montecalvo is positioning itself to be one of two export and import hubs in Champenia, with the Port of Montecalvo seeing significant expansion and investment in the last decade. Companies like Rapido and Loxística Expresa have established substantial warehouses in Montecalvo in order to cater to the demand of online shopping. Total economic contributions to Montecalvo's GDP are 5.6% of the GDP, and employment of 1.3% of the workforce.

Tourism is a significant industry in Montecalvo, responsible for 35.7% of the GDP and employing 12.1% of the labour force. Approximately 3.2 million tourists visit Montecalvo annually, which makes the capital the second most visited city in Champenia after Arausio. Most tourists are domestic tourists, either doing business in the city or visiting from elsewhere in Champenia, with about 34% of the city's tourists being international visitors.

Transportation

Public Transport

Public transportation in Montecalvo is managed by Transportes Integrados S.A, a publicly owned company which operates Montecalvo's bus, tram and subway services. These services are integrated through a highly automated route administrative system and control center commonly known as O Cerebro (The Brain) but officially known as the Transportation Management Center (Centro de Xestión de Transporte, CXT), which also manages the city's motorway network and issues traffic advisories. Montecalvo has Champenia's second highest public transportation patronage, with an annual ridership of the city's bus, subway and tram networks of 1.15 billion. The network has a smart card, Vaia!, which allows for access to all networks operated by Transportes Integrados, as well as the commuter rail network, Montecalvo's taxi and independent shuttle services, and ViBi, Montecalvo's cycle share network.

A bus operated by Transportes Integrados.

Montecalvo's bus services were formally two separate networks merged into Transportes Integrados in the 1970's. One network operated Montecalvo's former trolleybus network, the other operated regular route buses. Together there are approximately 317 bus routes operated around Montecalvo, including 32 in the commune itself. Most of the buses operate regular routes, but express routes and interurban routes also exist, the latter travelling between urban centers within the metropolitan area. All bus services are branded under Guaguas Metropolitanas, with buses all wearing a plain yellow livery. The independent shuttle services also share branding, and are where the slang term guagua originates. Each shuttle bus is owner-operated and uses the same fare system as regular route buses. Approximately 1.05 million people use the bus and shuttle network daily.

The Tranvía Urbano is Montecalvo's tram network, consisting of three tram lines operating in the central city and the immediate inner suburbs outside of Montecalvo. The tram network first began construction in 2007 and initially consisted of two tram lines, replacing bus routes that had become over saturated with buses and difficult to maintain with increasing passenger growth. Approximately ₱4.03 billion ($27.2 million) was spent on construction of the first two lines between 2007 and 2011, with the third line built between 2013 and 2017, costing ₱1.89 billion ($12.8 million) to build. A fourth line is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed in 2022. Montecalvo had previously operated trams, both horse drawn and electric, between 1889 and 1961, when the network was replaced largely by both buses and the expanding subway system. Currently the network handles around 67,000 passengers per day.

The Tren Subterráneo Eléctrico (TSE), commonly known in Montecalvo and Champenia as O Grito (The Screamer), after the wailing noises made by the original units, is Montecalvo's underground railway system. The first phase of construction began in 1937 and did not finish until 1952, with the first line opening in 1943. The second phase of construction began in 1966, with the intent of creating five new lines in addition to the five in existence. Construction of the second phase was marred by delays and didn't finish until 1982, a year after the third phase of the network's expansion began. The third phase would finish in 2005, completing the current network of 16 lines and 76 stations. The TSE is one of three underground mass transit systems in operation, alongside those in Arausio and Osoríos. Approximately 2.05 million people use the TSE daily.

Commuter rail services are operated by Trens Urbanos de Montecalvo (TUM), which operates under the TransMetro brand. TUM is a separate company that acts as a semi-collective, with the workers and the metropolitan government sharing the revenue and profits the system makes. Currently TUM maintains and operates a fleet of 72 electric multiple units on 34 electrified railway lines, with the principal hub of the network being Montecalvo Central Station. Additionally, Ferrocarrís de Estado operate as a franchise on Montecalvo's commuter network, running double deck electric multiple units under the Interurbano brand. Collectively the network transports around 525,000 passengers daily, with 191.62 million trips made on the commuter rail network each year.

General

Montecalvo is a regional transportation hub for southeastern Champenia, acting as a hub for rail and road transport as well as having the second busiest airport in the country. The Port of Montecalvo ranks third in terms of total exports and imports, behind the ports of Arausio and Bosventos.

Montecalvo is a regional hub for the autovía network. Champenia's main east-west motorway, the A1, passes through the city and connects the central part of Montecalvo with the western and eastern suburbs, as well as the city's main airport. The A1 also passes by the Port of Montecalvo and serves as Montecalvo's cross-city artery. To the east, the A1 connects to the M1 in Mespalia, and links the city with Iouzzene. Novocastelo is the last major urban area before the border with Mespalia. To the west, the A1 connects Montecalvo with Carranxa and [[Arausio}}, the two closest major metropolitan centres. The A7 connects Montecalvo with Monteverde and Tarraco in the Cadea de Sol, and beyond that, the inland city of Veselia. Several expressways which connect to the national network are present in the city in an effort to provide connections around the city and to the wider metropolitan area. Because the city is primarily coastal, many of these ring roads are not true ring roads. These roads are known as lindeiros, after the word for boundary, with three existing in the city. The First, Second, and Third Lindeiros are geographic landmarks in their own right, denoting the separation of Montecalvo's inner and outer suburbs. Another bypass, which was built between 2007 and 2012, takes through traffic from the A1 and reroutes it through the northern suburbs of Montecalvo, connecting it with the A7 before taking traffic back to the A1. It is not considered to be a lindeiro, instead being called the Northern Circular Road. The A1 is the busiest road in Montecalvo, seeing an average of 231,000 vehicles on the road every day.

The city itself has a mixture of city streets and avenues, with the layout often considered to be confusing due to the different stages of development of the city. Montecalvo is often regarded as one of the worst cities in Champenia to navigate, even with the aid of a map, due to the poor signage and confusing street layout. The city has invested millions of dollars into signage to make getting around the city easier for locals and tourists alike. Montecalvo is also regarded as one of the worst cities for traffic gridlock, despite successful increases in public transport usage. According to a 2012 study by the Chamber of Commerce, commuters who use cars to travel to work recorded an average of 42 minutes every day in traffic jams, third behind Arausio and Osoríos.

The Estación Central is Montecalvo's principal train station. It is a part of the city's public transport network as well as handling intercity and international rail services. Built in 1872, the station is the largest and oldest in Montecalvo and handles approximately 325,000 passengers a day. The Estación Central is primarily served by Ferrocarrís de Estado, which provides regular and high speed train services with cities to the west, regional railway services to the east, and a regular twice daily train to the Mespalian capital Iouzzene. It is the eastern terminus of the TRX high speed service, which links Montecalvo with cities such as Arausio, Bosventos, and Carranxa. In the north of Montecalvo, the Estación Ferreira, named after railway pioneer Aurelio Ferreira Pina, handles all railway traffic from north of the city. It is significantly less busier, seeing about 95,000 passengers a day. The station was built between 1942 and 1946 to divert some of the passenger and train traffic away from the Estación Central.

Montecalvo is served by two commercial airports. The largest is Xaquin Valladares Acuna International Airport, which handles purely passenger traffic. The airport is the second largest in Champenia in terms of size and by passenger numbers, with 24.2 million passengers annually. Named after Champenia's most famous aviator, the airport grounds are the headquarters of numerous companies, including Champenia's flag carrier LACA as well as Infrava, a holding company that owns many of Champenia's international airports. Xaquin Valladares Acuna International is served by more than 30 airlines and provides connections to numerous destinations in Borea, Conitia, Nautasia and Nordania. Located northeast of the city is Boaventura Airport, named after the city of Boaventura, one of the satellite cities in Montecalvo's metropolitan area. Boaventua Airport primarily handles cargo aircraft, charter flights and smaller commercial operations, as well as most general aviation flights. Among other businesses located on airport grounds, Boaventua Airport is the location of the Montecalvo International Aviation Academy (ACAVIMO), an institution associated with the Royal University of Montecalvo.

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