Strossen

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Strossen
Vrisdad Strossens
Free City of Strossen
Strossen's harbour
Strossen's harbour
CountryFile:Flag vyv.png Vyvland
ProvinceFile:Krosflag.png Kros
Municipal CollectiveStrossen-Sangerstraand
Crossprovincial CollectiveStrossen-Langmaaf
Parliament constituency6 seats
Government
 • MayorErnsde Howedman (S)
Population
 (2012)
 • Total624,980
DemonymStrosser
Time zoneUTC-6
Postcode
G0000-G2999
Phone code178 (ST)
Elevation6m
Websitehttp://www.strossen.rg.vy

Strossen (pronounced /tʃoːzən/, locally /ʑozn̩/) is a port city in Vyvland and the capital of Kros province. It is the sixth-largest city, and the largest coastal city, in Vyvland, with a population of over 600,000; this figure rises to roughly one million when nearby suburban towns such as Langmaaf are included. Owing to its sheltered location, Strossen is Vyvland's largest container port, with 3.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units' worth of cargo passing through every year. The city's location in the southwest of Vyvland, in addition to its coastal, densely-built situation (causing a strong urban heat island effect) also makes it one of the warmest areas in Vyvland, with the highest temperature ever recorded in the country - 39.8°C - occurring in 1996.

History

Strossen has always been a port town due to its natural deep water port. Its existence as a small fishing port was first mentioned in the Chronicles of Mirramais, written in around 790. Later records describe Strossen as being a fiefdom of Stanmer. However, it remained relatively minor until the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when trade with continental West Esquarium began to take off. By 1850, Strossen was handling two-thirds of Vyvland's annual imports and half of the country's exports. The cheapness and availability of many commodities therefore developed major industries in Strossen, most notably in textile manufacture. However, Strossen's rapid growth during the 19th and early 20th centuries led to a very densely-packed city structure.

After the Vyvlander Civil War, Strossen lost some of its prominence, as Lyksdal, which was a key destination for imports and source of exports for Strossen, was no longer accessible to the city. This led to an extended period of industrial decline, although this trend had been mostly stemmed by 1970 due to the economic policies of Erman Sanker. After reunification, the city saw massive growth into suburban areas such as Fi Mels, the desirable beach resort of Sangerstraand, and suburban Langmaaf.

Transport

The post-reunification growth of Strossen has necessitated the opening of the Strossen Subway, a modern mass transit network comprising four underground and surface-level lines. The city is also a major node on Vyvland's national rail network, in addition to being the terminus of one of Vyvland's few private rail lines, the Sangerstraandsbaan, in addition to having an airport, Vef Airport Strossen, in the town of Dump over the border in Kafren-Grunir province. Road transport in the city is often congested, while the steep geography of the local area limits the road accessibility of the city to the rest of the country.

Governance

Strossen is governed by Strossen City Council and is an independent city, meaning the City Council has control over all the functions of both a municipality and a province. Strossen is the newest of Vyvland's independent cities, having been created in 2014.

Owing to Strossen's history of dock work and heavy industry, it is a stronghold for the Socialist Party, who hold a majority on the City Council. However, Daniel Jredulv, the current mayor, is a member of the Liberal Party. Since the 2013 general election, Strossen has returned six MPs to Parliament - five from the Socialist Party and one Liberal.