The Grand Canyon Alliance

Commonwealth of the Grand Canyon Alliance
Flag
Motto: From the desert, we rise.
Anthem: Call of the Canyon
Capital and largest city	New Vegas
Official languages	English - Spanish
Religion	65% Christian - 19% Unaffiliated - 13% Muslim - 3% Jewish
Demonym(s)	Canyonian
Government	Federal presidential constitutional republic
• Interim President	Leonardo M. Cabrera
• Interim Vice President	Patrick C. Walton
• Interim Senate Majority Leader	Harold K. Franklin
Legislature	Congress
Establishment
• The Colony of New Vegas Founded	April 12th, 1906
• Unincorporated Territory of New Vegas Established	May 15th, 1948
• Commonwealth of the Grand Canyon Alliance Proclaimed	February 9th, 2020
• Interim Constitution Adopted	February 11th, 2020
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$86,258,900,465.13
• Per capita	$9,584.32
Currency	Grand Canyon Dollar (GCD)

The Commonwealth of the Grand Canyon Alliance (GCA), commonly known as the Alliance or the Commonwealth, is a country located on the northeastern shore of the Southern Continent. It includes the New Vegas peninsula, the southern-most 4 islands in the Elcano Archipelago, and the New Mohave Desert, which includes the Grand Canyon.

History

Pre-United States Colonization

Pre-Colonial Period

Little is known about the land now known as the Grand Canyon Alliance prior to European contact. Aside from the Elcano Archipelago and parts of the New Vegas Peninsula, the Alliance is mostly desert (specifically the New Mojave). As a result, there is only small amounts of evidence many people actually lived there prior to any sort of colonization.

The settlement which did occur in this period was mostly reserved to movements onto the New Vegas Peninsula, primarily from the desert nomads which still roam the area to this day. Settlements in southern Elcano were more common, as the islands are lush and tropical. While these indigenous people could have easily reached New Vegas, there is little evidence they did for whatever reason. As a result, evidence shows the peninsula was only occupied temporarily, with nomads setting up camp there but never permanently remaining there. The reasons for these stays is unknown.

Spanish Colonization

In 1521, Spanish explorer Juan Sebastián Elcano discovered the New Continents following Ferdinand Magellan's death on the Philippine Islands. After exploring the Eastern Continent, Elcano moved West and hit the Elcano Archipelago, which was named for him. Elcano subsequently claimed the islands for Spain, but did not attempt to colonize the islands at that point as he feared Magellan's fate.

Following the long-awaited colonization of the Philippines half a century later, explorers moved towards the Southern Continent, specifically the Elcano Archipelago. Explorers were only able to colonize the southern-most four islands, though, as stiff native resistance in the north stopped the Spanish in their tracks. After this, the Spanish did not attempt to venture to the Northern Continent.

The first Spanish settlements were on the Elcano Archipelago, notaby on the island of Juarez, where Juarez City is today. Other, smaller settlements were established on the other southern islands as colonizers hoped to find gold or spices. Spices were found on Juarez but nowhere else, and as a result, the other islands were practically abandoned by the early-17th century. It was at this point that Spanish settlers moved into the New Vegas Peninsula. They settled the city of New Vegas, which they called Carlito.

As the city grew, the settlers sought to establish themselves as an official colony. Working together with the residents of Juarez, they petitioned the King of Spain. This petition was quickly denied, though, and instead the areas went under the de facto administration of the Philippines. Henceforth, Juarez and Carlito (modern-day New Vegas) were sparsely settled and extremely minor aspects of the Spanish Empire. For their entire Spanish colonial history, they were administered by the Filipino colonial government in Manila.

In the 18th century, settlers in Juarez did settle the other three Elcano islands more properly, and attempted once again to move into the northern islands -- they were once again pushed out by natives, though. A similar thing happened in 1798, when citizens of Carlito tried to move south into the New Mojave Desert. It was at this point that the canyon now known as the Second Grand Canyon was discovered. But, the settlers did not enjoy the desert, and constant assaults from the desert nomads meant that they could not push significantly southward. They set up one military outpost, which they named Puesto Avanzado del Cañón (today the City of Grand Canyon). By the time of the Spanish-American War, Juarez and Carlito were practically ghost towns, and Puesto was all but abandoned. Many of the settlers there preferred to live in Spain or the mainland Philippines.

Under United States Rule

Colony of New Vegas: 1906-1948

Following the Spanish-American War, the United States of America acquired the Philippines, including Juarez and Carlito. For a few years, the US did nothing with these territories, but by the end of Theodore Roosevelt's second term as president, their imperial ambition grew. Consequently, the Americans quickly made Juarez and Carlito their own colony, grouping the entire area now known as the GCA under the name "New Vegas". Consequently, they renamed the actual city of Carlito to New Vegas, as a result of former Las Vegas mayor Frederick Pullman becoming Governor-General of the new colony.

As Governor-General, Pullman worked diligently to develop the land he was granted into a full-fledged society. His primary focus was on the city of New Vegas, which became America's eastern jewel by the mid-1910s. He specifically focused on encouraging immigration from the mainland US to boost demand for goods (focusing primarily on retail), as well as expanding the gambling industry (which he pioneered as mayor of Las Vegas). Pullman also converted the southern Elcano Archipelago into a trade hub and a conglomeration of naval bases. Recognizing Juarez's instrumental position for global trade, he ensured that the US had full control over movements through the Elcano strait. This made Pullman extremely popular in Washington, and allowed him to work on other projects with little oversight.

Notably, Pullman moved into the New Mojave, and expanded Puesto Avanzado del Cañón into the modern-day city of Grand Canyon. Recognizing the Second Grand Canyon as a potential tourist attraction, as well as the "western" appeal living alongside it would have, the city became a sprawling masterpiece under his rule. Once again, though, further movement south was deterred by nomads, and Pullman made an agreement with them to not move any further south as long as Grand Canyon was not touched.

In 1942, after 36 years of Governor-Generalship, Pullman died.