Windstrand
Windstrand | |
|---|---|
  .jpg)  Clockwise from top: the skyline of Windstrand along The Strip, a pathway through the Botanical Gardens, condominiums lining West Beach, the colonial Hennish architecture of the Oustad, Windstrand City Hall | |
| Nickname: "The Windy City" | |
| Country | Nuvania |
| Province | Etten |
| District | Windstrand |
| Municipality | Windstrand |
| Established | August 5, 1547 |
| Legislature | Windstrand City Council |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Yvette Ryder (DAP) |
| Population (October 2021) | |
| • Urban | 3,155,853 |
| • Metro | 4,714,937 |
| Demonym | Windstrander |
| Time zone | UTC -6 |
| Website | www.wcc.nv |
Windstrand is a city located on the northern coast of Nuvania, straddling the equator as well as Nuvania's northernmost point, Cape Kuypers. With a total population of 4.6 million, it is the second largest city in Nuvania, and the largest city in Etten province. The city is an important manufacturing and logistics centre, and is the location of Nuvania's largest and busiest port.
Founded on August 5, 1547, Windstrand was known as Port Veer throughout most of its early existence as a trading port as well as the jumping point for Hennish settlement by the First Hennish Republic, whose South Asterian Company (ZAK), established Windstrand as the settlement. Windstrand's growth and influence was tied both to the colonialism and conquest of the ZAK and to its connections with other Hennish colonies in the West Arucian Sea, and those of other Euclean states. Windstrand competed with Pietersburg for influence and prestige within the ZAK colonies, which were assumed by the Sotirian Commonwealth between 1642 and 1719. The city became wealthy with the conquests of both the Tairona and the Mwiska peoples, seeing massive trade in gold, silver, precious stones, and salt. Beginning in the early 18th century, Windstrand was also underpinned by an increase in trade in cash crops from farms grown in Etten province, of which it was the capital until the establishment of Ettensburg in 1712.
Windstrand's growth continued through the Grand Duchy of Flamia and into Estmerish rule, the latter seeing substantial population and economic growth as well as development, with a number of famous buildings built during Estmerish rule. The city played an important part in the War of the Arucian, the port hosting much of the Nuvanian fleet that helped secure victory, and became one of the most multicultural cities in Nuvania owing to its economic importance.
The city was renamed from Port Veer to Windstrand in 1898 and was at the forefront of Nuvania's industrialisation, hosting a large number of factories that grew until the Great Collapse. During the Volksfront era, a policy of the separation of ethnicities was used for Windstrand's urban planning, which then went on to be used around the country. This urban planning policy was one of the factors in the deadly Maitland riot in 1949, and subsequently saw the birth of a social and civil rights movement for Nuvania's minority communities in the 1950's. The city saw significant social upheaval in the 1960's with the May riots taking place in 1969 as well as other significant social protests. This lead to significant changes in how the city was managed, including the allocation of housing to various different ethnic groups. Windstrand became a model for other large cities in Nuvania, and the Windstrand model is often used as a template for both social housing and private developments.
Today, Windstrand remains one of the most liveable cities in Nuvania in terms of safety and quality of life, and prior to the Pico de Sangue eruption, was one of the country's most important tourist destinations. It also remains one of the most multicultural cities in Nuvania.
Etymology
Windstrad was named Port Veer after Fransz de Veer, the first appointed director of the South Asterian Company (ZAK) who helped to found the city and became its first administrator. It was originally to be named Heemskerck after the Stadtholder Cornelis van Heemskerck but this was rejected in favour of Port Veer by the inhabitants, or Veerspoort in Hennish. Windstrand appeared as Veerspoort in Hennish maps and documents, and from 1749 until 1898, as Port Veer. A proposal to rename the city Kuypersburg after the death of former Minister-General Adriaan Kuypers was rejected by the then town council and the inhabitants after a plebiscite on the issue.
The Windstrand name comes from the Estmerish and Hennish words "wind" and the Hennish strand for beach, noting that the city had continual sea breezes as well as trade winds blowing from the north and northeast. The proposal to rename the city had originally been mooted in 1879 but was deemed to be unimportant. The post-independence national government of Piet van Kyl thought of the prior name as being too reminiscent of the colonial period, and passed laws in Parliament to have the name changed as part of a wider program to rename cities and towns the government felt to have too much Estmerish influence. Thus in 1898, the city's name was officially changed to Windstrand. It would take a plebiscite held in December 1941 to affirm the city's name as Windstrand in the eyes of the general public.
History
Precolonial settlements
Precolonial Windstrand was occupied largely by indigenous peoples for which little evidence of their existence remains. The earliest evidence for human habitation dates back to 200 BCE, with permanent human habitation beginning some four centuries later. The Tairuna people moved into the area from 400 CE onwards, and remained there until the arrival of Eucleans.
Numerous small settlements and villages populated the coastline and around the Chikiruru River, along which the most prominent settlement, Chengwe, was situated. It was predominantly a trading and fishing village supporting a coastal trade network that extended westwards along the coast to Pietersburg and east into modern day Aucuria. While the primary activity in the village was fishing and trade, there is evidence from midden pits as well as contemporary accounts from Eucleans that the Tairuna practiced agriculture in the region. Crops such as sugar cane and cassava as well as a number of tropical fruits were grown around Chengwe, most of which comes from the records of Euclean explorers and early settlers.
Like other indigenous peoples of the northern Nuvanian lowlands, the Tairuna were not centralised and existed in a loose confederation of independent villages, towns and settlements that, when forced to, could perform collective actions and this is what would lead to the depopulation of the northern coast by the Tairuna as colonisation was consolidated.
Colonisation
Windstrand was first mapped out by Hennish explorer Johannes van Twiller during his 1512 expedition that sailed along the northern coastline of Nuvania, including Cape Kuypers and The Spit, the latter was about half the length that it is today. Not much was written about the area that would become Windstrand during the van Twiller expedition, although what was mentioned principally involved the potential settlement of what is now West Beach, and the dense mangrove swamps around the mouth of the Chikiruru River. Very little further exploration was done by the Hennish in the region following the van Twiller expedition, with most of the settlement focussed further along the coast around the Mascarenhas Peninsular and the city of Pietersburg.
The dissolution of the Kingdom of Hennehouwe in 1537 was instrumental in the creation of a settlement in mordern day Windstrand. With most of the western settlements belonging to the Duchy of Flamia under the control of the New Asterian Company, the newly established Hennish Republic decided to look for land to establish colonies itself. With most of the known Asterias already under the control of other Euclean powers and existing Hennish settlements under the control of the Duchy of Flamia, the Hennish Republic, under the governance of Cornelis van Heemskerck, dispatched Mattheus Huyssens and a small flotilla of six ships to the West Arucian Sea to map and explore areas along the northern coast outside of Flamian territory which would be suitable for a settlement. Huyssen's first expedition began in June 1540 and arrived in January 1541, whereby he became among the first Eucleans to set foot in the Windstrand area when he arrived ashore close to West Beach after setting anchor in what he named as Heemskerck Bay after the Hennish Stadholder. Huyssens would conduct a survey of the surrounding area, and during this period, he and the survey party came into contact with the Tairuna people who were inhabiting the area. Although initial contact with the Tairuna was initially hostile due to misunderstandings, the Tairuna eventually accepted the presence of Huyssens and his men, who spent three weeks in the region, before setting sail for Imagua to resupply for the return voyage to Hennehouwe. Hupon his return, Huyssens suggested that the area around West Beach was suitable for a settlement.
Huyssens returned to the area in 1542 with the intent on further mapping and establishing contact with the Tairuna, who took him to the village of Chingwe. There they discovered gold artefacts as well as the salt trade, which prompted an impetus to establish a colony in the area quickly. Huyssens returned to Hennehouwe in 1543 with one of the gold artefacts which further convinced the Hennish government of the potential for a colony in the area. In 1545, van Heemskerck created the South Asterian Company in order to provide the necessary means of establishing the colony in northern Nuvania. Direction of the company was placed under Fransz de Veer, a noted merchant who had successfully established and administered Hennish trade ports in southern Coius. In January 1546, 20 ships led by de Veer aboard the ship S'Holle left the port of Zilverzee for the new world, arriving on August 1, 1547 in Heesmskerck Bay. A small party of men went ashore on August 2 to scout out the area before the remainder of the settlers could come ashore. On August 5, de Veer proclaimed the settlement of Heemskerck at the site of West Beach, after which building began in earnest.
Contact was reestablished with the local Tairuna, who were interested in what the Hennish had to trade. While gold was one of the more precious goods traded, the settlers were more interested in foodstuffs and local knowledge of the area. This formed a peaceful but wary relationship between the settlers and the Tairuna, which over time became much closer as trade increased. By the end of the century, Windstrand had grown to a sizeable town of around two thousand inhabitants and was the principal port of entry for Hennish settlers. The village of Chingwe had also grown, buoyed by trade with the Eucleans as well as with advances in farming techniques and technology. Hennish settlers benefitted from the introduction to new food crops such as maize and potatoes, as well as new fruits and other vegetables, the former allowing the settlers to replace wheat as the main staple for basic ingredients such as flour. The Tairuna benefitted from the introduction of better farming implements and techniques that were used by the Hennish, and as a result, Chingwe became the largest Tairuna settlement along the coast, rivalling that of Windstrand itself. Tairuna further to the east and also further inland embraced these techniques, and many travelled hundreds of kilometres to trade with the Hennish. Contact with the more advance Tairuna in the hinterland allowed for further exploration of the region and the establishment of more settlements outside of Windstrand. This meant that in 1601, the Hennish Republic nominated Windstrand as the administrative capital of its Asterian colonies.
Sotirian Commonwealth
Windstrand would expand in importance and significance under the Sotirian Commonwealth which allowed it to briefly become the largest Hennish settlement in northern Nuvania. The town, now renamed Veerspoort from Heemskerck, would be the launch pad for an invasion of the Catholic colonies of the Duchy of Flamia, which began in 1644 and concluded with the successful capture of the city of Pietersburg in 1647, bringing the latter under the control of the Sotirian Commonwealth and the South Asterian Company in the War of the Coconuts. Windstrand would become the capital of this new expanded Hennish colony in 1648, taking precedence over Pietersburg.
Following the emergence of the Commonwealth, the authorities in Voorzienigheid under Jan van Etten appointed a new colonial governor, Pieter Terbruggen, who would oversee the first expansion of the Windstrand under Commonwealth rule. Terbruggen began the first series of polders east of the existing settlemnent with the intent on creating a port at the mouth of the Chikiruru River, believing it to be a better for the loading and unloading of ships than the existing port at West Beach. This meant forcibly removing the Tairuna people from their homes and farms around the site, and destroying the village of Chingwe, which sparked the first major confrontation between the Hennish colonial authorities and Tairuna. Windstrand was attacked on December 18, 1644 during the cover of a thunderstorm which prompted the construction of fortifications on the eastern bank of the Chikiruru River and reinforcements sent from Euclea. Following the successful conquest of Pietersburg and the Flamian colonies along the northern coast, the Commonwealth set about consolidating its presence within the city, building new churches as well as increasing its theocratic authoritarian grip on the city. A jail complex was built between 1649 and 1651 into which those convicted of crimes against God were thrown, as were prisoners sent from the Commonwealth to work on emerging cash crop plantations alongside conquered Tairuna. These would be worked in conditions similar to slavery on many plantations growing sugar cane and tobacco that surrounded Windstrand, as well as on the construction of additional fortifications and the new port.
During this period, the city became very wealthy and influential within the Hennish colonial empires, second only to that of Niekerk, itself profiting from lucrative trade with Povelian colonies in Belmonte and trade from southern Coius, particularly Shangea. Windstrand benefitted from trade from other Euclean colonies, including the various island colonies in the West Arucian Sea, as well as Ruttish and other north Euclean colonies and trading ports in modern day Euclea. This included the introduction of rice into Hennish colonies by Weranian and Gaullican trade ships, the first shipments of which were received in Windstrand in 1655. Rice quickly became a staple food of the colonies and continues to play an important role in the cuisine of the city to this day.
Conflict with the Tairuna lead the Commonwealth into contact with the Mwiskasua in the Arucian Range, who were considerably more wealthy and more politically organised than the Tairuna, and Windstrand once again became of significant interest to the Commonwealth as the port through which soldiers and equipment for the expeditions and future conquest of the Mwiskasua was begun. Following the destruction of the confederation in 1659 and the annexation of the eastern domains of the Mwiskasua, Windstrand became the primary port through which much of the gold, and other mineral riches, of the Mwiskasua would flow, bringing a new period of growth and expansion to the city. Most of the wealth, however, went into the Kasperist and Amendist Churches, who used it to build the settlement's first catherdal as well as personal enrichment. Despite this, Windstrand continued to be considered the colony's second city, losing out to Pietersburg in terms of political and military importance.
Duchy of Flamia
Windstrand entered a period of growth and reinvestment following the conclusion of the Hennish War which saw the Duchy of Flamia reunify Hennehouwe and its colonial possessions in Nuvania and on Satavia, with territorial reorganisation conducted to abolish company rule, with the Flamian government providing the funding, personnel, and settlers directly, the city now one of the principal ports of the Flamian Asterias. Windstrand would become the administrative capital of the province of Etten in 1711, after reforms initiated under the Commonwealth were continued by the Duchy. Windstrand's role as the administrative capital would last until 1736, when the city of Ettensburg was selected as the provincial capital.
Flamian rule marked a transitionary period in construction within the city, from principally wooden buildings to the greater use of brick and stone in construction. A new commercial and residential district was built adjacent to the port on the Chikiruru River with dozens of new houses and commercial buildings built using brick and stone imported from elsewhere in the colony, with construction beginning in 1710 and continuing through until 1745. The commercial centre was built around two squares and was planned in a grid, with the intent on opening up areas close to the port for merchants. Many of the smaller houses that were built in the area were home to port workers. This would eventually become known as the Oustad and is currently a recongised world heritage site for its collection of colonial buildings and Hennish colonial architecture. In addition to the commercial and residential construction, new administrative and religious buildings were also constructed. Nuvania's first Gothic Revival building, the Cathedral of Saint Erasmus, began construction in 1746.
The construction in Oustad also lead to a greater expansion of the urban area, with Windstrand's urban area reaching the Chikiruru River by 1745, having already expanded northwards to reach the northern coastline. Much of the city was planned locally by the colonial government in Pietersburg although local planning began following the establishment of a school of cartography and town planning by then Mayor Gustaff Willem Falck in 1728, this school growing to become an internationally recognised faculty within the University of Etten, the Falck School of Cartography and Urban Planning. Recognising the threat posed by the Kingdom of Estmere, the Flamians also invested substantially in refurbishing and rennovating existing fortifications, including the Krayenhoff, which would come under attack during the Hennish-Estmerish War.
Kingdom of Estmere
An important trading port in the West Arucian Sea for the Flamian Asterias, Windstrand hosted a sizeable military presence both in terms of garrisons and as the headquarters for the Arucian Fleet of the Royal Flamian Navy. This garrison made it one of the most important targets for the Kingdom of Estmere during the Hennish-Estmerish War, in which the Kingdom of Estmere fought the Duchy of Flamia for control over the Hennish state and her colonies in both the Asterias and in Euclea. Windstrand, alongside Pietersburg, were considered the most important cities to be taken during the invasion of the Flamian Asterias lead by Lord Clairmont, who commanded a force of some 15,000 men and 25 ships for the conquest of Nuvania and Satavia. On June 6, 1750, the flotilla, composed of ships from the Navy based in Euclea as well as the Arucian Squadron, appeared off the coast of Windstrand, before sailing in the following day in an attempt to fire on the Krayenhoff, which protected the entrance to the Chikiruru River. A detachment of the Arucian Fleet based in Windstrand sailed out to meet the Estmerish, beginning the battle of Cape Kuypers, in which the Flamian flotilla was destroyed. On June 9, the Estmerish bombarded Windstrand, including the Krayenhoff, before sailing westwards. Estmerish Royal Marines came ashore at Witsand, southwest of the city and began advancing on the city, with substantial engagements at the battles of Hoekskraal and Uylenburgh. Windstrand fell six days later on June 15, 1750.
Windstrand under Estmerish rule would rise to the modern metropolis it is today, as the primary gateway for migrants from Euclea and elsewhere entering Nuvania. Windstrand itself grew substantially because of this as it became Nuvania's largest port owing to its proximity to various colonies and independent states around the West Arucian Sea. This period of urban growth lead to the building of many of Windstrand's most well known buildings and public places, including urban parks and the establishment of the Windstrand Botanical Gardens in 1846. The urban expansion of Windstrand was fuelled by a significant increase in trade and industrial development. Windstrand became a significant port for shipbuilding under Estmerish rule, surpassing other Estmerish-speaking ports in the West Arucian Sea, and becoming second only to ports in Rizealand within the Estmerish speaking Asterias. Produce from the interior of Etten, particularly cash crops, as well as finished goods were shipped through the port, with much of Nuvania's imports being received through Windstrand. This saw extensive wealth flow into the city from inland and offshore and the creation of mercantile banks and other financial institutions, many of which ultimately ended up in Pietersburg. Windstrand would also start to become more diverse during the Estmerish period, with immigrants arriving from other parts of the broader empire as well as Estmere itself. It was during Estmerish rule that the first Gowsas arrived. Windstrand would also be at the forefront of technological development, with some of the first railways being built in the city and by the end of the 1870's, the city had constructed it's principal train station and had begun passenger and freight services on a line to Vryburg.
Because of it's importance as a port, Windstrand became a city of significant military importance to the Kingdom of Estmere. Beginning in 1831 and finishing in 1843, the Estmerish government spent invested in further expanding and renovating existing fortifications, building a small fort just west of the mouth of the Chikiruru River, which became known as the Grey Fort. It would serve as the primary defensive fortification in Windstrand following the effective abandonment of the Krayenhoff in the early 1800's before being decommissioned by the military following the end of the Great War. Windstrand also included a naval base along the eastern side of the Chikiruru River, which held generally smaller warships, as larger warships would utilise commercial berths due to better suitability. During the War of the Triple Alliance, Windstrand served as the main port of operations for the Asterias Fleet of the Royal Estmerish Navy. Alongside Pietersburg, Windstrand saw substantial protests against the involvement of Estmerish colonies in the war, although ultimately no events related to the July Mutiny took place within Windstrand.
Independence
Windstrand became one of Nuvania's major industrial centres following independence, with the city benefitting from its status as one of the principal ports in the newly independent country. Factories around the port began to spring up processing goods or manufacturing them from scratch entirely. Products that began to emerge from the dozens of factories ranged from clothing to finished goods and processed foods. Products arriving into Nuvania were shipped around the north of the country by a rapidly expanding railway network which by the turn of the century, connected Windstrand with Fresenburg to the east, Vryburg to the south, and Pietersburg to the west.
The post-independence and pre-war periods saw substantial expansion of Windstrand's communications and transportation infrastructure. Outside of railways, the city had seen the beginnings of its first mass transit system, with horse drawn trams that had been in use since 1880, with lines expanding across most of the urban area. By 1902, the tram system had begun to convert to electric trams with the process completed by 1907. In 1923, an air field was opened at Windstrand for commercial, general purpose, and military use. This would be the site of the first domestic passenger flight in Nuvania which arrived during the afternoon of October 9, 1924 from Pietersburg. Following the beginning of domestic services, Windstrand would become important in the development of Nuvanian civil aviation during the initial period of commercial operations prior to the outbreak of the Great War, with amphibious aircraft used for commercial passenger and mail flights to the various island colonies and states within the West Arucian Sea.
The economic prosperity created a period of civil development within the city, leading to the creation of a number of amenities and sporting grounds for teams to compete in emergent domestic competitions. The first of these was the Newtown Cricket Grounds which were completed in 1888 and used almost exclusively for domestic cricket matches until the first international test was held at the grounds in 1910 against Estmere. The grounds would see two more tests against Estmere and a test against Satavia before being demolished in 1922 to make way for the modern grounds. Nuvania's premier horse race, the Windstrand Derby, began in 1897 at the Kempsey Racecourse and is held annually every year. In addition to the sportsgrounds, Windstrand Zoo was also created in this period, founded in 1910.
Great War
Windstrand's importance as an industrial and logistical centre made it extremely important for the Nuvanian war effort, to the extent that the city was allocated significant military resources to its defence. This included a garrison of around 15,000 soldiers from the beginning of the war, although this was doubled in 1934 to ensure its defence after the major offensive from Aucuria, as well as a substantial number of emplaced anti-aircraft guns. Fighter aircraft were also based at the main airfield in the city alongside other government aircraft, and two more air fields were constructed during the war, both to the east of the city. Windstrand's defences were significant, being far more substantial that those of Philipsbaai, which housed Nuvania's largest naval base. Windstrand was also a substantial naval base during the war and the principal base of operations for the Nuvanian Navy within the West Arucian Sea. A naval garrison of some six thousand personnel was provided for the city, in addition to a number of coastal guns and donated artillery pieces for coastal defence.
Life in the city itself continued on as normal throughout much of the early part of the Great War, and into the 1930's, the city reliant on the protection of the Navy helping to ensure Entente naval domination of the West Arucian Sea, as well as it's distance from Allied countries. Many of the West Arucian colonies that had belonged to Allied countries had been occupied by Entente forces, further providing a layer of defence against large scale Allied incursions. As such, right up until 1932, Windstrand did not engage in any attempts to hide the city from the air at night, and many of the lights on buildings and other landmarks were kept on as it was felt safe to do so.
This dependency on Entente naval and air supremacy quickly unravelled throughout 1933 and early 1934, with the Allies engaging in naval and air attacks on the city. The first of these occurred on May 14, 1933, when an Allied submarine shelled shore installations during the early morning, causing moderate damage. The first air attack would come in early 1934, when Rizealander bombers operating from the newly liberated island of Vanö flew over the city, attacking the port facilities of the city and causing substantial damage to the naval base as well as destroying the oil storage facilities. Precision strikes from Rizealander aircraft carriers operating in the West Arucian Sea caused further damage to the city, including partial damage to the Grey Fort. Life in the city changed substantially, with the government imposing a curfew and more military resources being dedicated to the city. Attacks on the city's air fields also intensified throughout 1934, which destroyed the capacity for the Nuvanian Air Force to defend the city.
Towards the end of 1934, the city saw an influx of soldiers, seeing the garrison double to 30,000 soldiers, as well as thousands of refugees fleeing ahead of the Aucurian offensive into Takana. The government prepared to defend Windstrand as one of the first major cities to face the Aucurian offensive should it continue into Etten. To this end, defences were prepared including trenches and emplacements for soldiers as well as obstacles to stop tanks and other vehicles from driving up city streets. Construction of these began in late 1934, but were halted by Nuvania's unconditional surrender on October 29, 1934.
Post War
Under the Allied Civil Government, Windstrand was occupied by a mixed force of primarily Aucurian and Rizealander soldiers with some Estmerish service personnel as interim military administrators of the city. The city's military garrison was disarmed and disbanded alongside the military base within the city, with a number of naval vessels taken by the occupying authorities and either used for de-mining operations along the Nuvanian coastline or scuttled out at sea. Law and order was maintained through the military occupation, with the Estmerish-speaking locals being particularly welcoming to the Rizealander soldiers, giving the city a positive reputation among the occupying troops. Tensions between the residents and Aucurian soldiers were often present and the Rizealanders often had to break up scuffles between residents and the Aucurians. The defunctionalisation of the city was relatively light in spite of its military importance to the Volksfront regime, with a number of trials focussed on the immediate civil and military leadership of the Volksfront within the city.
Although the city suffered comparatively little damage, the return of Nuvanian direct governance over the city meant the return of Nuvanian civil administration. Hendrik Offermans would become the first democratically elected mayor within the city in over two decades, and would oversee the initial recovery. Under his direction, the city adopted a policy of building in the new art-deco architectural design, which would become prevalent throughout the city during the late 1930's and 1940's. Windstrand became one of the most prolific adopters of the style to the extent that many of its buildings are under preservation today, and the city has been recognised internationally for the preservation of its art deco architecture. This construction boom attracted many people into Windstrand, who were being housed in sprawling shanty towns owing to the massive influx of workers and their families. These shanty towns caused concern among the city's authorities who began building more low income housing in order to reduce the crime that had become endemic within them. By the late 1940's, this low income housing had become competitive due to the demand for it, and tensions had increased between various groups of people, particularly black Nuvanians and Gowsas. Under the leadership of Jacob van Aarle, a conservative who had served as part of the Volksfront administration. Van Aarle had attempted to manage the different groups competing for housing by designating different areas of the city for different ethnic groups, with Creoles and Gowsas receiving beneficial treatment ahead of black and indigenous Nuvanians. Tensions between these groups lead to the 1949 Maitland riot in which black and indigenous Nuvanians massacred Gowsas in the northern areas of Maitland as well as destroying numerous homes and businesses owned by Gowsas. Of particular note was the initial refusal for the Mayor of Windstrand to refuse to send police into Maitland in order to restore law and order, something which was only done involving the use of police and Army personnel under orders from the Governor of Etten, Lawrence Crawford.
The Maitland riot would underpin calls for more equitable access to housing throughout Windstrand, which then spread to other cities. Following more violence in Blairmont over the forced relocation of a shantytown predominantly inhabited by black Nuvanians, local leaders of Windstrand's ethnic minority groups came together to organise resistance against the local government and national government policies of discrimination, founding the Direct Action Movement in January 1953. The DAM would become influential across Nuvania as the principal organised movement against the conservative government. Windstrand would see numerous strikes and protest actions throughout the 1950's and 1960's, culminating in the 1969 Windstrand riots which saw 67 people killed and more than 2,000 people injured. Much of central Windstrand, particularly in the Oustad, suffered significant damage with thousands of buildings destroyed by fires. Social unrest continued into the 1970's with the 1973 Windstrand strikes led by low paid black and Creole workers which caused disruption throughout 1973 and into 1974. Further protests in 1976 occurred on the back of rising armed resistance against the government. Windstrand would be one of the least affected major cities in Nuvania during the armed resistance period of the Direct Action Movement, seeing only 13 deaths and 37 injuries from shootings and bombing attacks. Most of the attacks in the city were targeted against infrastructure and installations.
Windstrand's continued growth during the post war period saw a number of major civil works projects occur in the post war period. Although work had begun on replacing the port in the Chikiruru River, the project had been disrupted by the Great War, and had not recommenced until the 1950's owing to differences between central government and the city. A new location at the mouth of the Madawini River was selected, which saw the mouth be cut off from the remainder of the river as well as extensive land reclamation for surrounding facilities and additional infrastructure. The construction of the new Port of Windstrand was completed in stages, with the tank farm opened in 1976 and the container terminal the following year in 1977. This new, purpose built port, allowed for massive expansion of the economy in Windstrand and it's role as the primary import and export port of Nuvania. It remains the largest Nuvanian port and the fifth largest port overall on the West Arucian Sea, although it has the region's second largest container terminal. Despite the Sugar Crash, the city saw additional large civil construction projects begin construction during the decade, such as the completion of the first lines of the Rapid Transit Network and the construction of a new international airport at Arimaka.
Outside of civil projects, Windstrand experienced building booms, with the city undergoing two phases of skyscraper construction. Although the first were built in the 1970's, the first boom occurred between 1982 and 1998, when eleven were built over a 16 year period. The second and most intensive construction boom began in 2007 and ended in 2014, with 44 skyscrapers built during a seven year period. The second boom was fuelled by a massive property bubble that followed the Great Recession of 2005 and was abruptly ended by the economic impact of the 2020 eruption of Pico de Sangue. As a result, the property market within the city collapsed overnight, causing significant economic impacts around Nuvania.
Geography
Windstrand occupies a headland on the flat northern coast of Nuvania, covering the northernmost portions of the country. The northern parts of the city lie directly on, or just above, the equator, making Windstrand unique in Nuvania in that it occupies both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The northernmost point in Nuvania, Cape Kuypers, lies six kilometres within the Northern Hemisphere.
Because of the shape of the headland, Windstrand's developed has been influenced by its geography. Extending westwards from the headland is a spit of land less than a kilometre wide known as The Spit, which extends for three kilometres and is one of the defining features of Windstrand's geography. Much of the city is built on reclaimed swamp and wetlands, with some coastal areas reclaimed from mangrove swamps. Much of the original landscape now lies underneath the city, and as a result, many parts of Windstrand suffer from issues associated with subsidence. This is especially problematic in northern and central parts of the city where the soils are less dense, and therefore take longer to settle or are unable to support large structures. The city's rapid upswing in construction of high rise buildings and skyscrapers has accelerated the subsidence.
Located on a flat coast, Windstrand has few natural elevated points within the city. The centre of the headland rises to a total elevation of 16 metres above sea level, while some outer areas are higher. Along the coast and especially along The Spit, the altitude above sea level is barely one or two metres. Further inland, the terrain undulates somewhat and low hills populated inner parts of the city, particularly in places where many of the original lakes and weirs have existed, and which continue to exist. These have created natural vantage points looking out across the city, although these hills are modest in height, with none of them having an altitude higher that 40 metres. Many of these hills lie within parklands created alongside the weirs and lakes that provide Windstrand with fresh water, although some have been developed, and as a result, have negligible influence in the city's development.
The swampy nature of the original landscape has meant a large number of ponds and lakes exist within the urban limits as well as areas of swamps and wetlands that remained undeveloped, either due to a lack interest or protections from local and provincial governments. Many of these lakes often have urban developments around them and were only granted protections recently. These pools of freshwater have historically been sources of drinking water for the city, as well as water for irrigation and other activities. During the 20th century, the city undertook a series of projects to construct and retain fresh water for the city without having to construct expensive desalination plants. The first of these was constructed between 1909 and 1924, this one providing the majority of Windstrand's water until the late 1960's. It was joined by a second weir in 1973, and the third and largest weir in 1981. These projects are continually fed through diverted water courses as well as through seasonal rainfall, and collectively hold 453.1 million cubic metres of fresh water. In addition to providing fresh water, these also provide a place of recreation for the residents of Windstrand and surrounding cities.
Beaches are a predominant feature in Windstrand's geography, outlining the coastal fringes of the city. They are often a focal point for many events in the city, hosting events and festivals as well as being popular with locals and tourists. Windstrand's principal beaches are named after three of the four cardinal points; East, North, and West. Of these beaches, West Beach is the largest and the most popular owing to its western facing which often makes it popular with those wanting to view sunsets. West Beach is also the largest of the beaches and runs continuously for over ten kilometres. North Beach is three kilometres in length and is often popular with locals, especially residents who live in the residential areas in the north of Windstrand. North Beach is also a popular kitesurfing location due to consistent winds in the area. East Beach is less popular than the other beaches, and also extends for four kilometres, extending between Cape Kuypers to the northwest and the mouth of the Chikiruru River.
Climate
Located close to the equator, Windstrand experiences a tropical rainforest climate with significant year round rainfall as well as hot and humid weather, with average humidity between 85-90% most days of the year. Windstrand is the wettest of Nuvania's major cities, seeing over 2,400 millimetres of rain annually, as well as its second warmest, with an average mean temperature of 27.1°C. Despite this, the city experiences near constant sea breezes that keep coastal areas of the city cool, and give rise to the city's name.
Windstrand's dry season is short, due to its equatorial latitude. Although not a true dry season, rainfall is significantly reduced for four months of the year between August and November. During this time, monthly rainfall totals virtually halve, and the city experiences overall drier conditions, as well as slightly reduced humidity. Overall temperatures remain similar to those during the wet season, although slightly reduced in intensity. October is the wettest month of the year, seeing barely 40 millimetres of precipitation.
Windstrand's wet season lasts for the remainder of the year, between December and July. During this time, humidity increases significantly as well as rainfall, which virtually doubles during the first month of the wet season. This is not continual rain, but rather heavy convection activity that occurs during significant increases in overall humidity and comes in the form of large thunderstorms that move in from the West Arucian Sea. This gives way to more consistent rainfall patterns by February, with the peak reached during the months of March and April, the former being the wettest month of the year on average. Temperatures decrease during this period slightly, with February seeing the lowest average high temperatures and March seeing the lowest average mean temperatures.
Windstrand has comparatively few natural hazards as a major city, owing to its location inside the West Arucian Sea. Because of this, the most frequent hazard is flash flooding, which can occur from December through to February when rainfall patterns are more erratic.
The highest official temperature recorded in Windstrand is 37.3°C, which was observed at Windstrand International Airport on September 4, 1973. The city's lowest temperature is 11.2°C, and was observed at the Hyland Park Weir on October 19, 2004.
| Climate data for Windstrand, Nuvania | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29.5 (85.1) |
29.1 (84.4) |
28.7 (83.7) |
28.8 (83.8) |
29.0 (84.2) |
29.8 (85.6) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.4 (88.5) |
31.9 (89.4) |
32.4 (90.3) |
32.4 (90.3) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.3 (86.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.7 (80.1) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.2 (79.2) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.7 (80.1) |
27.7 (81.9) |
28.1 (82.6) |
28.7 (83.7) |
28.8 (83.8) |
27.8 (82.0) |
27.1 (80.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 24.2 (75.6) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.6 (76.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 293.62 (11.56) |
328.11 (12.92) |
374.72 (14.75) |
367.20 (14.46) |
330.46 (13.01) |
161.99 (6.38) |
128.59 (5.06) |
85.69 (3.37) |
39.26 (1.55) |
40.72 (1.60) |
55.44 (2.18) |
224.96 (8.86) |
2,430.76 (95.7) |
| Average precipitation days | 30 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 21 | 20 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 24 | 277 |
| Source: Nuvanian Weather Service | |||||||||||||
Cityscape
Windstrand is divided into six regions for geographic and administrative purposes. These correspond with different geographic areas of the city and are colloquially referred to largely from the points of the compass, as well as different areas of the city. These names are North, South, East, and West, as well as the Inner South and Parklands. These contain a number of suburbs within Windstrand's contiguous urban area, as well as some smaller satellite cities and towns within Windstrand's wider metropolitan area.
The North consists of the northernmost areas of the city, particularly Cape Kuypers as well as North Beach and some inner suburbs. It is the smallest of Windstrand's regions, and extends only a few kilometres inland to the south and along the coast from The Strip in the west, to the upper west bank of the Chikiruru River, including the Oustad, Windstrand's old historical centre.
South Windstrand is located in the southwest of the city and is the most distant of Windstrand's boroughs from the city centre. It was formed during territorial expansion and reorganisation in 1976 with the annexation of several municipalities around the city of Marionvale, which became the central business district for this part of Windstrand. It was created, in part, because Marionvale represented the southernmost extent of Windstrand's contiguous urban area. In addition to Marionvale, South Windstrand also contains a number of suburbs created since the annexation of Marionvale, such as Kamana and Winchester.
The Inner South, formerly Windstrand's South Windstrand region, was formed in 1976 alongside the South borough during the reorganisation process. It contains Windstrand's most ethnically diverse areas and lies between South Windstrand and West Windstrand regions. It predominantly residential in nature, with working class and lower middle class suburbs centred around the principal urban area of Maitland. Other suburbs within this part of Windstrand include Gakaba, Mahaikoni, and Stanwich.
West Windstrand is one of the largest regions in the city, and contains Windstrand's western coastal suburbs along West Beach, as well as the city centre to the banks of the Chikiruru River. It is the most populous of the city's regions, and is almost entirely composed of the city's urban area. It contains almost the entirety of the central business district as well as many of the inner city neighbourhoods and suburbs. In addition to well known suburbs such as West Beach, West Windstrand also includes parts of the old Hennish city, such as Kuypersdorp and Wetsplaas as well as parts developed under Estmerish administration, such as Newtown.
East Windstrand includes much of the city's urban area east of the Chikiruru River and northeast of Parklands. It is predominantly working class and industrial, and includes the Port of Windstrand, as well as a large number of industrial areas, including the most well known industrial district; Rosebank. In addition, Windstrand International Airport is located in the East Windstrand. The region includes residential areas such as East Beach as well as inner working class suburbs like Burnside and Malaitawa. In addition, East Windstrand also contains the satellite city of Blairmont.
Parklands is the largest of Windstrand's regions and is the least populated, containing only a few thousand inhabitants. Most of the borough is composed of the parks surrounding the freshwater lakes and weirs Windstrand relies on. The only urban centre of note is Hyland Park Village, which is located close to the Hyland Park Weir. The area is mostly forested aside from the lakes themselves.
Parks
There are over 40 parks and recreation areas around Windstrand, the largest surrounding the various freshwater lakes and weirs to the south of the city. Most of the parks within the contiguous urban area of Windstrand are managed by the city council, while parks within the metropolitan area are managed by local councils. The exception to these are the Chikiruru Urban Ecological Park located within the central part of the city south of the Oustad, and the Hyland Park and Reserve, located south of the city proper. Both of these are significant conservation areas managed by the provincial government through the Department of Parks and Reserves.
The Chikiruru Urban Ecological Park is one of the largest urban parks in Asteria Inferior, and was inspired in part by the success of Albertina National Park in Pietersburg. Plans to preserve many of the mangroves and other ecosystems surrounding the Chikiruru River began in 1977 and the park was officially created in 1989. It remains one of the most important provincial parks in Etten, protecting a variety of endangered habitats as well as providing a refuge for numerous species of mammals, reptiles, fish, insects, and birds. It is also one of the most visited provincial parks, seeing roughly 60,000 visitors annually.
Hyland Park and Reserve was formally two recreational areas managed by the Windstrand City Council and once included a game reserve. Issues with both invasive animals entering areas outside the game reserve and issues with illegal hunting resulted in the city council handing control over to the Etten provincial government in July 2006, where the two areas were amalgamated and a significant amount of ecological renewal took place. Today it remains the only provincial park in Nuvania with permanent human habitation and one of the few accessible by motor vehicles.
Among the parks managed by the city council is the Windstrand Botanical Gardens. One of the oldest public gardens and arboreums in Nuvania, the Botanical Gardens contains a wide variety of tropical plants, including a large number of fruiting plants. It also contains a number of fountains, ponds and lakes, as well as glasshouses containing flowers and smaller plants. It's best known feature is the Avenue of Palms, which contains a path lined with the Arucian royal palm, with those planted in the Botanical Gardens among the tallest of their kind in the world.
Government
Local
Windstrand falls under two council jurisdictions; that of the Windstrand City Council and Windstrand Metropolitan Council. The former provides administrative functions for the municipality of Windstrand while the latter provides administrative functions for the wider metropolitan area, which is composed of a single district.
Windstrand City Council governs the borough of Windstrand located within the centre-north of Windstrand's urban area, and follows the mayor-council governance model. The council is split between the legislative council itself, the Executive Council, and the Mayor.
Windstrand's City Council is the predominantly legislative body of the Windstrand City Council, and is composed of 93 elected city councilors, each representing one ward of the city. The role of the City Council is to propose and pass legislation as well as hold elected officials to account. Above that is the Executive Council, who function as the primary policy setting body of the Windstrand City Council. It's job is to manage the policies and the plans put forward by the dominant party within the City Council. The council is composed of sixteen members: fourteen appointed members from the City Council, the Mayor, and the Chief Executive Officer, the latter being an apolitical appointee by the Mayor. The Mayor themselves is an elected position and functions as the executive of the City Council as a whole. Their role is to set and implement policy as well as approve legislation passed by the legislative body of the City Council.
Following the 2020 local government elections in Nuvania, the Social Democratic Labour Party control a majority of seats in the City Council, winning 48 of the 93 seats available. The National People's Party won an additional 37 seats. Six of the remaining seats were won by a local party, the Citizen's Action Movement, a party affiliated with the Citizen's Alliance. The two remaining seats were split between the Municipal Taxpayers Party and the Socialist Alliance for Justice and Progress.
In addition to a majority of seats, the Democratic Action Party also controls the Executive Council, including the mayoralty. The incumbent Mayor is Yvette Ryder, who is serving her second term.
The Windstrand Metropolitan Council is a separate entity that exists above the borough and municipal councils that exist within the district. It's role is managing the strategic infrastructure and services of the city, such as infrastructure and services. The council is composed of twenty elected mayors from the broader urban and metropolitan area of Windstrand. The council meets twice monthly to discuss matters that affect the city as a whole.
Administrative Divisions
Windstrand forms its own district within Etten and is composed of 18 municipalities and urban boroughs, six of which are within the urban area of Windstrand and the remaining 12 are composed of various rural and urban municipalities within the district.
Windstrand's six urban boroughs correspond with the equivalent of a municipality but have less powers owing to the existence of the Windstrand Metropolitan Council. These do not share the same colloquial names as areas of the city but have different official names. These are East Windstrand, Maitland, Marionvale, Parklands, West Beach, and Windstrand. With the exception of Parklands, each is governed by a borough council which has similar powers to that of a municipality. Borough councils are of the mayor-council type with elected councillors and an elected mayor. Their boundaries roughly correspond with the contiguous urban area of Windstrand, although they include smaller satellite cities and towns. The largest of these is Blairmont, which is entirely separate from Windstrand but is included within the boundaries of the Borough of East Windstrand. Because of its low population, Parklands does not have a borough council, and is instead administered from Windstrand.
Outside of the city boroughs, the remainder of Windstrand's metropolitan area is composed of different municipalities, of which there are five rural and seven urban. The five rural municipalities are centred around the smaller cities and towns of Bracefield, Bowensville, Karare, Malmesbury, and Tamton. Among the urban municipalities include Ashton, Carford, and Thorndale, which collectively have half a million inhabitants.
Provincial
Windstrand is represented by 47 of the 150 seats in the Etten Provincial Assembly, accounting for 31.3% of the total seats in the legislature. It is the largest city in Nuvania to not hold the status of provincial capital. However, it has significant influence within provincial politics owing to its size as well as being the province's economic and financial centre.
Of the 47 seats representing Windstrand in the Provincial Assembly, 23 are held by the Social Democratic Labour Party, 19 by the National People's Party, three by the Citizen's Alliance, and two by independent candidates.
National
Windstrand is represented in both houses of Parliament by seats allocated to it based on population. In the House of Assembly, the city is represented by 39 seats, the second largest number of any city in Nuvania. In the Senate, the city is represented by four seats of the 10 allocated to Etten.
Of the seats in the House of Assembly, 24 are held by the Social Democratic Labour Party, 13 by the National People's Party, and two by the Citizen's Alliance. In the Senate, Windstrand returned three senators from the Social Democratic Labour Party, and one from the National People's Party.
Economy
Windstrand's economy is based around the services sector, particularly tourism and logistics. In addition, the city has a substantial manufacturing industry with Rosebank and other eastern areas of the city the centre for industrial production. The city constitutes 34.1% of provincial gross regional product, and has a total GRP of NS783.7 billion ($55.9 billion). Windstrand has a GRP per capita of NS116,112 ($12,008).
Windstrand is Nuvania's primary logistics hub and therefore one of its largest industries is logistics and distribution. The Port of Windstrand is the primary sea port in Nuvania, handling over 30 million tonnes of cargo annually as well as over 4.5 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2020. Windstrand also has Nuvania's largest bulk cargo facilities, including it's largest coal terminal which processes 60% of Nuvania's total coal exports, or 47.72 million tonnes of coal annually. Outside of sea ports, Windstrand also has Nuvania's largest inland port and rail yards, and collectively these generated NS53.96 billion ($3.85 billion) in revenue in 2020, or nearly seven percent of economic output. The Port of Windstrand accounts for a slight majority of the logistics sector.
Tourism is Windstrand's largest industry, accounting for 23% of total gross regional product. Of the 7.39 million tourists that visited Nuvania in 2019, 2.35 entered or visited Windstrand during their stay in Nuvania. The industry employs over 50,000 people in the city. It was severely impacted by the eruption of Pico de Sangue in 2020, but has since recovered.
Industry accounts for another 20% of Windstrand's gross regional product. Manufacturing is by far the largest industrial sector within the city, accounting for 80% of industry's annual revenues. Numerous factories and manufacturing plants can be found within Windstrand, particularly in the east of the city close to the Port of Windstrand. The city was at the forefront of the development of Nuvania's automobile industry, with Madden Motors and Asco Motor Corporation establishing factories in the Rosebank area of Windstrand in 1923 and 1926 respectively. These manufacturing plants are still in operation and are among the oldest continually operating factories in the country. In addition to these plants, Reynaud also has a factory operating in the suburb of Hardeveld. Collectively these factories employ around 9,000 people directly, and contribute to supporting industries that employ a further 23,000 people. Outside of the automotive industry, Windstrand is an important city for light industry, with a number of factories and manufacturing plants located in the city producing a wide variety of consumer electronics and white goods. These factories are operated by both domestic and foreign brands, with a large number of products exported to regional markets. Windstrand is also an important centre for heavy industry, particularly the manufacturing of steel. It is home to the Glenlynden Foundry, which was constructed between 1935 and 1937 to facilitate post-war economic development.
Following the construction boom through the late 2000's and early 2010's, the construction sector within the city expanded significantly, becoming the fastest growing economic sector between 2008 and 2011. At its height, the construction sector accounted for 20% of the city's economic output, which was achieved in 2012. After the 2020 eruption of Pico de Sangue, the construction sector virtually collapsed overnight, and as a result, the sector now accounts for slightly less than ten percent of total economic output. Companies like VDC Incorporated were dominant before the sharp economic contraction in 2020 resulted in numerous significant bankruptcies. Today a myriad of smaller companies remain within the sector and continue to employ around 35,000 people.
Transport
Public
Public transport in Windstrand is the responsibility of the Windstrand Transit Corporation, a council-owned entity created to consolidate Windstrand's public transportation networks. Known by the acronym WTC, the Windstrand Transit Corporation is the largest company owned by the Windstrand Metropolitan Council, with equal shares divided by member councils which receive WTC services.
WTC operates an extensive bus network covering 117 different routes across multiple boroughs and municipalities within the wider metropolitan area. As with other major cities, the bus network is transitioning to become carbon neutral, with Windstrand retaining its trolleybus network that first began operation in 1935. Of the existing network, 23 routes are operated by trolleybuses. The remainder of the routes are operated by a fleet of over 1,000 buses, with around one third composed of either electric or hybrid buses. Nearly 68,000 people use the city's bus network every day, equating to 24.7 million trips every year.
Commuter rail services are considered to be the most important part of the public transport network in Windstrand, and operate both within the city and in the wider metropolitan area. The city has the most expansive network of any major city, with 11 main commuter rail lines and over 300 stations providing mass transit for around 2.7 million passengers a day. With an annual ridership of 988.5 million annually, Windstrand operates the busiest passenger rail network in Nuvania, and one of the busiest in the Asterias. All rail services are operated under the Commrail brand.
Windstrand has an underground mass transit system officially known as the Windstrand Rapid Transport Network, but the system is commonly known as the Metro to the extent that it even utilises a stylised capital letter M for its branding. It is the second largest system in Nuvania in terms of extent and number of lines, with a total of 159 kilometres of track across seven lines. Approximately 1.35 million people utilise the Metro every day, with 492.7 million people utilising the system annually.
Windstrand opened its first tram line in March 1880 utilising horsecars before converting to electricity in May 1902 and utilising more modern electric trams. It was closed in 1949 after being progressively replaced with both cheaper trolleybus lines and standard diesel buses after nearly seven decades in operation. In 2010, WTC announced that it would begin the construction of new tram lines within urban Windstrand to move people around the central city. Construction began in 2011 and the first line was opened in 2015. A second line began construction in 2016, and a third is in the planning stages. Currently the tram network in Windstrand consists of a single 9.4 kilometre line with ten stations. Even with this limited network, around 27,000 people a day use the line, with 10 million people utilising the tram every year.
WTC operates an integrated fare system known as the Spyder card, which was first developed in 2005 and introduced in 2009. The Spyder card gives users full access to the entire transport network and has incentives for frequent use, including a rewards system for customers and discounts on certain services. Currently 2.7 million Spyder cards are believed to have been issued since they were introduced.
General
Like many other cities in Nuvania, many of the streets within Windstrand are planned in a grid pattern. The patterns are not universal across the city, and reflect the different periods of growth within the city over time. One of the lesser known names used to refer to Windstrand is the "City of Seven Avenues". This refers to Windstrand's seven oldest and most important avenues within the city, which were part of the original town plans. These are mostly named after important figures in the city's development, save for Central Avenue, which runs through the centre of the city, and Ocean Avenue, which runs along the coast.
Windstrand has a limited motorway network for a city of its size, with just three primary thoroughfares through the city. The M1, the principal motorway, connects Windstrand with cities along the coast to the west to Pietersburg, with Windstrand acting as the eastern terminus. The M1 is also the principal motorway that connects central areas of the city to the southern parts of the city, especially Maitland. To the east of the city, the M7 connects Windstrand with other coastal settlements and eastern parts of the city, including the Port of Windstrand, eventually terminating at the border with Aucuria. Although the M1 and M7 connect, there is a bypass in the southern suburbs of the city which takes through traffic from the M1 to the M7. Southwest of Maitlands, the M1C connects the M1 to the M8 at the Uylenburgh Junction, itself connecting with the N85 dual carriageway that connects the city to the M8 and the city of Vryburg to the south.
Windstrand is an important hub on Nuvania's rail network, with the city having important rail connections to other major cities in Etten as well as nationally. Windstrand is the terminus for intercity passenger services from Ettensburg, Pietersburg, and Vryburg, as well as an important rail cargo terminal. Windstrand Central Station is the second busiest station by passenger numbers in Nuvania after Pietersburg Central Station, and has frequent regional and intercity passenger services. Unlike Pietersburg, Windstrand has no additional regional stations, instead having one central station. Intercity trains will make stops at commuter railway stations in important urban areas like Blairmont and Maitland. Furthermore, the Port of Windstrand has Nuvania's largest cargo railway terminus. It is also one of the largest of its kind in Asteria Superior, and is served by dedicated railway lines for freight trains.
Windstrand International Airport is the second busiest airport in Nuvania after Pietersburg, and is one of the hubs of Nuvanian flag carrier NLM, as well as the hub for a number of smaller domestic and regional airlines. Windstrand has been at the forefront of Nuvanian aviation, being the primary hub for international flights in the years immediately before and after the Great War. With the advent of more long range aircraft, Windstrand ceased to be the principal hub for international flights, and in addition to long-haul services, has become one of the biggest hubs for flights around the West Arucian Sea region.
Demographics
Ethnicity
Windstrand is one of the most ethnically diverse of Nuvania's major cities, owing to being a centre for economic activity as well as a major port of entry for people arriving in Nuvania. It is also the only major Nuvanian city in which non-white people constitute a majority, with 54.7% of the population considered to be non-white.
White Nuvanians account for 45.3% of the population. The largest group of white people within Windstrand are those descended from Estmerish settlers, who account for 45% of the white population. Estmerish Nuvanians in Windstrand played an important part in the development of the city during the colonial and post-independence periods of the city's history, and have dominated the city politically and culturally. The number of Estmerish people has declined over the years, and now sits at just over 950,000 people. Asterianers account for another 39% of the population, with many claiming direct lineage to the early settlement period under the First Hennish Republic and then the Sotirian Commonwealth, which saw the greatest period of Hennish settlement. Despite the Hennish derived name, Windstrand has the smallest population of Asterianers as a percentage of the population of white people out of any major city in Nuvania. The remaining 16% of the population is composed of a number of different ethnic groups from Euclea, including Euclean migrants. These include immigrants from Estmere proper, as well as Etruria, Gaullica, Hennehouwe, and Werania. Among the smaller populations descended from settler populations include Nuvanian Ghaillies and settler populations from other countries including a small number of Aucurian Weranians who used to live in Leopoldos province in Aucuria prior to the Great War, and a very small population of Chennois migrants.
Creole people account for 28% of the population of Windstrand, one of the highest populations in Nuvania. The Creole population in Windstrand is predominantly that of mixed ancestry between whites and Bahians, with smaller populations of those with mixed ancestry between whites and indigenous, and Bahians and indigenous peoples. Creoles people have had an important impact on the development of culture and cuisine within Windstrand, and much of what the city regards today as unique to it is due to Creoles. Many of the city's best known musicians and artists are Creoles, and the Creole people in Windstrand enjoy a significantly higher standard of living and quality of life than those in other major cities. Creole people in Windstrand are descended predominantly from mixed relationships during the late Flamian colonial period before the abolition of slavery, and then the slow progress of intermarriages and mixed relationships between Bahians and whites. For those of mixed ancestry with whites and indigenous peoples, they are considered to be the oldest of the mixed populations in Windstrand, dating from the earliest days of Euclean colonisation. A large number of mixed peoples from Aucuria are also included within the population, with many of them coming from Aucurian provinces that border Nuvania.
Windstrand's Bahian population is one of the largest in Nuvania, with 18% of the population being of Bahian origin, including a substantial number of Bahians from the West Arucian island nations. The first Bahians arrived in the middle and late 17th century as slaves for the many large plantations that were being established in the northern coastal plains of Nuvania, and their numbers grew substantially in the late 17th century. More would be used following the banning of slavery as indentured servants and labourers, working alongside indigenous Asterians in often terrible working conditions. Post independence, many Bahians found themselves in much the same conditions as they had done during the Estmerish years, and their economic fortunes did not change substantially until after the Great War. In 1969, economic conditions for Bahians were central to the riots that occurred across the city throughout May of that year, and improving the standard of living for Bahians within the city remains an important aspect of local government policy today. While the vast majority of Bahians in Windstrand were born in Nuvania, there are small but vibrant communities of Bahians who have moved from other countries in the West Arucian, particularly Imagua and the Assimas and Sainte-Chloé.
A substantial Gowsa population still lives in Windstrand, although it was historically higher. Prior to the 1949 Blairmont riot, nearly half of the Gowsa population in Nuvania lived in Windstrand. Today, 20% of the Gowsa population, approximately 80,000 individuals, remain in Windstrand and constitute 1.7% of the city's population. Gowsas were brought into the city as labourers on various public works projects as well as for general labouring work. Many of them opened small businesses and began earning their living as traders and shopkeepers. Historically the majority of the Gowsa population lived in the planned ethnic enclave of Sterling Park in the southeast of the city, which was a thriving Gowsa community until the 1949 riot which saw 120 people killed and thousands injured. Today, Gowsas live across Windstrand, with many still living in the areas historically associated with or reserved for them. Primary Gowsa influences on Windstrand are primarily centred around cuisine, the Gowsas bringing with them their cuisine and cooking methods, with most of Windstrand's most famous restaurants founded by Gowsas, and a large number are stilled owned by ethnic Dezevaunis.
Indigenous Asterians account for four percent of Windstrand's population, and consist primarily of numerous people groups that inhabited Etten province and the coastal areas around Windstrand prior to Euclean colonisation. Prior to the arrival of Eucleans, the area around Windstrand was inhabited by the Mokaná and Wayu peoples who inhabited the coastline. Today, these two groups compose 52% of the indigenous population of Windstrand, with the Mokaná living within both the urban and rural regions of Windstrand's metropolitan areas, and the Wayu living principally in the city's east. The remaining 48% of the indigenous population are mostly groups from elsewhere in the province, principally Tairona and related peoples, who moved to the city in search for employment.
Other ethnicities compose approximately three percent of the population, and are principally composed of ethnic Senrians and Shangeans with smaller numbers of Satrians and Pardarians, the latter forming a small community composed of refugees from Zorasan.
Language
Windstrand has the highest percentage of people who speak Estmerish as a first language out of any major city in Nuvania, with 70.4% of the population. This gives Windstrand the status as the second largest Estmerish speaking city in Asteria Inferior after Pietersburg, and the fifth largest in the Estmerish speaking world. As with other cities, Estmerish is a co-official lingua franca alongside Asteriaans. Approximately 23.8% of the population speak Estmerish as a second language, and the remaining 5.8% of the population speak it as a third or fourth language.
Asteriaans is spoken by 40.7% of the population, with roughly sixty percent of those speaking Asteriaans as a second language, and the remaining population speaking it as a first language, with a tiny percentage speaking it as a third or fourth language. Asteriaans spoken in Windstrand is a regional dialect known as the Kustpraat, literally translated as "coast speak". This dialect blends a number of indigenous words into everyday use and has often adapted them as slang terms, including informal greetings as well as colloquial insults. These indigenous words are primarily derived from the Ika people, although the dialect is less prevalent in some areas east of Windstrand, and significantly more common inland, despite it's name. Kustpraat is one of the more larger regional dialects in Nuvania.
Gaullican is spoken by another 40% of the population, largely as a third or second language, with less than five percent of the Gaullican speaking population speaking the language as a first language. Of the native speakers, about two thirds speak Gaullican dialects from former Gaullican colonies in the West Arucian Sea, followed by Satucine Gaullican and Gaullican spoken in the metropole. It is a popular second and third language owing to Nuvania's longstanding relationships with former Gaullican colonies in the central and southern Asterias, particularly Satucin, and is widely taught as an elective subject in Nuvanian secondary schools.
About 20% of the population in Windstrand speak Ruttish, although less than two percent speak it as a first language. Ruttish is one of the fastest growing languages in Nuvania, particularly over the last three decades. Ruttish is increasingly being taught as an elective in secondary schools, and Windstrand in particular has significant business ties to other cities along the West Arucian coastline in neighbouring Aucuria.
Other languages spoken in Windstrand include a variety of indigenous languages, especially as Windstrand is home to different indigenous people groups, as well as some other Euclean languages such as Hennish and Lusatian.
Healthcare
There are a total of 44 hospitals and over one hundred specialist clinics and medical centres across metropolitan Windstrand, the second largest metropolitan healthcare network in Nuvania. Of these, 26 hospitals are administered by the public system and 18 private hospitals.
Public healthcare in Windstrand is administered by the Etten Public Health Board, with the city representing almost a third of all public hospitals and medical facilities within the province. The city's healthcare system is underpinned by three principal hospitals: Windstrand Central Hospital, Gakaba Hospital, and Maitlands Hospital, with Windstrand Central being the largest hospital in the city. Collectively these hospitals provide over 2,000 hospital beds. The remainder of the hospitals service local government areas within the city at the municipal level. The public hospital system also includes Windstrand Maternity Hospital and Windstrand Children's Hospital.
Private healthcare in Windstrand consists of both for-profit and non-profit organisations and facilities. The largest and most important of these is Windstrand University Hospital, which is part of the wider University of Windstrand. In addition to providing primary and specialist care, Windstrand University Hospital has an important role as a major medical research facility, and includes the National Tropical Disease Laboratory, which conducts research into treatments for tropical diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. Among the largest provider of private hospitals and medical centres in Windstrand is Medicorp, which operates six of the 18 private hospitals in the city. The private health system also includes two psychiatric facilities run by private non-profit organisations; the Maitlands Sanitarium and Saint Mary's Psychiatric Hospital.
Emergency medical services are provided by both the public and private systems. The Etten Provincial Health Board provides emergency medical services through the Etten Ambulance Service, with Windstrand constituting a majority of the service's annual callouts, as well as a majority of its staff and vehicle fleet. Numerous other companies including Medicorp run private ambulance services, with Medicorp unique providing a subscription based ambulance service.
Education
Education within Windstrand is administered by the Etten Provincial Department of Education which provides funding and staff for primary and secondary schools across the province. At the local level, education is administered by the Windstrand Education Board, administered by the Windstrand Metropolitan Council. The WEB is responsible for all schools within the defined metropolitan area of Windstrand.
Primary and secondary education is split between 644 primary and secondary schools for the city's 1.32 million primary and secondary students. Approximately 65% of those between the ages of five and 16 are in some form of primary or secondary education. Of the primary and secondary schools in the city, 256 are private schools and 388 are public schools. Among the private school system include a number of religious schools, as well as some of the oldest private schools in the country, including St Mary's College, one of the most prestigious schools in the country.
There are 11 tertiary institutions in Windstrand. These include the Windstrand campus of the University of Nuvania, as well as the main campuses of the University of Etten and the University of Windstrand, all of which are considered to be public universities, the latter also providing the only major teaching hospital in the city.
Crime
Law enforcement in Windstrand is provided by two law enforcement agencies; the National Police Service and the Windstrand Metropolitan Police. The National Police Service has its provincial administrative headquarters in Windstrand, and conducts all of its administrative and training operations in the city, as well as providing several thousand sworn officers and other police staff within the city. The Metropolitan Police is the oldest municipal police force within Nuvania, and can trace its lineage back to the Windstrand Borough Police that was founded in 1854. The modern Metropolitan Police was established in 1985 and current has a force of 6,264 officers, volunteers, and staff.
Windstrand recorded a total of 35,348 crimes in 2020, making it one of the safer cities in Nuvania, with a violent crime rate of 67.0 per 100,000 inhabitants and a property crime rate of 526.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. The city recorded 56 homicides in 2020, giving Windstrand one of the lowest homicide rates in the country at 1.18 per 100,000 inhabitants. In addition, the city recorded 1,724 assaults and 1,109 robberies, giving the city an assault rate of 23.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, and a robbery rate of 36.5 per 100,000. The city recorded over 24,000 property crimes in 2020, including 3,444 burglaries and over 19,000 thefts.
Culture
Art
Architecture
Windstrand is known for two principal architectural types; art deco, which became popular in the immediate post war period and the growth that accompanied the first rebuilding phase following the Great War, and colonial architecture in the Oustad, predominantly concentrated in the northeast of the centre of the city next to the Chikiruru River mouth.
The Oustad is one of the best known areas of preserved Hennish colonial architecture in the Asterias, with the oldest parts of the city dating from the late 17th century. The most preserved portions of the Oustad were first built during a second expansion phase in 1707. Hennish colonial architecture typically includes traditional styles that were brought to the colonies with architects and craftsmen who settled in the Hennish colonies. Buildings are narrow with steep tiles roofs, with larger buildings having more elaborate decorations such as mouldings and statues. Historically the houses were kept largely white to reflect the sun and to keep the buildings cool inside. In recent years, the buildings, particularly along the waterfront, have been painted in bright colours to make them more attractive to tourists. Much of the Oustad was destroyed during rioting in 1969 and what remains has been preserved either by preservation authorities run by central, provincial, and local governments, or from individual building owners.
Art deco architecture arrived in Nuvania immediately after the end of the Great War, and was used in a number of private construction projects within the city, particularly for the wealthy residents of the city. These included department stores, hotels, and apartment buildings. Among the most well known buildings include the Seafront Residences, Windstrand's first luxury condominium building, and the Queen Mary Hotel, completed in 1938. The Art Deco Preservation Society, established in 2000, has categorised 125 art deco buildings within the city, and has raised awareness about preserving the heritage of some of the most well known buildings within Windstrand.
Cinema
Windstrand has been the setting in a number of films over the years and, like Pietersburg, is often used for international productions set in tropical Estmerish-speaking cities. As such, Windstrand is often considered Nuvania's second city for filming, owing to its popularity as a setting. Reflective of this popularity is the number of film companies based within the city, the largest of which is Wescott-Phillips, Nuvania's largest film company. It also owns the city's only dedicated film studios with in house sets, Silver Peak Studios, located in the suburb of Marionvale.
The city has been chosen as the primary setting for numerous films dating back to the 1950's and has also been used as a stand in for fictional cities. Among the more famous movies filmed within Windstrand include the 1963 Rizealander romantic film A Summer Getaway, the 1987 action film Soldiers of Fortune, and the 2012 Estmerish thriller The Contact. Parts of Windstrand also featured in other films, notably the city's international airport as the departure point in the 1985 Rizealander romantic comedy Stuck With You, and the Oustad standing in for a fictional West Arucian Island state in the 2005 Hennish drama De Kolonel. Nuvanian films have also made heavy use of Windstrand as a setting or as a stand in. The most famous of these films is the 2008 action thriller The Mole, set during the backdrop of the increase in organised crime in the 1980's. The Windstrand International Film Festival is the city's main festival, with the city also home to the West Arucian Film Festival, notable for its Golden Palm awards and primary focus on West Arucian films and filmmakers.
Famous actors and actresses who were born or resided in the city include Victor Albinson, Trent Baines, Oliver Frost, Isabelle Goodman, Frans Koumans, and Nuvania's most famous actress Olivia de Wynter. Famous filmmakers, directors, and producers include Ron Moore, known for his documentaries on social issues and various political commentaries, Allen Toller, and Johannes van der Kamp.
Cuisine
Windstrand is known for its varied cuisine from the numerous different cultures within the city. Being dominated by Estmerish influences since the Estmerish takeover, the city is known for its tropical-influenced Estmerish cuisine. Windstrand is also known for its cafe culture, a hallmark of the ganome influence from the Dezevaunis who brought their coffee culture with them. In addition, the largely Bahian-Euclean mixture of cuisines has resulted in Creole dishes becoming a hallmark of the city as local specialities. Like other coastal cities, seafood is a major component of cuisine within Windstrand, and the city prides itself on having among the best fish dishes in Nuvania.
Key features of the cooking in Windstrand include an emphasis on fresh ingredients as well as the use of spices and moderators that offset the strong flavours from the spices. These spices are less intense than those used in dishes that come directly from wider cuisine influences, and this has reflected in the less intense use of chili peppers in Creole cuisine. Moderators used in Windstrand's cooking include fresh tropical fruit such as papayas and mangoes, beverages such as rum or sugar cane juice, and other ingredients like almonds, coconut, and honey. Rice is an important grain that accompanies a large number of dishes and is a key stable ingredient. Seafood is important in Windstrand dishes, and include grouper, mahi-mahi, marlin, and red snapper. Crustaceans such as crabs and shrimp are also widely served. Salted cod is considered a staple in the city's cuisine, much like elsewhere in the West Arucian region.
At its most basic, a typical dish found in restaurants and eateries will be seafood cooked in spices and served with rice. In this respect, chili-lime cod is considered to be one of the more basic dishes to originate from Windstrand and includes influences of multiple different cuisines in it. Such dishes are common from around coastal Etten, but are emblematic of Windstrand. Mullet rice takes this a step further, and includes a variety of spices such as paprika and cumin in addition to chili peppers, as well as vegetables such as onions and peppers. The effect of the spices is often moderated either by including sugar cane juice in the cooking, or served with Creole cream. Mullet rice can also be served with other types of fish, or even crustaceans, especially smaller ones such as prawns and shrimp. Ingredients typical of Creole cuisine include meat such as pork as well as the addition of legumes, particularly kidney beans. Often restaurants will serve "Creole" versions of dishes with the only addition being kidney beans, either as part of the dish or as a side serving. Windstrand has a couple of local specialities that originated from the city and have since spread to elsewhere in the province; Creole cream, which is fermented milk prepared in a similar way to sour cream or yoghurt and is often used to moderate spicy dishes or as a condiment, particularly with battered foods or fries, and Ettenburger cheese, which is a soft and salty cheese that often accompanies various dishes, and is often simply eaten raw.
Windstrand has local variations on popular dishes from cuisines around the world. Fish and chips, a staple takeaway across most of Nuvania, often comes with Creole cream in place of tomato sauce or ketchup, with fries in some restaurants also offering Creole cream as a condiment for fries and other similar foods. A popular dessert is banana pudding, which comes in a variety of forms. In Windstrand, plantains are often substituted for bananas if the latter is unavailable or too expensive to purchase, with the pudding also taking on a different appearance. "Traditional" banana pudding takes on the form of a thick puree or mousse with custard and sliced banana combined into a single mixture and then cooled, before topped with whipped cream and ground chocolate, with a stick of vanilla sometimes added for presentation. "Metropolitan" banana pudding is more in line with traditional layered banana pudding, but utilised crush malt biscuits in addition to separate banana slices and custard. Whipped cream is the traditional topping, with the dish also covered in a sweet coffee glaze. Bread pudding is made similarly to elsewhere in Nuvania, but is often served with marmalades made from tropical fruit.
Coffee culture is a significant part of the overall culture within Windstrand. Although coffee was introduced into the city long before the first Dezevauni migrants landed in Nuvania, it was the Dezevauni migrants who began to commercialise coffee in a similar manner as they had done so back in their homeland. Coffeehouses became popular establishments in Windstrand in the 19th century, and it wasn't until the 1950's that cafe culture fully began to be introduced into Windstrand. The city's modern coffee culture is considered a hybrid of Dezevauni ganomes and Euclean cafes; the former are often found in lower income areas and are often focal points for local neighbourhoods, particularly in high density areas where residential tower blocks predominate. Cafes are considered more upper class and are found in the more affluent areas of the city. Coffee drinks depend on establishment; coffehouses will serve coffee "straight" with no added milk, sugar, or cream, these being left up to individuals to add to their coffee as they wish. Cafes will serve more complex drinks such as a flat white or a long black. Although Estmerish terms are used to describe the actual establishments, a shortened version of the word ganome is used in reference to someone going to a cafe or coffehouse, or simply making a cup of coffee at home.
Media
Windstrand is Nuvania's second largest centre for multiple media platforms. The Nuvanian Broadcasting Corporation has its second largest television studios within the city which are used to produce television shows as well as the main bureau for Etten province, where it also produces specialised provincial television. Independent television company Nuvanian Television also has its second studios in Windstrand for production of a variety of television shows and other media content.
Windstrand is covered by the standard radio stations run by NBC as well as a variety of other independent radio stations, the most well known being EQ Radio, which broadcasts specifically within Windstrand and the wider urban area. EQ Radio is known within the city for its promotional stunts and primarily broadcasts music and other programming aimed towards a younger audience. Other well known radio stations include Windstrand Classic Hits, devoted to pop music from the last half century, Island FM, which broadcasts music and programming from various West Arucian island countries, and GFM, which broadcasts entirely in Ziba.
The Windstrand Courier is the daily newspaper of the city and is owned by Independent Press, a print media company based in Windstrand. Independent Press also produce a number of other newspapers, including the weekly current events and politics oriented National Observer and the West Arucian Sea focussed newspapers such as the West Arucian Times and the politics and current affairs oriented Equatorial Review. Independent Press also publish other newspapers in different languages, the largest of which is L'Indépendant, which is printed both in Nuvania and in Gaullican-speaking island states in the West Arucian Sea. Pace Media Group prints three newspapers in the city; the Windstrand Post and it's weekend edition, the Sunday Post, as well as the tabloid newspaper News of the Week. The Windstrand Nuus is the only Asteriaans language newspaper printed and distributed within Windstrand by Almekor.
Music
Sport
Like Pietersburg, with whom it has a longstanding rivalry with, Windstrand has a strong presence in domestic sports competitions, often competing with Pietersburg to host some of the most competitive teams and athletes in Nuvania.
Invictus Stadium is Windstrand's largest sports venue with a capacity of 32,000 people. It was opened in 1970 and expanded in 2009. Invictus Stadium is Windstrand's largest multi-sports stadium, hosting various provincial and national athletics competitions. It is currently home to Windstrand Athletic, the city's principal football team that competes in Division One, and also is one of two stadiums to host cricket matches of both the national and provincial teams.
Cantrell-Wright Stadium is the second largest stadium in Windstrand and was completed in 1999. It can host up to 27,000 spectators and was built to relieve demand on Invictus Stadium owing to increasing dated infrastructure and the number of events being held there. Like Invictus Stadium, Cantrell-Wright Stadium is a multisport facility, hosting the home matches of Windstrand's rugby league team, the Caimans, and the Etten provincial rugby union team. In addition, the stadium hosts international cricket matches and music concerts. In addition, there are three additional stadiums located around Windstrand. The largest is Warwick Park Stadium located in Blairmont and has a capacity of 6,000 spectators. The others are Queen Mary Park in Maitland, which holds 2,500 spectators, and Marionvale Stadium, which holds 2,000 spectators. These are principally dedicated to football, but host other sporting and non-sporting events.
Windstrand has three indoor arenas which host a variety of sporting and non-sporting events. The largest of these is the Equator Centre, known for being built directly on the equator. It has a capacity of 25,000 spectators and hosts a variety of indoor sports, principally basketball, boxing, and volleyball. It is also the primary indoor venue for concerts. The Blairmont Events Centre is the second largest in the wider Windstrand area and can seat 8,450 spectators, with similar events hosted there. Marionvale Arena is the third and second-largest of the indoor arenas, with a capacity of 10,500 people. Although it primarily hosts non-sporting events, it hosts regional competitions for smaller sports.
Outside of regular sporting competitions, Windstrand hosts a number of domestic and international events, including the Nuvanian Open in golf, which is primarily held at the Villa Maria Resort golf course near central Windstrand, and is Nuvania's premier golf tournament. It also holds the Windstrand Open for tennis and has hosted several rounds of the World Triathlon Championship.