Asliemia (Pacifica)

United Socialist States of Asliemia
Flag of Asliemia
Anthem: Union of the Three: Earth, Air, and Sea (Alternatively titled: "Ode to Asliemia") by Thalia Schkepodos
Location of Asliemia in Pacifica
Location	North-East Cordilia encompassed by the South Pacific Ocean
Capital	Alia
Largest city	Sollí
Official languages	Austral
Demonym(s)	Asliemian
Government	Unitary Parliamentary Democracy Technocracy Democratic Socialist
• Prime Minister	Athena Galas
• Chief Technocrat	Phoeobe DeVorak
• Prime Justicar of The Rule	Prof. Alex Cisneros
Legislature	The Grand Assembly
Establishment
• Formation of Asliemia	February 13, 1978
• Acquisition of Morana	October 4, 1982
• Acquisition of the Sylan Edge	December 11, 1982
Area
• Total	106,681 km2 (41,190 sq mi) (69th)
Population
• 2020 census	6,319,347
• Density	59.23/km2 (153.4/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	$300 billion
Gini (2020)	22.9 low
HDI (2020)	0.938 very high
Currency	Asliemian Eco (ASE)
Time zone	UTC-1 (AST)
	No Daylight Savings Time
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+24
World Forum Code	AS
Internet TLD	.as

Asliemia, officially the United Socialist States of Asliemia, is an island nation of around 6 million in the South Pacific, just northeast of the continent of Cordilia. Its lush, tropical forests are home to a wide range of wildlife, much of it found nowhere else. It consists of three major regions: the island of Asliemia (its historical center), the island of Morana, and the Sylan Edge, which is the tip of the northeast peninsula of Cordilia. Its capital city of Alia is located on Asliemia proper. It's situated along the major oceanic shipping routes connecting the east and west of the continent, and its cities, such as Sollí, are located to take full advantage of this position. While mostly lowland area, several mountain ranges divide the scant land of the nation into various subregions, namely the Sylan Border, the Morana Divide, and the Anui Range. The area experiences frequent tectonic activity, as the entire nation lies along the active Antillean Fault. The country's waters are home to abundant coral reefs which act as a source of food and tourism, although most enjoy protected status.

The various islands of Asliemia had been settled by many groups before to the arrival of outsiders, although Asliemia itself had experienced only limited human habitation: previous efforts to colonize quickly ended in failure due to the harsh conditions of the island, namely fierce cyclones and wildlife. The island of Asliemia is unusual as no people were living there fairly late into modern times. In the 1970s, as environmentalism began to take hold across many nations of the world, ideas were had to create a new nation that would enshrine and protect the natural world, a sort of ideological commune. In 1978, enough volunteers signed-on to send a colonization effort to Asliemia, in fear that if it was not settled by people willing to protect it, more exploitative powers would do so soon enough. Within 4 years the fledgling nation expanded to encompass the island of Morana and the Sylan Edge.

Geography and Environment

Geology

Earthquakes

The Antillean Fault is a massive traverse fault which runs the length island chain and into the peninsula. It is prone to frequent movements, the majority of which rarely register above a 3.5 on the Richter Scale. Larger releases are less common, but still occur with greater frequency than in many other nations in the South Pacific. On average, 2 earthquakes above 5.0 occur every year. Rarer still are earthquakes above 6.5, although even these occur at the heightened frequency of 1 every 2 years, on average. In the time of Asliemian nationhood, 3 earthquakes above a 7.0 have occurred: 1986 (7.8), 2002 (7.2), and 2013 (7.5). The 25-second earthquake at 4:12am, April 11th, 1986 was the most devastating in the nation's history, with 871 fatalities, tens of thousands of injured, and billions in damages. The fledgling nation was unprepared for an earthquake of such magnitude and duration. In the following years, the government instituted strict building codes, mandatory earthquake drills, frequent PSAs, primary and secondary school curriculum, and heavy investments into earthquake research and prediction technology to reduce the loss of human life. In 2012, the government rolled out the smartphone app AslQuake, and required it installed on all smartphones sold after November, 2012. The app operates as both an early-warning emergency alert system, giving approximately 20 seconds of warning prior to a quake, as well as a remote seismometer to record as much data as possible for future analysis. Although the quakes of 2002, and especially 2013, were of a similar magnitude to 1986, neither were nearly as devastating in terms of loss of life, with 13 deaths and 9 deaths, respectively. Although both incurred greater damage expenses than 1986, even when adjusting for population and inflation, the very low fatality rates have been widely lauded domestically and internationally as a success story of earthquake preparedness.

Biodiversity

Asliemia lies on what was once an ancient peninsula of Cordilia. Over millions of years, erosion, tectonic activity, and rising sea levels contributed to their separation from the continent. The islands already had native ecologies at the time of their isolation, and these communities were allowed to develop independently of the rest of the world. As such, many lineages and ecosystems that had gone extinct in the rest of Pacifica survived on the islands of Asliemia, a phenomenon known as paleoendemism. The most famous examples are the Neodinosauria, but other unique vestiges from birds to plant communities inhabit portions of the islands.

Fauna

Hypsilophodon and the Neodinosauria

Among the most remarkable discoveries to come from the forests of Asliemia was the paradigm-shifting discovery of the Neodinosauria. The clade Dinosauria was already known to persist to the modern day with birds as the only surviving group. However, in isolation on Asliemia, several other non-avian dinosaurs were discovered, descendants of survivors from 66 million years ago. How they persisted in to the present day is still a matter of debate, but the current hypothesis is that they were more wide spread than previously thought, and didn’t preserve. As mammal lineages radiated, their depleted populations were outcompeted. Asliemia, however, was isolated relatively shortly after the asteroid impact, and the survivors prospered there, free of most mammalian competition.

The non-avian dinosaurs that survived the impact had similar traits and behaviors to the other organisms that survived the impact; they could burrow, eat seeds, entire hibernation or torpor, were opportunistic omnivores, or some combination of the above. Small, burrowing dromaeosaurs that could enter torpor are the likely ancestors of the Neodromaeosauridae seen on the island today. These are few in number, and of fairly small stature due to the islands limited size and size constraints imposed by their rainforest ecosystem, reaching no more than a meter long. As a result, they have become, if not arboreal, then at least partly scansorial. They are generally skittish of humans, having a similar threat level to our species as coyotes would be on the continents. Their plumage is generally dark in color, with males having vivid blue and red feather under their forearms as a mating display and a warning sign to other males. Their diet consists mostly of lizards, insects, and birds, but they have been known to risk hunting larger prey such as Neohypsilophodon in rare times of scarcity, and will not be afraid to attack humans in groups in similar circumstances, or should they stray too close to their nests.

The most iconic of the Neodinosauria, as well as the national animal and symbol of Asliemia, is the Neohypsilophodon, or simply “Hypsilophodon” or “Hyps”.

Economy

Shipping

Asliemia operates as a primary shipping hub for the South Pacific. A good portion of its economy stems from shipping, but not through the control of shipping companies nor through fees paid to dock at their ports. Asliemia charges shipping companies for access to either the Alian Channel or, more importantly, the Strait of Sollí. The state leverages it’s geography to extract payments; while the state has no control over whether a shipping route goes around their territory, they can entice companies to pay the access fee by pricing it slightly lower than additional cost that a ship would incur by traveling far round Asliemia. With quicker shipping speeds and a lower price point, shipping companies are left with little choice but to agree to the terms. The acquisition of Morana and the Sylan Edge by Asliemia was done primarily for this purpose.

The Strait of Sollí in particular has an additional strategic advantage: its is nearly halfway between trade routes to opposite sides of Cordilia. As such, it serves as a convenient refueling center for ships. The government also controls this refueling port, which not only ensures revenue for the state, but allows the government to control what types of fuel are used; dirtier fuels are phased out to make way to cleaner alternatives. In other ways as well, the government attempts to use its control of shipping lanes as an avenue to advance its global agenda through soft power, with varying degrees of success. The state’s refusal to allow ships to pass that came from companies that transported ivory in 1998 was very successful in crippling the ivory trade and reducing poaching. Other efforts were not as clean cut. Parliament’s attempt to require all incoming ships to be, “...upgraded to the most efficient, environmental friendly design modernly available.” in the proposed Oceanic Transmissions Mitigation Act (A.G.A. 234, 2002), caused such an uproar internationally for its hefty cost and vague language that the plan was withdrawn for fear of losing control of the shipping lanes altogether. While some companies decided to upgrade their vessels preemptively in the event of a hard regulation, the overall effect was a weakening of Asliemian soft power in the presence of a temporarily unified trade block.