Aurora:Cascadia: Difference between revisions
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==Geography== | ==Geography== | ||
Cascadia is the server's second-largest country by total incorporated chunk area, behind only [[Aurora:Japan|Japan]]. The | Cascadia is the server's second-largest country by total incorporated chunk area, behind only [[Aurora:Japan|Japan]]. The 204 towns located across Cascadia occupy a combined area of 22,832 plots, equal to 2.8 million square kilometers in claimed territory. The unclaimed territory in between towns, which is especially prevalent in the north of the nation, significantly expands the territory of Cascadia beyond what is controlled within towns. | ||
The western border of Cascadia is defined by the Pacific Ocean, which has a significant amount of its population and metropolitan areas, such as Seattle, Olympia, Vancouver, Astoria, and Fresno. Major arterial waterways, such as the Columbia River, Puget Sound, and Salish Sea, define the coastal plains and forested areas that comprises the coast of Cascadia. The Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountains divide the coast from inland regions, which exist as deserts, plateaus, and basins that extend to the Rocky Mountains, with plains beyond the Rockies in Alberta and the Great Prairies. The north of Cascadia is dominated by the Yukon Mountains, which mark Cascadia's northwest border with Alaska, and the Mackenzie River basin that drains into the Arctic Ocean. Cascadia also exerts sovereignty over the eastern portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as a majority of Indiana, since the dissolution of the Midwest Union. As of 2025, Cascadia also has a presence in the southeastern United States and the Appalachian Mountains, and has two towns on the Atlantic Coast of North America (Rosen_Telia and Tidewater). | The western border of Cascadia is defined by the Pacific Ocean, which has a significant amount of its population and metropolitan areas, such as Seattle, Olympia, Vancouver, Astoria, and Fresno. Major arterial waterways, such as the Columbia River, Puget Sound, and Salish Sea, define the coastal plains and forested areas that comprises the coast of Cascadia. The Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountains divide the coast from inland regions, which exist as deserts, plateaus, and basins that extend to the Rocky Mountains, with plains beyond the Rockies in Alberta and the Great Prairies. The north of Cascadia is dominated by the Yukon Mountains, which mark Cascadia's northwest border with Alaska, and the Mackenzie River basin that drains into the Arctic Ocean. Cascadia also exerts sovereignty over the eastern portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as a majority of Indiana, since the dissolution of the Midwest Union. As of 2025, Cascadia also has a presence in the southeastern United States and the Appalachian Mountains, and has two towns on the Atlantic Coast of North America (Rosen_Telia and Tidewater). | ||
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=== Subdivisions === | === Subdivisions === | ||
Cascadia is organized into a system of counties, established as the primary geographic subdivisions above towns and municipalities but below | Cascadia is organized into a system of counties, established as the primary geographic subdivisions above towns and municipalities but below the national government and electoral districts. These counties were introduced by the “Counties Act of March 2025,” replacing the previous borough system. They function as administrative units with specific responsibilities and limited powers, designed to facilitate cooperation among towns within their boundaries while adhering to national oversight. There are 24 counties and 1 county-level municipality in Cascadia. | ||
Each county is governed by a County Commission, which is composed of the mayors of all towns located within the county. The commission’s primary role is to allocate any funds received from regional budgets, national government grants, or private donations. Decisions regarding funding allocation require at least 50% of mayors to participate in the vote, with a two-thirds supermajority of those votes needed for approval. County Commissions have the flexibility to determine their own procedural rules and may adopt titles such as “Board of Commissioners” or “County Council” to suit their preferences. These commissions are tasked with managing cross-town infrastructure projects and providing assistance to towns in need within their jurisdiction. | Each county is governed by a County Commission, which is composed of the mayors of all towns located within the county. The commission’s primary role is to allocate any funds received from regional budgets, national government grants, or private donations. Decisions regarding funding allocation require at least 50% of mayors to participate in the vote, with a two-thirds supermajority of those votes needed for approval. County Commissions have the flexibility to determine their own procedural rules and may adopt titles such as “Board of Commissioners” or “County Council” to suit their preferences. These commissions are tasked with managing cross-town infrastructure projects and providing assistance to towns in need within their jurisdiction. Since mid-2025, counties have had the ability to have between one and two elected at-large members of the commission. | ||
Counties also have the authority to establish law enforcement entities, such as sheriffs, to enforce national laws within their territories. However, their powers are strictly limited in other areas. Counties are prohibited from establishing courts or taking any judicial actions, as these remain under the exclusive purview of the national government. Furthermore, counties cannot legislate independently unless explicitly authorized by the Cascadian Legislature. | Counties also have the authority to establish law enforcement entities, such as sheriffs, to enforce national laws within their territories. However, their powers are strictly limited in other areas. Counties are prohibited from establishing courts or taking any judicial actions, as these remain under the exclusive purview of the national government. Furthermore, counties cannot legislate independently unless explicitly authorized by the Cascadian Legislature. | ||
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The National Capital City of Olympia, as a unique case, is considered a county-level special municipality, having an elected Executive and Legislative Assembly which make ordinances on an expanded set of policy matters as devolved by the National Government, including in the creation of criminal ordinances, regulation of finance, and appropriations. Olympia is considered co-extensive with "Thurston County". | The National Capital City of Olympia, as a unique case, is considered a county-level special municipality, having an elected Executive and Legislative Assembly which make ordinances on an expanded set of policy matters as devolved by the National Government, including in the creation of criminal ordinances, regulation of finance, and appropriations. Olympia is considered co-extensive with "Thurston County". | ||
These counties are further subdivided into the core administrative unit of Cascadia, which are its municipalities, cities, and towns. There are | These counties are further subdivided into the core administrative unit of Cascadia, which are its municipalities, cities, and towns. There are 205 municipalities in the Republic of Cascadia, each overseen by a mayor (besides in Olympia, where the town-level divisions are referred to as "wards", and are headed by a Ward Supervisor accountable to the City Executive). Towns are the smallest unit of administration in Cascadia, and the National Constitution vests them with supreme authority over property and management of their local populace, supreme to that even of the National Government. | ||
Since October 8, 2022, the in-game nation of [[Washington (Aurora)|Washington]] has been apart of Cascadia as a vassal, and is treated as apart of the nation of Cascadia for all political purposes, despite its status in-game as separate. This status is known as a '''trade possession office'''. The Washington Trade Possession Office is located in Columbia County. | Since October 8, 2022, the in-game nation of [[Washington (Aurora)|Washington]] has been apart of Cascadia as a vassal, and is treated as apart of the nation of Cascadia for all political purposes, despite its status in-game as separate. This status is known as a '''trade possession office'''. The Washington Trade Possession Office is located in Columbia County. | ||