Pacifica

Pacifica (/pəˈsɪfɪkə/), officially known as the Commonwealth of Pacifica, is a sovereign country in North America. Containing 29 districts plus a federal district, it is the nth largest country in land area and the nth largest in population. Its territory lies between the Pacific Coast of the United States to the northeast and southeast, Canada to the east, the El Kadsreian Islands to the south, and Magisteria to the north. The capital, Marquette, is within said federal district and is a port along the Pacific Ocean. Only Columbia, with 9 million people, is larger.

The country started after many Paleo Indians moved along the then-peninsula, which collapsed due to rising sea levels. The Aurentians later colonised it for 200 years from 1623 to 1823. After a few disputes early on, Pacifica remained under British and American joint occupation until it was given to the British Empire from 1845. In 1908, Pacifica was confederated as the Dominion of Pacifica (it gained commonwealth status after 1949). Only after 9 June 1967 did it completely gain its independence following a change in its constitution.

Being a former British colony, this nation is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is also a part of NATO, the UN, and the Organization of American States.

Etymology
The name Pacifica comes from the term Ferdinand Magellan used when he described the Pacific Ocean (i.e. Pacífico). When translated into English, it means "peaceful sea" in Portuguese and Spanish.

Prehistory (to the 1600s)
When the Paleo Indians migrated from Asia, present-day Pacifica was once a peninsula. A certain amount of tribes settled in the northern part of the area, which was full of mountains at the time; however, it was not as arable and many tribes moved south to the tips of the island. Not much is known about these early tribes, but connection to the mainland was stopped once an eruption caused the land bridge to go underground. This had caused the Indigenous peoples of Pacifica to establish cultures completely different from those along the other side of the Pacific coast.

Colonial Rule (1623-1908)
See Protectorate of Pacifica for more information

European exploration of the Pacific Northwest began around the late 1570s after Francis Drake, a pirate from Britain, went away from what is now Oregon. It was soon followed by a group of unnamed men known as the Wiskln, who went around the Pacific coast two decades later. They never stepped foot on Pacifica, but a small portion of the island had been drawn as a part of mainland North America. Their discoveries were buried in areas around Washington and British Columbia and were thus not seen until they were rediscovered in the 1920s.

Aurentian Colonial Rule (1623-1823)
Aurentia found itself in the midst of colonising areas around the world after the country was documented heavily. The Royal Colonial Company was formed during the 1600s with intentions of sending hundreds of settlers to live in the lands they so desired. Their first exploration occurred once a ship known as the M.A.E. Barent was built in 1621; afterward, the plan was that the settlers were meant to colonise much of the Cascadia bioregion. Due to incorrect coordinates and bad mapping, the people of the ship found themselves on the coasts of Pacifica Island five months after they had left the country. The reason why they never navigated the Pacific Northwest like they anticipated to is because of the risks involved with exploring across the ocean. To add to this, many believed that they were indeed on Vancouver Island and refused to leave.

New Tæóich (now called Bedford) was the first settlement the Gold Coast Company made after resting for a few days. On the subject of how they should treat the indigenous peoples, many settlers were split between two factions: the Greens (intended to trade and perhaps assimilate) and the expansionists (desired to expand). A bloody conflict rose between the sides, with the Greens winning initially. For a few years, the expansionalists moved further in the island and started a separate colony. They consolidated New Tæóich during an unexpected attack and pillaged their native allies. Soon after, those who were still left attempted to assimilate with the settlers whilst keeping their traditions or headed north to be left alone. Despite this, intermarriage was considered uncommon (though this was slightly more common amongst the Greens).

The Gold Coast Company's main industry was, like many colonies in present-day Canada and nearby areas, fur trading. Initial relations between the indigenous peoples and the Aurentians soured following the Tree Wars. Soon after, they improved as they started to trade more often.

Due to a lack of communication, news sent to or from Pacifica came late, if it ever arrived. For the most part, they attempted to rule themselves under another system to compensate for the lack of things coming from Borea. In the 1820s, seeing that their colony was a lost cause, Pacifica was later transferred to the United States and the British Empire, albeit with vague boundaries to either side since many did not explore the northern part of the country.

British & American Rule (1822-1908)
After the Aurentian government left all their colonial holdings in North America, Pacifica was under disputed rule. While it was officially transferred to the Hudson's Bay Company and the United States, neither established firm control over the region until 1823. Much like the Oregon Country, it was placed under joint-occupation as a part of the Columbia District and Oregon Territory (Pacifica Territory after it had split from Oregon in 1833) respectively. This lasted until 1845, when all of Pacifica came under British control as the Protectorate of Pacifica.

The residents of New Tæóich and other areas reacted to this transfer of power with hostility once they saw British and American ships surrounding the coastline. Thinking that this was an invasion, they decided to attack them by attempting to put the ships on fire. Even after they found out the truth, they were not the most cooperative. In fact, many rebellions came and went until the late 1830s. The success of each insurgency varied greatly, but the most successful one killed off 200 redcoats that were in close proximity of Saint Benedict Island before reinforcements arrived a week later to quash the spirits of the residents.

Many started flocking to Pacifica after order was restored in the area. The English and American settlers of the colony stayed in the southern part of the island before moving northward towards Marquette whilst descendants of the French voyageurs sailed from present-day British Columbia to the eastern part of the island. Unlike the New Tæóich settlers, who remained primarily in the south, many English settlers were more hostile to the native population. Some of the worst conflicts the former dealt with were with the _, a nation that is related to the Nuu-chah-nulth. Like the west coast of North America, many Chinese Pacificans arrived as railway workers in the middle of the 19th century. While discrimination was prevalent against those who decided to go across the ocean to the protectorate, many Chinatowns were formed within New Tæóich, where tolerance was practiced more often.

Following British Columbia's confederation into Canada in 1871, there were plans to bring Pacifica as the eighth or ninth province. Due to large opposition from New Tæóich plus several threats of conflict, however, these plans never came into fruition. The 1908 referendum had this as an option but once again, many voted against this.

Transition period (1890s-1908)
Gradual autonomy was given to Pacifica, thus ending any chance that Pacifica would join Canada. Many started desiring for independence by the 1880s, with peaceful gatherings being commenced to request independence. These demands were received with some resentment, initially, but negotiations regarding the protectorate were held between then and 1908. The 1907 Imperial Conference increased the status of Pacifica to a de facto dominion, though this would not be granted de jure until February 23, 1908, when Pacifica's constitution passed in parliament.

First Decades of Independence (1908-1945)
Upon independence, the agreement was that Saint Benedict Island would remain under the control of Britain as a protectorate until 1922, when it would be given back to Aurentianzeruich after a 99 year lease. The plan changed partially in 1917, when the governance of the island would be transferred to Pacifica instead (as the District of Saint Benedict).

The 1908 election had as many as 49 political parties that attempted to gain power. This was due to a number of frequent occasions where parties fragmented into several smaller factions, with some resorting to violence to get rid of another party's dominance. Eventually, Pacifican National Party candidate Francis Burke won with only 35% of the vote. Considering how most gained less than 10%, some parties were consolidated, and others decided to give up altogether, it was seen as a large sum. Having been in power since 1901, Burke desired to remain close with their allies back in Britain while opening up to the United States - something that Canada, its neighbour, was more hesitant of doing. Due to his controversial stance, the National Party lost the election to the Conservatives, who installed New Tæóich native Gælijús Stæúrook as their prime minister.

Domestic issues were often a concern in Pacifican politics. Sometimes, it would get so bad to the point of a near quasi-war. They were only able to send troops to serve in the British Empire after early 1915 (though some were sent as early as the time the latter started doing so). Stæúrook started to pass the Conscription Acts to bring more soldiers to serve in the war. Riots began to follow in areas with heavy populations of French and Aurentian Pacificans, but nevertheless, it still passed in Parliament. However, it was reversed by deputy prime minister Marcus Gelder, who served while Stæúrook had a stroke a few weeks earlier. He was later replaced with the previous prime minister during the 1915 elections, which were held after the latter recovered.

For the second and final time, George Burke returned to politics. At that point, Stæúrook officially retired from politics and died peacefully later that year. He would continue to serve as the head of Pacifica's government until mid-1928, when he himself retired and moved to Florida to live the rest of his days until he died in 1938.

Clarence Anderson was soon put to power afterwards. He is notorious for implementing the White Pacifica policy, which was modelled after the White Australia policy. This prevented non-whites living outside the country from immigrating or even visiting Pacifica without explicit permission from the government. He wanted to extend this policy further by only allowing English to be used in everyday life and to forcefully move people around to segregate them. Anderson was dismissed by the governor-general in 1931 before he could further his plans for the country.

Lawrence Karelsky came to fill in the gap after he was appointed by the governor-general despite a quick election season (some thought he didn't win legitimately, which was why he was replaced after six months).

His successor, P.A. Pulaski, reversed all of the policies made by Anderson regarding race. Soon after, he also implemented the Civil Liberties Act of 1931. This act made it so that discrimination towards a person for race-motivated reasons would be declared illegal. He won the 1937 election and served until 1940, when Ijwán Næłký became prime minister before dying in office two months later. For the most part, he himself and many of his colleagues said he was dissatisfied with the job, though it seemed like he intended to increase the autonomy of New Tæóich.

Mihæl Cousteau of the Liberty Party (now the Liberal Democratic Party) was successful during the second 1940 elections; he is well known for his proposal of the expansion of Pacifica's highways and boosting morale during the Second World War. Considering his anti-communist nature, he was the one who personally booted Reynold Davis out of the party he led in 1949. Cousteau would die in 1953 after his health deteriorated during the final years of his life.

Pacifica during the World Wars (1914-1945)
Pacifica supported the Entente during the First World War. Many troops were sent to the Pacific Theatre starting in late 1915, though some went to Europe with Canadian troops.

When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, they chose the Allies though, once again, political turmoil still occurred on whether to declare war on the Axis powers or to be neutral. They never participated entirely until 1941, when the Attack on Pearl Harbor pulled the United States into the war as well.

Cold War Era (1945-1990s)
Post-war Pacifica was succeeding at building both a national highway and railway system that connected many of its regions. Following this, an economic boom diversified the economy of it even more; but at the same time, some of Pacifica's intercity regions had groups that would stir unrest. While it had remained neutral in the Korean War, the Vietnam War and other operations to prevent communist governments from rising up, many of Pacifica's government officials at this time were hardline anti-communists. Despite this, a man by the name of Reynold Davis was a member of the Labour Party, which was formed after the Liberty Party (now the Liberal Democratic Party) found his views to be "too sympathetic to the Soviets." This was denounced many times by Davis, who did not appeal to either the communist rebels. His main goal, according to him, was to "not to turn ourselves into enemies of the West, but to promote ideological neutrality."

Despite having a somewhat large opposition to him, Davis still won the election of 1953. During this era, the natives in Pacifica were given more autonomy over themselves. As of 1955, a change in the constitution allowed the three northernmost territories plus the western areas of the District of Mackenzie to prohibit construction projects in areas that are under the ruling of the Indigenous peoples of Pacifica without permission. He was disposed of once the Truth and Unity Party, a right-wing populist group, took over after a constitutional crisis between 1964 and 1965. This happened since a number of districts were considered to be too close to call in the previous election.

Ronald Middleton was became quite popular with the right; as a result, the Conservative Party (which merged with the conservative portion of the Liberty Party to form the Progressive-Conservatives) was seen to many as a "loyalist group of yes-men." This was one of many examples where it appeared he wanted to abolish the monarchy, but according to him he said, "I do appreciate our nation's monarchy. It would be nice if I were the head of state, but our heritage cannot lie upon a person who holds office for a short amount of time and leaves." Between 18 March 1969 and 21 January 1970, Æúwrićø Læúwárooa served as prime minister after Middleton was beginning to recover from an assassination attempt. However, what was not known from everyone but those who were close to Læúwárooa was that he intended to obtain power, so he continued to keep the position for about a few weeks after the 1970 election. For the most part, governor-general Carter Jackson felt divided between the two politicians but was forced to choose Middleton.

Middleton gained controversy for his anti-communist tactics throughout his time as PM.

Around 1967, Francine Bell was introduced to Middleton. The two would start to spark a peculiar friendship which turned into an affair after at least 1973. Many within their social circle often berated Middleton's wife, Kelly, whist being around him and Bell. On the other hand, those who spoke out against him were often silenced through threats of kidnapping, murder, and other tactics. However, the quality of living began to decrease once the affair began to progress since it seemed like Ronald Middleton often focused on Bell during his free time. This would come to an end after 1977, when Kelly Middleton heard of this through an anonymous letter. They separated and later divorced in September 1979, but at that point, Francine Bell had distanced herself from the affair. The Truth and Unity Party was disbanded after Middleton was dismissed on 5 June 1977. On New Year's Eve, he was found dead after falling from an 18-storey building. Having been alone around the time of his death, it was ruled as a suicide.

Reconstruction
To fill in the time between the day Ronald Middleton was dismissed and the election, Carter Jackson stepped in as prime minister after retiring from the position of governor-general in 1975. Jacques Nasseau of the Progressive-Conservative Party won the election, though arguments with the conservative and liberal factions of the party would cause it to split up between the Conservative and Liberal Democratic parties in 1981. This era in Pacifican history mostly emphasized on rebuilding areas that had experienced declines during the seventies and establishing relations with the Eastern bloc during the latter's decline. It started to collaborate with the Montarek Archipelago on reunifying South Barentia with Barentia proper during the early 90s. During the latter part of the 80s, Charles Weyburn was elected as the first third-party candidate in a decade. His reforms attempted to increase environmental awareness across Pacifica, and he was also the one who ended Pacifica's nuclear program as the Cold War was coming to an end.

Post-Cold War era (1991-)
Frederick Johnson scored a victory for the modern version of the Conservatives in 1991. While the original one mainly focused on maintaining good relations with the British Empire and Canada, this version was more in line with the Republican Party of the United States (albeit more socially liberal, considering the way that Pacifica developed). He went to win in another landslide in 1995 before mysteriously disappearing in 1996. Jefferson McDowell continued to serve up until June 1996.

A larger acceptance towards progressive policies including the right to an abortion, gay marriage, democratic socialism among a few other things were beginning to become more acceptable once Mackenzie White was appointed into office in mid-1996 following a victory a few weeks after a competitive election season. White was initially alienated from the conservative portion of parliament as a number of people started to believe in the conspiracy theory that he killed Johnson earlier that year.

Environmentalism in Pacifica
Read the article for more information.

Considering its close relationship to the Pacific Northwest, environmentalism is considered to be an important thing to the lives of many Pacificans. Places like Bedford have been acclaimed for having one of the best forms of public transportation in the world, along with a history of having a pedestrian-friendly area.

Economy
Pacifica has always had a market economy with large levels of development. While its industry was primarily limited to tourism, lumbering wood and mining, it had diversified rapidly throughout the late 19th and early 20th century. It does not have the highest GDP, net wealth or purchasing power parity, but it has been near the top for the past few decades.

Population
As of 2022, the current estimated population is at around 62,019,176 people. Racially, Caucasians make up 71% of the population, Blacks at 11%, Asians at around 10%, and Indigenous peoples and other races at 4% each. Hispanics of any race make up around 10% of the population.

Language
English is generally used as a language amongst the majority of Pacificans, though many can speak and/or understand French. The Aurentian language, despite being a major language used by the first settlers in the past, has fewer and fewer native speakers over the last few decades.

Divisions
See Divisions of Pacifica for more information.

Education
The school systems in Pacifica are divided between each district, with the exception of the far-northern regions which still have a large indigenous population; in these areas, education is either provided by the national government or by a council. One can also make an exception if a person near one district lives near a school in another one. Public education is free and is required from the age of 4 to the age of 18, though some arrangements can allow a person to graduate when they are 16. Most schools are divided into four segments: preparatory, primary, lower secondary, and secondary. Tertiary education is provided in colleges around the country. The table below will explain how it is divided.

Generally, the school day lasts about 9 hours for the average student attending secondary school and 7.5 for a person attending primary or intermediate school. On average, Pacifican students are in school for 195 days of the school year, with mandatory breaks during all four seasons plus a few other ones scattered around the school year.

School buses in Pacifica are extremely similar to the ones Canadian and American children use while riding to school, though it has not been unheard of for a person to use public transportation. Trains could also be used as a choice in larger cities (ex. the Marquette Rapid Metro).

Climate & Landscape
The climate is generally a bit colder on the western and northern sides of Pacifica than the other regions. The lowest temperature ever recorded was in 1975, at around -91°C (-131.8°F) in Meyer Valley. The hottest was 47°C (117°F) in the aforementioned area in 1929.

The landscape around Pacifica is filled with valleys, plateaus, forests, and a few rainforests in the southern and eastern part of the country. The northeastern section is near the Juan de Fuca plate boundary and the Ring of Fire, which has caused it to become vulnerable to earthquakes.

Television
Most channels operate both in English and French, with certain ones around the New Tæóich region using the Aurentian language. There are no television stations that are state-owned. However, publicly funded television stations once dominated the way of broadcasting. Most television stations work similarly to their American and Canadian counterparts.

Under call sign PNT10WXB from Bedford, the first experimental television broadcasts started in 1929. A brief hiatus occurred following the destruction of the television station in 1935. It had broadcasted once again on an on-and-off basis until 1940, when Pacifica started to focus on World War II. For a certain time after the war, those with televisions in southern Pacifica received television stations from areas such as Seattle, Portland and Vancouver despite the then-prominent Aurentian-speaking population. In 1949, stations PRTN, PFBX, PMHC, PGMT, PHXE, and PCAA started to broadcast as well. Half of them had signals from Marquette and Columbia respectively. By 1966, television stations were placed all around Pacifica in all three national languages.

The transition to digital television started around 1999 with the creation of the first DTT transmission in the country. Soon enough, the switch-over was commenced in 2001, and it was completed by 2007.

Cinema
The cinema industry stated around the 1890s. The history of said industry did not progress any further until around the 1910s.

Other Information

 * The currency is known as the Pacifican Dollar
 * Type A & B plug sockets are commonly used
 * The average life expectancy is 84.3 for men and 86 for women
 * The drinking age is 19
 * A marriage is only legal if each spouse is at least 18 years old
 * The driving age varies from district to district, but it is usually between the ages of 15 and 18
 * The Marquette Federal District's driving age is at 18
 * The voting age is 16, though immigrants from any country have to stay in the country for 3 years in order to be allowed to vote
 * Same-sex marriage was decriminalised in 1932. In 1991, same-sex unions were recognized with same-sex marriages becoming legal after 1998. About 1 in 6.5 people identify themselves with the LGBTQ+ community

Religion
According to the constitution, Pacifica runs as a secular state with religious liberties. A plurality of the population is irreligious, but a large Christian population is still present with many declaring themselves as Protestant. The Roman Catholic denomination is a large minority as many French Canadian immigrants moved in the eastern portion of the country.

Crime
Pacifica has maintained a reputation for being one of the least crime-ridden countries in the world for several decades, though political violence and corruption had occurred during its early days.

Politics
The country, much like Canada, has a constitutional monarchy with a parliament. Many of its laws derive from certain laws in the United States, the European Union, Australia, etc. The prime minister is usually appointed by the governor-general following an election that occurs every four years unless there is a sudden change that affects the schedule (ex: dismissal, death, resignation, dissolution of parliament, sickness, etc.). While there is no term limit, most prime ministers serve for one or two terms.

A unique feature of Pacifica is the way that a deputy prime minister is required to serve for at least nine months before an election occurs to see if they are able to continue their services in place of the prime minister they have replaced after the latter was declared to be ill, dead, dismissed, etc. At times, the previous prime minister could run against them should they be eligible to run unless they are from the same party.

Being a part of the Commonwealth, Charles III is the current King of Pacifica. He holds no political power like in most (if not all) of the countries he is the head of state in.