Pacifica

Pacifica is a sovereign country in North America. With Marquette as its capital, it has a major industry in the Pacific Ocean. Its territory lies between the Pacific Coast of the United States to the northwest and southeast, Canada to the northeast, the El Kadsreian Islands to the south, and Magisteria to the north.

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 Portugese and Spanish.

Prehistory (to the 1600s)
When the Paleo Indians migrated from Asia, present-day Pacifica was connected with the Americas via a land bridge that went from Alaska and British Columbia. 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 the ones 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. However, their discoveries were buried somewhere between Washington and British Columbia and were thus not seen until they were rediscovered in the 1920s.

Ektæó Colonial Rule (1623-1823)
Ektæózeruich found itself in the midst of colonisation. Initially, the settlers were meant to colonise much of the Cascadia bioregion. Due to incorrect coordinates and bad mapping, the Ektæó Gold Coast Company (Ektæó: Compángnij Coste Auoră) found themselves on the coasts of Pacifica Island. Despite this, the people who were sent there strongly believed they were on Vancouver Island and refused to leave Pacifica. New Tæóich (now called Bedford) was the first settlement the Gold Coast Company made soon after However, as time passed, the natives of the island were tired of the colony's expansion and a few conflicts occurred from time to time. The colony managed to get the upper hand, and they were pushed northward until they ended up in the mountains. The Ektæó Gold Coast Company changed their name to the Gold Coast Colony in 1623 and was placed under the rule of the crown as a province of Ektæózeruich. Due to a lack of communication, though, representatives sent to Ektæózeruich's seat of government died or arrived a couple of years after they had decided to host a meeting, forcing those who were there to rule themselves as a de facto protectorate. To combat this, Pacifica was later transferred to the United States and the British Empire albeit under vague wording.

British & American Rule (1823-1908)
After the Ektæó government left all their colonial holdings, Pacifica was under disputed rule; while it was officially transferred to the United Kingdom, it only held full control over the northern sections while the more developed southern portion was neglected until the United States claimed it in 1825. 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) respectfully. This lasted until 1845, when all of Pacifica came under British control as the Protectorate of Pacifica. At this time, many started flocking there even before this occurred, with the island's population increased by as much as 1,700%. The reason behind this large growth was because of the extremely cheap yet fertile land and the gold in the area. Around the 1870s, there was a plan to make Pacifica a province of Canada, but it failed due to a lack of support.

Transition period (1890s-1908)
Independence was starting to become an opportunity when the British Empire increased Pacifica's autonomy to be equal to Canada's, though the protectorate's population was starting to decline slowly. Peaceful gatherings to propose its independence were starting to be commenced as early as 1900. These demands were received with some resentment initially, but a transition into an independent Pacifica occurred shortly afterwards. On February 23, 1908, Pacifica's constitution passed in parliament, making the country independent.

First Decades of Independence (1908-1927)
The 1908 elections were marked with as many as 49 political parties trying to gain power. This was due to a number of occasions where parties fragmented into multiple sections, 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; this was a lot considering that most gained less than 10%, some parties were consolidated, and others decided to give up altogether.

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

When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, they chose the allies despite the slight political turmoil that was going on around that time 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 (1945-1980s)
Post-war Pacifica was succeeding at building both a national highway and railway system that connected many regions of the country. 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 with one that tried to start a communist rebellion in the country. 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 leaders at this time were hardline anti-communists. Despite this, a man by the name of Reynold Davis was a member of the Socialist Party, which was formed after the Liberty Party (now the Labour Party) considered his views to be "too sympathetic to the Soviets." He remained in power for almost 12 years though he did not appeal to either the communist rebels or the status quo. Throughout his time, 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. After that, he was disposed of once the Truth and Unity Party, a right-wing group, took over after a constitutional crisis between 1964 and 1965.

Ronald Middleton was extremely popular with the average person living there at the time, almost gaining 100% approval during the elections of 1964. There have been some points 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." Around 1967, Francine Bell was introduced to Middleton. The two would start to spark a peculiar friendship which turned into a serious relationship after at least 1973. Many within their social circle were punished should they attempt or threaten to tell Middleton's wife, Kelly, of this. However, the quality of living began to decrease once the affair began to progress. 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. The Truth and Unity Party lost all but 3 seats following the appointment and was disbanded after Middleton was dismissed.

Edouard Laurent became prime minister following an appointment from former governor-general Carter Jackson. 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 its decline.

Present Day (1993-)
After George Burke decided to retire from political life, Pacifica was introduced to two politicians from the Labour Party: Mackenzie White and Miranda Hancock. This marked a new era for Pacifica since the Labour Party was fractured following the Constitutional Crisis in 1965. While Laurent only intended on fixing the infrastructure in Pacifica, these two politicians made the country more friendlier towards left-wing politics. Same-sex marriages were gradually allowed over time, with White making it fully legal in 1998. Additional progressive laws were passed once Hancock became prime minister. As a result, the Conservative Party was a more moderate rival compared to its historic counterpart.

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 or understand French as either their native tongue or as a 2nd language. The Ektæó language, despite making a prominent proportion, has diminished over the last few decades.

Divisions
See Divisions of Pacifica for more information.

As of 1953, the country of Pacifica is divided into 28 districts, 3 territories, and one Captial district (Marquette C.D.)

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. The most popular brands that many contractors and school boards buy are made from Blue Bird, IC Bus, and Thomas Built Buses. The Crown Supercoach and school buses made from Corbeil were also popular, though these companies went defunct years ago.

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 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 Ektæó 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 signals from areas such as Seattle and Portland despite the then-prominent Ektæó-speaking population. In 1949, stations PRTN, PFBX, PMHC, PGRP, PHXE, and PCQA started to broadcast; half of them had signals from Marquette and Columbia respectfully. 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 commenced in 2001, and it was completed in 2008.

Cinema
The cinema industry stated around the 1890s. The history of said industry did not progress any further about 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 between the ages of 16 and 18
 * The Columbia Captiol 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
Through the constitution, Pacifica runs as a secular state with religious liberties. Most of the population is made up of atheists, but a large Christian population is still present with many declaring themselves as Protestant. The Roman Catholic denomination is a large minority due to Ektæó colonisation and French Canadian immigrants.

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.