Forum:Territory application/AR120-41 – Apawiland (expansion)

Forums → Territory application → Territory application/AR120-41 – Apawiland (expansion)

Please fill in the information below to make a territory request.

	Territory ID and proposed name
	The Territory ID (from OpenGeofiction:Territories, e.g. AR123a) and proposed name of the country

AR120-41 – Apawiland (though I'd prefer to keep the -72 ref)

	Physical geography
	An overview of climate, topography and landscape of the country. It is advised to also create a sketch, you can add a link to this (hosted on imgBB, Postimages or similar, but not imgur.com)

The geography in Apawiland features subranges of the Cordilleras to its west, a semi-arid basin to its northwest, and mostly plains and farmland to its east.

	Human geography
	A brief description of the territory demographics, economic development, land occupation, infrastructure and mapping style

Apawiland features a stark contrast in human geography as the result of the merging of two in-world territories, so I'll describe them separately:

Western half ('Apawi')

• Dominated by the Parsonites who hold Silverdale as their religious 'capital'
• High Native Archantan population (~30% full or mixed) due to high racial intermixing with Parsonites, relatively high immigrant population (eg. maybe ~5% Asian?)
• Largest cities: Silverdale (430k) and Apricity (360k), with the Mastissac Valley Metropolitan Area having a collective population of 1.8M
• Largest contributors to the economy are (in no particular order) electronics, food processing, and chemicals
• Mapping style most similar to Rockies and the Upper Midwest

Eastern half ('Nikwaan')

• Mostly Protestants like Methodists and Lutherans, with some Catholics to the east and Parsonites to the west
• Relatively rural, homogeneous population outside of Jericho (to be renamed)
• Largest city: Jericho (250k)
• Largest contributors to the economy are (in no particular order) agriculture, healthcare, and oil/gas
• Mapping style most similar to Kansas and Missouri

	History & culture
	A brief description of the intended culture and language

AR120-41 was formed when two territories—Apawi and Nikwaan—merged together for a better shot at statehood. I'll detail their individual histories below:

Apawi Territory was created as a way for the federal government to keep the Parsonites and native Apawi relatively conflict-free with others; the two groups were mostly at peace with each other. The Apawi are analogous to the Lakota, while the Parsonites are a Christian denomination with believes that mostly align with the Cathars and play a role similar to Mormon pioneers. Additionally, the Parsonites were based in the Mastissac Valley in the settlement of Fort-Mastissac. However, in the mid 1850's, gold and silver was discovered, sending tens of thousands of (mostly Protestant) prospectors to the region. While a significant amount did settle in Fort-Mastissac, which was renamed to Silverdale, most help found Apricity a couple of miles east due to the Parsonites' difference in beliefs. Eventually, Silverdale was named the territory's capital, creating a rivalry with Apricity that exists to this day. After its population stabilized, Apawi Territory applied for statehood but was rejected due to the significant presence of Parsonites.

Nikwaan Territory almost ended up as part of Des Plaines Territory, but the Western Bloc-controlled government decided to keep it separate. Its population was anchored by Jericho, a moderately successful port on the Alormen near the tripoint with Alormen and West Massodeya, while the rest of the territory lacked any significant towns and was mostly rural. A snubbed Des Plaines disputed all the land between the Truchas and the Alormen, which included Jericho, and this along with the city's positio in a far corner of the territory forced Nikwaan Territory to choose Iron Fence, a centrally located town, as its capital. When applying for statehood, Nikwaan was rejected because of its low population even when factoring Jericho, whose fate was uncertain with Des Plaines' dispute.

In a quid pro quo, Apawi and Nikwaan Territories agreed to merge. This 'diluted' Apawi Territory's Parsonite population, and gave Nikwaan Territory the necessary population boost and a better chance at resolving the Jericho dispute, enabling the now-larger territory to gain statehood more easily. Fearing Parsonite dominance, counties in the southwest held a referendum to join Des Plaines instead, but violence and intimidation meant that only two counties ended up leaving. As a compromise, the new state was called Apawiland but would keep a dual capital system, with the governor's office and judiciary in Iron Fence, and the legislature in Silverdale. As transportation became cheaper and more convenient, a perennial issue that pops up as a ballot measure every now and then is to move the capital entirely to Silverdale, but its associated costs usually dissuade the population from voting in its favor.

	Past mapping
	To support your request provide links to areas of OGF mapping which showcase your mapping skill. Mapping relevant to the requested theme & geography is especially useful.
	The {{coord}}, {{node}}, {{relation}} or {{scalehelper}} templates can optionally be used to link to the OGF map - they result in nicely formatted links. Or you can paste in a URL.

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	Username & date
	Sign and date the application by typing four tildes (~~~~) without spaces or "nowiki" tags.

Work in progress

	Discussion
	Discussion for clarification & decision