Federal Republic of Columbia

The Federal Republic of Columbia, commonly referred to as the FRC or simply Columbia, is a fictional country in BearfootTruck's fanfics. Based off of the USA, it is a constitutional republic with 51 states. Many cities seen in the Sonic games – including Station Square, Central City & Westopolis – are located in Columbia.
==Etymology==
In the real world, the name was derived from Christopher Columbus, the famous explorer who is widely credited with discovering America. In-universe, the FRC gets its name from Fernando Columbo, an early explorer of the continent.
On another note, what is known as the FRC has been referred to as the "United Federation" in other forms of Sonic media. However, in BearfootTruck's universe, that term is used to refer to a UN-like entity, of which G.U.N. is a special branch.
==History==
Like many countries, the FRC's history begins with some groups of nomadic tribes settling down and forming civilizations, approximately 4,000 years before the present day. As early as 2,000 years ago, explorers had discovered the new world, and some attempted to colonize it. However, all of these early colonies disappeared without a trace, with the exception of one: The settlers of an early Hadrian colony were discovered to have been turned into marshmallows.
True interest in the new world, however, really took off with the expedition of Amerigo da Gama. His intent was to sail all the way to Chun-Nan, hoping to find a city made of cheese. Not only did da Gama fail to reach his original destination, but he found that all existing settlements that he came across were bereft of any dairy-based structures. In fact, he died without ever finding this mystical city. A few years later, Fernando Columbo followed the same path that da Gama took. Unlike his predecessor, however, Columbo realized that he had found a completely new (well, maybe not completely) country, which would be named "Columbia" in his honor.
A few years later, the continent of Mercia would be wracked by turmoil, including a series of religious conflicts. Not wanting to get involved, numerous people fled to what is now the Kingdom of Mobius. However, some saw promise in the western lands, and for the first time in centuries, they established colonies in Columbia. The natives had mixed feelings about the colonists, from welcoming them with open arms to being outright hostile towards them. Naturally, the colonists had differing opinions about the natives, and it was these opinions that sparked a small war between the two groups. Though the colonists easily defeated the natives, the two groups continued to live in peace for a few decades.
The new country would see its first major turmoil when the Hadrian Kingdom & Francia would become involved in a territorial dispute. Francia wanted the new country for its vastly untapped resources, while the HK believed that Francia already had so many territories. Thus, the two of them fought each other in the seven-year long Territorial War. This war resulted in victory for the HK, who gained the right to rule over the new country.
Not everyone was pleased, however. A growing number of colonists were dissatisfied with – among other things – restrictions on freedom of assembly, sanctions on religion & a penal code that was seen as draconian. Adding more fuel to the fire, the HK enacted the Tribute Acts, which placed taxes on most goods & services. Being that these taxes could easily use up over 50% of the average colonist's income, and combined with the aforementioned restrictions, the colonists were very unhappy.
The last straw came when mayor John T. Cat of Ocean City was arrested for repealing certain laws restricting religious freedom. A group of angry colonists shot the arresting soldiers with dead chickens, thus sparking the eight-year long Independence War. At first, the war was going poorly for the colonists, but with help from Francia & the Roseinian Empire, they eventually gained their independence from the HK.
Columbia’s problems were far from over, however. Although independent, the new country lacked any solid form of governance. After several meetings, the Alliance Articles were drafted. Unfortunately, the Alliance Articles were unsuccessful because colonists felt it had too many regulations involving cheese and not enough provisions for a strong government. After several calls from colonists, a Constitutional Convention was brought about. The resulting Constitution helped to create a new country: The Federal Republic of Columbia. Thomas Hancock, a veteran of the Territorial War & Independence War, was elected as the first president, serving two terms in office.
Though the FRC showed promise, there were still several problems. First of all, many natives were displaced as the nation expanded westward. An even bigger problem was racism. As in the real world, racism by skin color was extant, but a far bigger problem was racism by species. In many states, humanoid animals were treated as second-class citizens and even enslaved. This resulted in a series of race wars throughout the country. Eventually, the northern states abolished slavery and gave more rights to non-human citizens. However, the southern states disagreed, and fearing a federal crackdown on slavery, they slowly seceded to form the Allied States of Columbia. This led to an even bigger race war, known as the War of Unity. Even in the northern states, certain groups of humanoid animals rose up and rebelled against humans, hoping to gain more freedom for themselves. One group even fought for free candy bars.
Finally, after six years of fighting, President Leonard Buchholz called for a series of peace talks. Using these talks & his diplomatic skills, Buchholz was able to draw the wars to a close. However, numerous towns & cities lay in ruins, so there was much work to be done. Aside from rebuilding, the Columbian government also passed a series of laws to ensure equality for non-human citizens. Even so, not all cities took kindly to these new laws and tried to pass laws of their own to justify segregation. This would lead to more race riots in later decades.
Despite these issues, the FRC developed a strong industrial economy & a strong military. At first, they stayed out of foreign wars because they were more concerned with problems at home, although they did render financial aid where feasible. Then, one day, a bomb went off at the Capitol building in Hancock City, killing 51 people. The real bombers were never caught, but the Columbian government believed it to be a communist plot, so they sent troops to assist the Roseinian Empire in the Reactionary War, but this turned out to be unsuccessful. Conversely, the FRC had more success assisting Federal Tedesca during the Tedescan Civil War.
During the Great War between Mobius & the Roseinian Empire, Columbia lent support to the Mobian forces in the form of weapons, aid & french fries. In recent times, though, the Columbian government has been more concerned with internal conflicts, such as the Chaos Incident, the escape of Shadow the Hedgehog and even the Dark Gaia Conflict. Despite all its troubles, the FRC remains one of the world’s leading superpowers and shows no signs of giving up.
==Geography==
The FRC is a biodiverse nation when it comes to geography. The eastern seaboard has its share of coastal plains & thick forests. There are two major mountain ranges: The Michigoloosa, which separates the east coast from the Midwest, and the Rockatanskiy, which separates the northern half from the southern half. Except for thick evergreen forests in the northwest, most of the FRC consists of flat yet fertile plains. There is an active volcano near the southern border of the country, too. Aside from land, Columbia also plays host to a wide variety of animal & plant species. For example, over 95,000 insect species have been discovered in this country alone.
==Administrative Divisions==
There are 51 states in the FRC. All but one of them correspond to a US state:
State 	Real world equivalent
Blockland 	Rhode Island
Bayland 	Massachusetts
Graniton 	New Hampshire
Augustor 	Maine
Burlingtonia 	Vermont
Newhavington 	Connecticut
Ithacana 	New York
Novarc 	New Jersey
Libertania 	Pennsylvania
Wilmaria 	Delaware
Georgeland 	Maryland
(West) Richland 	(West) Virginia
Daytonia 	Ohio
Wayne 	Indiana
Calais 	Michigan
Vertae 	Wisconsin
Peoria 	Illinois
San Jeffera 	Missouri
Harlania 	Kentucky
Memphila 	Tennessee
North/South Charlitton	North/South Carolina
Atlantia 	Georgia
Leonia 	Florida
Montingham 	Alabama
Deltora 	Mississippi
Jeannia 	Louisiana
Petierre 	Arkansas
Zosten 	Texas
Ooloosa 	Oklahoma
Wicheka 	Kansas
Belplatte 	Nebraska
Orilla 	Iowa
Twinland 	Minnesota
North/South Stoneton 	North/South Dakota
Grancielo 	Montana
Napoli 	Idaho
Demoyne 	Wyoming
Piermont 	Colorado
New Surland 	New Mexico
Fenicia 	Arizona
Sellac 	Utah
Renova 	Nevada
Elestador 	California
Melas 	Oregon
Hancock 	Washington
Holoska 	Alaska
Owai 	Hawaii
Polybius 	No equivalent
==Language==
There is no official language in the Federal Republic of Columbia. However, English is considered a de facto language because over 90% of the population speaks it. There are also significant Spanish- & French-speaking populations, over 10% for each, with some overlap.
==Military==
The Columbian Armed Forces are split up into four main divisions: Army, Navy, Air Force & Marine Corps, plus a Coast Guard, National Guard & Reserve Forces. The President serves as Commander-in-Chief for all branches and appoints leaders. In contrast to some other countries, there is no draft, nor is there a requirement to join. However, able-bodied citizens of suitable age must register for the Contingency Services Program, the equivalent to the real-life Selective Service. Each branch has their own version of boot camp, with similarities & differences. Training requirements may be adjusted depending on one's species, too.
The Columbian Armed Forces have the third-largest number of troops, behind the Chunanese Workers’ & Peasants’ Army and the Roseinian Armed Forces. However, they make up for it by having state-of-the-art equipment in their arsenal. While exact loadouts may vary by division, there are a few constants. At the fireteam level, the standard-issue rifle is the Bushmaster ACR, designated the M891. At squad level & above, the Carson AR91 is standard. However, it's not unheard of for some units to still be equipped with M16s & M4s. The standard-issue sidearm is the Falk 9mm, although certain units use the .40 S&W and the .45 ACP variants instead. Some units are starting to receive laser-based weapons as well, such as the M1337 IPR. Despite the availability of newer machine guns, all branches still use the .50-cal Browning M2.
For vehicles, the standard four-wheel-drive is the Lockheed-Martin JLTV, with Humvees still in reserve. The M1 Abrams is still the preferred main battle tank, now upgraded to the M1A4 variant. The AH-66 Comanche is still in use, but the AH-96 Hovercopter is replacing it. For fixed-wing aircraft, there is the F-35 Lightning II & F/A-41 Hawk.
==Notable Areas==
A number of cities from the Sonic games exist in the Federal Republic of Columbia, even having real-world equivalents. The cities of Station Square & Westopolis both exist in the state of Elestador, and are equivalent to San Francisco & San Diego, respectively. In the state of Peoria, there is Central City, which is similar to Chicago in BearfootTruck’s universe. Monopole, the futuristic city from Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is also located here. Aside from these cities, there are also cities that aren't in Sonic games. For example, Hancock City – the capital – is a mix of New York City & Washington D.C. Also, the city of San Santos serves as a counterpart to Los Angeles.
==Landmarks & Monuments==
A few Columbian landmarks are direct copies of real-world American landmarks. The Empire City Tower, located in the Empire borough of Hancock City, is a copy of the Empire State Building. However, there are also original landmarks, such as Hartman Castle in San Santos. Also, a few cities & towns have put up statues of Sonic.
==Notable Residents==
*Shadow the Hedgehog (sometimes)
*Rouge the Bat (sometimes)
*G.U.N. Commander
*Douglas Carson
==Fanfics==
*Mighty Sonic - Part of it takes place in San Santos
*Live Each Day - Takes place in the city of Smithfield.
*Sonic Hypothesis - Sonic & friends go to school in Station Square
*A Blue Light For the Dark - Sonic Says segment was filmed in San Santos
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Category:Federal Republic of Columbia
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