Golden Coast

Golden Coast (French: Côte d'Or, Mandarin: 黄金滨) is a subregion of Moon Island, governed by SlenderXP. The English and French names are used interchangeably to refer to the area, as a result of the Orien government officially declaring *Côte d'Or*as Golden Coast's official name for the purpose of diplomatic protocol. The name "Golden Coast" gained widespread acceptance due to English being the official language of Shops.

Despite its name, gold deposits in the region are just as scarce as they are across the rest of Moon Island. However, Golden Coast has substantial deposits of copper relative to the rest of Moon Island, which early Francterrean colonists mistook for gold and thus became the source of the region's rather misleading name.

Inhabited by a population of 725,000 at the time the Republic of Moon Island was established, the Orien capital and seat of government is San Anderrie, which is home to over 350,000 residents.

## Government

The highest political office within Golden Coast is the State President, whose powers and functions resemble that of an executive presidency. The State President serves as long as the office holder commands the confidence of the Orien regional legislature. They could only be forced out of office via a constructive vote of confidence, which requires a new candidate to be voted in to replace the incumbent. A person has to be a registered voter in Côte d'Or, which itself requires at least 5 years of residency within the region, in order to be qualified for election as State President. While not a legal requirement, almost all State Presidents tend to be members of the Orien regional legislature.

The Orien regional legislature consists of 56 lawmakers, which is empowered to approve state cabinet nominees and initiate legislations. In case of a tie, the State President has the ability to cast the deciding vote.

As a vestige of Francterrean colonial rule, Côte d'Or is further divided into 5 administrative divisions known as 'departments', which are further divided into 'communes'. San Anderrie is considered to be its own department and commune. Each department has its own locally elected departmental council, whereas each commune has its own municipal council. The chief executives of these 2 levels of administrative divisions differ, as the chief executives of departments are 'prefects' who are appointed and serve at the pleasure of the State President. On the other hand, the mayor of each commune is directly elected by the commune's residents, with the prefect's subordinates (known as sub-prefects) acting as the State President's representatives in the commune.

## Transportation

Golden Coast has an extensive transportation system. By land, it is linked to other states via interstate railway networks and controlled-access highways. The San Anderrie International Airport and the Port of San Anderrie both serve as main ports of entry for foreign visitors, with the international airport acting as the hub for Air Orien, the regional flag-carrier airline.

San Anderrie's public transit consists of a light metro network known as the San Anderrie Metro, which is supplemented by trams and conventional buses.

## Culture

Historically, Golden Coast has a rich culture that is a result of Zhouese immigration across Moon Island and brief Francterrean colonisation of the region. After its incorporation as part of Shops Island (under the state of Moon Island), it also received Shopper cultural influence. As a result, English, French, Mandarin and the native Arabic are commonly spoken and deemed to be legally recognised languages, with English and French being the government's working language and medium of instruction in all public schools. Oriens tend to codeswitch between 3 or all 4 languages in daily conversation.