Marino

Chinese

**Marino,** officially the **Marino & Songkhram Metro-State** is an independent city state located in the far south, bordering the Sea of Marino. It comprises of the City of Marino, the City of Songkhram and the suburbs surrounding the two.

## **History of Marino**

### **Founding**

Marino was founded as a series of small fishing villages, with the most notable being established as Marinus, etymologically linked to the ocean. The native Marinian and Songkhram people of the area built up numerous settlements surrounding Marinus, which slowly became absorbed in to the area of the village.

### **Growth into a City**

Marino's most significant period of growth was during the gold rush, where hundreds of thousands flocked to the city looking for gold in the hills near Songkhram. Remnants of this industrial past can be found in that area of the city, particurly in terms of rail infrastructure, now for the most part left unused. Marinus was renamed Marino in this age also. Songkhram and Marino were combined in to one town to be known as Marino & Songkhram. Further growth was inhibited by a Victorian era tourist boom brought by the arrival of the railway to the town. The towns population soon surpassed 600,000. The settlement of Marino & Songkhram soon became known as the Cities of Marino & Songkhram.

### **Decline**

In the final years of the Marinian gold rush, the problem of what would happen once the gold ran out arised. 74% of the working population of Marino & Songkhram were employed in the gold industry, and significant digs proved less and less successful on the search for gold. Thus, local politicians and council members banded together to discuss what would come of the city upon the inevitable event of gold running out. However, this was too little, too late, as two nights after the meeting, significant gold-mining company Marigold claimed it would cease mining in Marino. This created a domino effect, with numerous other companies withdrawing from Marino. This lead to the Gold Crisis, wherein the population of the Cities of Marino & Songkhram declined massively, abandoning much of the city. The population hit an all time low of 212,034 at the peak of the crisis. Numerous families were made homeless and 73% of the remaining population lived below the poverty line.

### **Rebound**

Given the terrible situation the city was in, it was very well known that it would take a lot to get out of this situation. However at the 14th Marino & Songkhram Mayoral Elections, the newly founded Liberal Conservatives came in to power, taking away from the previously dominant Conservative Cultural Party. The Liberal Conservatives were and still are widely considered the saviours of Marino & Songkhram, making numerous efforts to rebrand the city as a whole. They began with the renaming of Marino & Songkhram to the Marino Metropolitan Area, and founded numerous boroughs within the City. These included the City Borough of Songkhram, the City Borough of Marino, the Borough of Upita Park and more.

There was a rigorous tourist campaign to get more visitors coming in to the City, and there was a deal struck with GCR to bring direct services from Marton and Spawn City to the City. The state sponsored technology companies and businesses they viewed as having potential to bring profit to the city. This included construction firm Marimi, soft drink company Shuriken and mall development company EtEl. These investments in turn brought more start-ups to the region, searching for investment. Homeless and poverty-stricken individuals fell by 53% during the first two terms of the LibCons. Employment increased tenfold, largely in the hospitality industry, but also in technology.

The government took the decision to join the Novanite Federation in a bid to provide further investment in the city, thus leading to the rename of the Marino Metropolitan Area, to the Province of Marino.

### **Daokan Wave**

Following the period known as the 'Abandonment' in Sentosa and the selling of Lorikeetian land, there was a mass influx of immigration to Marino known colloquially as the "Daokan Wave". The phrase Daokan Wave was coined as a result of the vast majority of immigrants coming from the two Daokan states of Lorikeet  and of Sentosa. Prior to this influx, there was a small pre-existing Daokan community in Marino, primarily having come from the cities of Sicily Cove and Crystallis  in the British Monarchical Clique, but this number paled in comparison to the numbers that entered Marino during the time of the Daokan wave. Many members of the Daokan community dubbed Marinians as "honorary Daokans" given their willingness to accept the many immigrants.

While this decision was controversial at the time, with many Green Party of Marino MPs claiming that such high levels of immigration were unnatural and unsustainable, the Daokan Wave is now widely regarded as one of the most defining moments in Marino history, undoubtedly benefitting the nation in numerous ways. Sentosans in particular, who were widely regarded for their quality of life and wealth helped lead to the "luxury boom", bringing wealth and business with them. Sentosans were accredited with creating the Independent Business League of Marino in 3018, a scheme which has helped home-grown Marino small businesses to flourish, most notably leading to the international success of jewellers Anda'a and the New Found Foods corporation.

### **Now**

Marino left the Novanite Federation in December 3019.

Nowadays, the country is booming in population and economic growth. The significant pioneer for this is hospitality industry and tourism which still provides for 33.8% of the provinces total income. Investments in properties abroad also bring in profits, with notable examples being the numerous EtEl malls and housing developments in other regions. Technology and retail are rising in terms of economic importance for the city, with start-up tech companies becoming increasingly profitable abroad. Social media company Mnet has quickly become the most popular means of communication in both Marino and Wiltshire.

Marino's economic success has been put down to government freedom for corporations and the low-taxation of the city-state. Marino is notable for being a tax haven for business and as a result corporations have been eager to set up base in the city. This does not come without controversy, however as Marino still does not have a minimum wage, despite calls to have one having been made for numerous years. Moreover, while the homeless population has almost been eliminated, those living in poverty, particularly in Songkhram has increased slightly. Calls for minimum wage is one of the most prevelant arguments for a devolved Songkhram parliament, which the Marino government is in talks about.

## **Transport**

### Roads

Marino is connected by road to the ringway road system via Campos Santos to the north. A secondary route to the north exists passing by the Marino Airport and through the Menifajtia industrial district. Otherwise, Marinians can use the east-west M12 to travel towards Torby, Lysith and the east. To the southeast, one can pass over Marino's only physical border to get to Tayven. Apart from connections, Marino is notable for having three different road systems in existence. The majority of Marino uses the KMTA's standard right hand traffic road, in line with many of its neighbours. However in the far west of the city, left hand traffic is used. In Songkhram, historical preserved streets meant that a new road system had to be devised to prevent damage to the rich history of the tight roads of the Thai district.

### Rail

Marino is the terminus of the GCR's Marino line, with two large terminus buildings in the heart of Marino being listed as some of the most important buildings in the city-state. Otherwise, GCR also operates the Tayven link, which connects Marino to Tayven via Marino Bay, the Airport and Songkhram. As a result, Marino Airport station acts us a passport checkpoint for passengers travelling between Tayven and Marino and beyond. The Songkhram heritage trainline passes through the northwest of Marino and across the Marino River into central Songkhram. Terminating at Goldyards, the trainline utilises Lancastrian-built steam engines as a symbol of friendship between the nations.

### Light Rail

Marino Trams Corporation operate the famous Marino Tram system. The tram system in Marino is notable for being the most extensive in the Doggerlands. There is currently 27 tram stations in operation on five lines. The NS bracket of lines all terminate in either Waterfront or Centraal and was the first tram line to be completed in 3018. The main line in the NS bracket is NS1 which connects the north of the city, including Lao Yang and the University of Marino as well as the northernmost point on the network, New Quantia. NS2 connects Goldyards with the rest of the NS bracket and NS3 allows a connection along Midnight Street to Crescentwharf Park. On the other hand, the EW bracket of lines all terminate at Centraal and connect the eastern and western extremities of the city. EW1 crosses through the centre of Marino at Lau Pa Sat, Dao Kuai and New Sentosa connecting Marino Airport in the east to Songkhram Central and Pa Chay Len in the west. EW2 on the other hand only stops at Lau Pa Sat and Centraal in the central area and connects to the southeast quadrant of Marino, most notably to the southern housing estates of Lighthouse and Malvinas.

The Marino government is currently debating a secondary light rail network metro system to operate around the city, although these talks are in the early stages of development and have not come to fruition as of yet.

### Air

Marino operates out of MAX, the Marino International Airport in the easternmost point of the city. The signature carrier, Air Marino is part owned by the government at a stake of 45%. Budget carrier, Lynx Air also operates out of Marino Airport, acting as it's hub. The most frequented route is that of Marino-Lancastria and Marino-Marton.

## Culture

### Language

Marino has four official languages: Marinian, Marinezi, Songkhramese and English.

Marinian first emerged as a combination of Marinezi and Georgian language groups, brought about by the synthesis of settling traders in the area adopting different parts of one another's language. The Marinezi script was dropped in favour of a Romanized script, however and has remained the same since. Marinezi is originally derived from Maltese and Arabic which was introduced to the area by seafaring traders back in the days of the Marinus village. Marinezi is the official language of the Islamic Trust of Marino and has been the main reading language of the Qu'ran in Marino since its introduction. Nowadays, it is predominantly spoken by the orthodox Marinian Muslim community. Songkhramese was introduced to the Marino River delta upwards of four-hundred-years before the foundation of the modern-Marino metro-state. Songkhramese is very similar to Thai, originating through the arrival of Thai immigrants to the delta. English has been used in Marino as a lingua franca since the establishment of Marinus as a fishing village, however first-language speakers have boomed as a result of the Daokan Wave.

Marino also has sizeable communities of Japanese and Linga Siciliosiese, both introduced by the Daokan Wave to Marino. Mandarin and Arabic also have small presences in Marino. Other significant languages spoken in Marino include Dalkaisk, Yoruba, Kazakh and Lorikeetian.

### The Arts

Marino has built a reputation for being a centre for the Arts in the Doggerlands, with numerous theatres and performance spaces such as the Euro Centre and the Coast Theatre. Marino has the Doggerland's only performing arts school for talented individuals in New Sentosa, the Marino Institute for Talent (MIT).

The Marino Museum of Modern Art (MMoMA) and the Marino Cultural Institute (MCI) are home to some of the nations most renowned art pieces from throughout the years. There is also a public works initiative to bring street art to different parts of Marino, which has successfully brought public art to neighbourhoods such as the Malvinas, Marino Bay and Urban Cave.

Marino is home to two major libraries- the North Marino Library and the subterranean Station Library. The former, in Central Marino is home to the National Archive.

## Politics

### Parliamentary System

Marino operates a unique FPTP-hybrid parliamentary system whereby the city is divided in to boroughs and constituencies. Each borough has four constituencies and a mayoral representative. The four constituencies are of equal size and worth, with residents of each constituency voting for a single Member of Marino Parliament (MMP). Alongside this, their vote will contribute to a larger pool of votes for their borough, which will elect the Mayoral Representative in Parliament (MRP). Both MMPs and MRPs sit in the same house. This provides two local representatives for constituents to go to.

The P'rezident'i of Marino must be either an MMP or MRP, and be voted the leader of their respected party. The current Prime Minister of Marino is Ludovic Kipiani, who represents the Fourth Seat for Upita Park. The S'rezident'i, Lawan Somsak represents the First Seat for Pa Chay Len.

### Election Process

Elections in the Marino Metro-State consist of numerous steps. Parties must first declare their intention to stand and will their manifestos to the public. The Marino Elections Commission (MEC) will recognize their intention of running by inputting the political party on to the Nationwide Parties Database (NPDB). The MEC and NPDB act as independent organisations and are in no way affiliated with the government nor any political party. The MEC evaluates political parties based on their manifestos and prior activities (since the last election). The MEC hold the right to rule out parties based on the grounds of hate speech and/or terrorism, however this has never happened. The parties that remain are issued a request for a 'Call to Voters Bill', which clarifies that these parties do have wider support in the general public. Parties must receive more than 500 individual signatures from members of the Marino public. Most parties fail to get past this stage, but those that do are given certification by the MEC and offered optional funding of CM50,000.

Following this, Marinian political parties partake in the election campaign. Political debates are a profound part of the Marinian election cycle and non-participation has proven detrimental to parties and candidates in previous years. TBC

## Corporations Registered in Marino

* Shuriken Drinks Co., Shuriken
	+ Poca Drinks Ltd., Poca
	+ Shuriken Bars
* New Found Foods Corporation
	+ Gell:o Dessert Bars and Sweets
	+ Alyse Ramen Shoppes
* Oaky Corp
	+ OakyWines Ltd, Oaky Wine
	+ Gemini
	+ Wing Yip Allsale Retail Ltd., Wing Yip
* Bank of Marino Limited
	+ Bank of Marino Retail
	+ Bank of Marino Investment
	+ Jiushu & Ward Investment Bank
* MTC & AirGroup Holdings
	+ Air Marino
	+ Lynx Air
	+ Marino Tram Construction Ltd., MTC
	+ Marino Trams, MTC Trams
* Marimi Development Company, Marimi
* EtEl Commercial Development Company, EtEl
* Mnet Corporation, Mnet
* NewLinks Co., Newlinks
* MarinoWater Ltd.
	+ MarinoWater Desalination Co.
	+ PipeNet Construction Enterprises
* MSResortsLtd, MSR
* MH Hotels
	+ M3 Hotels & Hostels
* Pico-Songkhram Technology Inc., Pico
	+ Pico
	+ Robotoy
	+ Plushytown Plushes & Toys
	+ Kanchanaburi Tech Replace & Fix Inc, Songkhram
* MarinOil Holdings, MarinOil
	+ MarinOil Reserves & Refineries

* Crola Casinos & Venues, Crola
	+ Crola Casinos
	+ Crola Venues
	+ Crola Development Company, CrolaDev
* Marino News Company, MaNeCo
	+ Marino Morning Post
	+ Sandstone Mag., Sandstone
* Information Incorporated, Marino, InfoCorp Marino
* University of Marino
* DAOKO Group
	+ The DAOKO School, Marino
	+ The DAOKO University, Marino