Marquette

The **Crown Republic of Marquette** (Marquetien: *Конституционная Монархия Священной Горы)*is a constitutional monarchy located on the southwest peninsula of Norda, wedged between the Pacific Sea on the west and the Bay of Duresia on the east. It shares borders with Eurasia and Arveyres to the south Fjolskar to the north, and Duresia to the east.

Marquette is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy comprised of 9 principalities. It is a very insular nation, and its foreign interactions are mostly limited to Arveyres and Eurasia. During its Golden Age, Marquette had several city-state colonies dotting the globe as a result of their maritime tradition. The former colonies are members of The Marquetien Commonwealth and to this day engage in a high degree of cooperation with their former colonial overlord.

## **Etymology**

Marquette derives its name from the marches that make up the country's lowest administrative division.

In the local language of Montesi, the country is referred to as Svyeschenna-Gora (Священна-Гора). This literally means "holy mountain" as it is believed that the god Auri-El first made contact with Montian tribes on Mount Beynac three millennia ago.

## **History**

To an outsider, Marquette's history is that of a quiet, traditional nation. While this has often been the case, this misconception fails to account for the country's rich and ancient culture. The region of modern-day Marquette was first settled by the ancient Montian tribes thousands of years ago. Over time and through interactions with the peoples of Arveyres, their religion consolidated around the legendary creator of the universe, Auri-El. The Montesi faith is known to be esoteric and many of its core teachings are secretive.

The ancient language of the Marquetien people is Montesian, which is still spoken by some 60% of the population, mostly in the north and west of the country. The portion of the country east of the Brica Mountains is the most culturally and linguistically similar to neighboring Arveyres. There, the people speak a mix of Latin and Montesi. The capital province of Besançon and urban areas of the west coast speak mostly French, as it evolved from a mix of cultures and ideas over many centuries.

## **Geography**

The coasts of Marquette are abundant and have some of the best soil in the world. They are lush and green and are able to provide the nation with the majority of its food supply, promoting Marquette's initiative of self-sufficiency.

However, there is a stark contrast between the coastal regions and the inland. The Brica Mountains have an orographic effect, and thus prevent moisture from moving east. As a result, much of the inland region is arid and possesses very little arable land. In this region can be found many natural resources, from which the country has benefited greatly.

**Climate**

Marquette has two major climates:

* A temperate climate on the coasts. These regions experience every season. Temperatures in the warmer months average around 20 to 30 degrees, and -5 to 5 degrees in the colder months.

* A mountainous region in the interior. Bare, dry, and sparsely inhabited. Temperatures in the warmer months average around 30 to 35 degrees and -30 to -10 degrees in the colder months.

### **Environment**

The Bureau of Industry and the Bureau of Environment are constantly combating for influence over the natural resources of Marquette. While Marquette boasts a highly industrialized and advanced economy, the government enforces 20 Green Days a year, where cars are banned from major cities and factories and other sources of pollution are prevented from operation. There is also an enforced tax on carbon emissions, and oil production is limited to a daily limit.

### **Administrative subdivisions**

Marquette is separated into nine principalities. The modern-day borders were established shortly after the Civil War ended in 1682.

* Principality of Besancon

* Principality of Belmont

* Principality of Fiara

* Principality of Zhorino

* Principality of Avgudin

* Principality of Torilsk

* Principality of Kolsk

* Principality of Milena

* Principality of Fuerteventura

The government of Marquette is officially a republican monarchy with both elected and non-elected officials sharing equal power. There is a hierarchy of aristocracy that have different responsibilities at each of the five levels of Marquetien government, and there is a unicameral body at each level.

The Marquetien federal government consists primarily of a single chamber -- the Senate, consisting of 175 members. 139 members are elected in party-list proportional representation elections, nine members inherit their seat via seniority from within the nine princely families, and 27 members are appointed.

* King
* Prince
* Duke
* Knight

## **Government**

The government of Marquette is officially a republican monarchy with both elected and non-elected officials sharing equal power. There is a hierarchy of aristocracy that have different responsibilities at each of the five different levels of government, and there is always a one-chamber elected body at each level.

#### **Federal level**

The Marquetien federal government consists primarily of a single house -- the Senate, consisting of 175 members. 139 members are elected in single-member districts by a proportional representation election, nine members inherit their seat via seniority from within the nine princely families, and 27 members are appointed by Gentle Factions, as members of the gentry are not allowed to join political parties as outlined in the Marquetien Charter. The elected members serve terms of four years, the inherited members have a seat for life, and the appointed members serve terms of ten years.

At the federal level of Marquetien government, there exists the two seats of the executive:

* Head of State -- the king is elected in a majority runoff race, with only the nine Princes are eligible to run. The king serves for a term of 20 years, and makes all final decisions regarding the military and the nation's foreign policy, and represents the Marquetien people globally.

* Head of Government -- the chancellor is typically the head of the largest party in the Senate, and receives the mandate to form a government from the king. The chancellor sets the pace for domestic policy on the senate floor, and is responsible to uphold the charter within Marquette. The chancellor is also responsible for approving or vetoing legislation passed by the senate.

The Senate, consisting of one house:

* A total of 175 members, consisting of 139 members elected from a proportional representation election, the nine princes, and the 27 apointed members.
* The 27 members of the senate who are appointed are members of the gentry. Every ten years, each faction's number of allotted seats is redetermined through popular vote in each principality. The respective princes must then appoint senators from specific factions accordingly.
* Drafts and votes on legislation, their laws are federally binding and are only checked by the High Court and the chancellor.
* All native-born Marquetiens above the age of 35 are eligible to run.

And lastly, the High Court:

* Consists of 13 members who serve for life and are appointed by the chancellor.
* Ensures the Principles of Stability are enforced in the senate's general leadership of the country.

### Politics

Marquetien politics is heavily splintered, with several different parties and factions vying for control of the senate. The Marquetien Charter forbids the unelected senators from joining political parties, thus they are organized into opposing factions.

* Independence Party -- 55 senators
* Unionist Party -- 40 senators
* New National Movement -- 5 senators
* Democratic Union Party -- 24 senators
* Socialist Union -- 15 senators
* Conservative Faction -- 26 members
* Unionist Faction -- 10 members

While not legally allowed to become unified, each faction works closely with its affiliate party.

### Military

The Marquetien military is split into three branches, the Air Force, the Army, and the Navy. The military is under the complete discretion of the king, who acts as commander-in-chief. The king appoints ten other senators to serve on his Council of Defense.

The military receives dozens of billions of royal dollars a year in private investment and the vast majority of its funding is directed towards technological advancements. It enjoys one of the most technologically sophisticated militaries, thanks in large part to donations from Eurasia and Duresia, and its nuclear program is also a product of Eurasian aid.

## Economy

Marquette is home to a very robust economy, and enjoys some of the lowest corporate and personal income taxes in the world, making it the go-to place for multinational corporations to do business. Low regulation on industry and commerce have also allowed it to surpass many of its neighbors. However, regulations on the environment are rigidly enforced.

Much of Marquette's econmic success is due to to the significant amount of offshore drilling on the west coast. The oil company MarqOlo is the only state-owned enterprise, and all of the major princely families have significant shares, ensuring that no one faction within the government has too much influence over its dealings.

The information technology sector has seen a boom since the advent of the Internet, and some of the most well-renowned tech companies are strung along the west coast. The country is also well-regarded for its strong financial services sector, and many companies based in Marquette are known as industry leaders.

## Demographics

Marquette is mostly homogeneous, with 96.5% of the population claiming Marquetien heritage. 2.3% are Arveyran, while the other 1.1% are of other ethnicities.

There are two official languages: Marquetien and French. Marquetien is spoken in everyday use by the majority of the population and is the language of commerce. French, on the other hand, is spoken by the upper nobility and is the language used in all levels of government.