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Savoie Maritime
Savoie Maritime is a french-speaking island located in the south-west of the Project City Build (PCB) Creative 1.12 map. It borders the city of West Somewhere to its West, with Barcalos to its North.
| Founder | Potato321 |
|---|---|
| Map | Creative 1.12 |
| Warp | SavoieMaritime |
| Theme | Multiple |
History
Naming
The name Savoie, originally a region of France, is a combination of the french verb "to know"; Savoir, and the term for an intelligent or philosophical person; un Savant. This is the name of a current department of France, Savoie, which at the time of the island's discovery was under Italian control under the name Savoia. Being an island, along with the colonial style of the time, it only made sense to add the word Maritime was added to form Savoie Maritime
Early Times
The Island of Savoie, discovered in 1732 by the renowned French explorer Potato321, was at first nothing but a small, poor fishing colony to the French Crown, but when massive coal deposits where discovered in 1801, the island was flooded by immigrant workers from neighbouring colonies, and soon became an economic powerhouse in the region. After 20 straight years of overmining, the island's coal reserves where depleted, and with it, its status in the French Monarchy.
During that same time, the French Revolution was also taking place. The poor, unemployed and radical population of Savoie Maritime had an extreme lack of confidence towards the newly-forming French Empire, and staged massive riots in the streets of the city. Napoleon, the at-the-time emperor of France, established the Autorité gouvernemental de Savoie Maritime (Governmental Authority of Savoie Maritime) and made Savoie a self-governing autonomous overseas territory of France.
Economic Revival
At the fall of the French Empire and the establishment of the still current République Française, the economy of Savoie was still in shambles. With nothing but a long-abandoned coal industry, an uneducated and impoverished population, and little to no federal funding due to its self-governing autonomous status in the French Government, the island's future did not look prosperous. But, in 1914 when World War I broke out in Europe, the French mainland started beefing up its military establishments throughout its colonies. Savoie Maritime received much needed funds, which it used to transition its economy from industrial to service-based.
Barely surviving the hardships of the Great Depression, the outbreak of World War II was a lifesaver for Savoie Maritime. The government of France immediately chose Savoie for its top-secret nuclear development program due to its remote location. This program Revitalized the economy and infrastructure of the island, with the construction of a massive nuclear research stronghold and bunker, and the island-wide Trans-Île Route 1 highway.
The french nuclear program managed to remain entirely undiscovered until construction was being done on the Casino and Hotel in early 2018, where part of the nuclear bunker was unearthed.
Modern Savoie
Modern-day Savoie currently has heavily tourism and oil driven economy, with the largest proven oil reserves on PCB in its Zone economic exclusive (Exclusive Economic Zone), and its delicate European architecture. With no sales, income, gambling or property taxes, it's also a haven for the wealthy. Foreign investment, especially in the banking sector, are also driving the once impoverished island to being once again a regional economic superstar.
Thanks to this, and regional diplomatic stability, the skyline of the city has changed drastically. In the Modern District of Savoie (right), there are the tallest and second tallest buildings of the island. At 9 and 8 floors respectively, they are by no means skyscrapers, but for the small island they are quite large.
Geography and Demographics
Savoie Maritime is a mountainous island located in the Phoenix Straight, and at it's highest point, [Mount. Savoie] has an elevation of 159m above sea level. The city itself is split between the Haute-de-Ville (Downtown) and Base-de-Ville (Lowtown) regions. There is only one staircase to get to the Centre-Ville, which has become somewhat of a tourist attraction. The island, being very rocky, does not have any beaches, but does feature an indoor waterpark.
Not many plants are native to the island, mostly mosses and shrubs that can grow in its harsh climate. The landscape is comparable to that of the island of Newfoundland, in eastern Canada.
The most recent island-wide census conducted by the [Bureau officiel de la statistique de Savoie Maritime] (Official Bureau of Statistics of Savoie Maritime) from 2005 found the population to be just over 300 people. This may not seem like a lot, however the people of Savoie Maritime are some of the best-educated in the world, with average intelligence rivaling those of South Korea and the United States. In addition to that, GDP per capita is relatively high, at about $83,000 USD annually. To pair with this, the life expectancy is the highest on PCB, at 89 years for men and 96 years for women.
The small population of roughly 300 is nearly 100% white, and nearly everyone is either ethnically Northern or Western European, with a very small percentage of ethnic Slavs from the mining era of the Island.
