La Rochelle

La Rochelle is the capital and second largest city of The Oan Isles

Geography

La Rochelle has an area of roughly 2,000km². It has an average elevation of 200m above sea level. It lies on a plateau within the caldera of the extinct supervolcano that forms the Rock Island. It is surrounded on all sides by the Encampment Mountains. On average they are 300 to 500m above sea level. The highest mountain is Tower Mountain, north of the city. Half of the Rock Island forms part of the Municipality of La Rochelle. Small towns and villages, including resort towns on the coast, legally fall within the jurisdiction of the La Rochelle local government.

Biodiversity

Just as much of the natural wilderness in most of the Oan Isles has been replaced with urban development, so too has the area that forms La Rochelle been stripped of most of its natural forests. It has several parks, gardens, natural preservations, and wildlife sanctuaries. A third of the area of La Rochelle is covered in environmental conservation and "greenification" projects. The La Rochelle Zoo is the largest zoological garden in Polynesia, while the La Rochelle Aquarium is the second largest collection of marine life in Polynesia. The bird sanctuary at the Serene Palace is one of three places in the world where Spix Macaws can be found.

Climate

The climate of La Rochelle falls within the monsoon jungle category of the Köppen climate classification system. This means that it rains for much of the year. It is usually rainy and humid. There are four seasons: hot, cold, dry and wet, with mild variations in temperature and precipitation. The geographical location of La Rochelle, i.e. within a caldera, gives the city lower than average temperatures and higher than average humidity. In pre-industrial years, approximately 300 years ago, this fact, along with the good soil, made La Rochelle a formidable centre of agriculture. In the industrial years, 300 to 20 years ago, this factor caused smog and acid rain. In the past 20 years, the post-industrial age, air pollution has been significantly reduced, although the poor air is still a cause for concern.

Natural Disasters

La Rochelle is prone to many of the natural disasters that the rest of the Oan Isles is prone to. This includes cyclones, earthquakes, land slides and flooding. Through development in infrastructure and early warning technology, the impact of natural disasters has been significantly reduced. The last major disaster was an earthquake in 2004 that measured 7.2 on the Richter scale. Infrastructure was damaged and several people passed away as a result.

Infrastructure

La Rochelle has an excellent infrastructure system. Waste, sanitation and water management infrastructure are excellent. Incidents of water shortage, waste removal delays and sewerage removal problems are virtually non-existent. One desalination facility provides half of the water that the city uses, while a quarter is provided by a waste water/sewerage treatment facility. A massive undersea pipe system from Konoa to La Rochelle, provides the city with the remaining 25% of its water.

The electricity distribution network is excellent. There have been no blackouts in 10 years. Undersea electric cables from Konoa to La Rochelle, from three coal power stations, provide the city with half of its energy needs. The other half is provided by a lone nuclear power plant. Many buildings are equipped with solar panels to reduce reliance on the national grid. The successful roll out of millions of panels has reduced dependence on the national grid by 12%.

Roads and railways are well maintained and punctual. The entire rail system consists of automatic, electronic bullet trains. Half of the railways are underground. They carry and are relied upon by over half of commuters both from within and out of the city as their primary source of transport. The most of the rest rely on the vast public transport network of minibus taxis, public buses and metered taxis. The city contracted Cafe Net to develop an application that allows commuters to find routes and estimated times of arrival and departure, and availability of buses and taxis. This has significantly reduced traffic delays. Due to the dense concentration of wealthy businesspeople and government officials, the city has a very high concentration of limousines and luxury cars. Towards the end of the month, there is a steep increase of rented car usage due to the traditional "end-of-the-month" bulk shopping. This creates traffic problems. The labyrinthine network of roads that was envisaged for a much larger number of commuters than those who use at present. The state is reviewing revamping the road system to accommodate the shift towards public transport and the extremely low rate of population growth.

Housing

The city has a large amount of public housing and state owned apartments for poor families and working class residents that are concentrated in 10% of the city's area while housing 50% of the population. With restrictive access to accommodation in other parts of the city, many people are forced to live in this tiny space. The vast majority of people live in apartments instead of free-standing houses. A sizeable portion of the land space, 20%, houses slightly less than 10% of the population, due to the presence of massive estates and palaces that serve as homes for the rich. 20% of the land space is used for public areas particularly entertainment, such as shopping centres, casinos amusement parks and resorts. 17% of land space houses 40% of the people i.e. the middle class.

10% of housing space is owned by the state. 40% is owned in trust by wealthy and affluent families. 50% is owned privately by wealthy individuals. Most properties excluding utilities and nature areas, are owned almost entirely by a minute group of people who make up the upper class. Public housing is virtually free, rent is generally affordable, but it is virtually impossible for 90% of people to buy accommodation or complete a mortgage. In theory it would take the average person 100 years to complete a mortgage. The city has some of the highest property prices in the world. La Rochelle has some of the highest concentrations of skyscrapers in the world.

Demographics

La Rochelle has a population of approximately 8,000,000 people. Because half of the area is used for non-residential purposes, the actual population density is 8,000 people per km². In the poorest section of the city there is a density of 20,000 people per square kilometre. On average an apartment building in this area has 400 floors. On average a building is 1,200 metres tall. The lower 200 floors house the poorest of the poor, and have dedicated transport and public services while the upper 200 floors house the working class, who have their own transport system and public services. The world's highest railway system is housed hear, rising 500 metres above the ground, while both overground and underground railway struggles to haul the people below. Programs have been put in place to reduce the strain of the poor. Many of them, living in the so-called "Bowels" or "Gutters" of the city, are being dispatched to work in other parts of Polynesia and the world (especially the Kuthernburg "Commonwealth" and the Staynish Caltharus Empire).

In 2017 most Konoans emigrated to Konoa in light of the "Partition of the Oan Isles" and the independence of Konoa. They have taken their predominant religion, Ainuism, with them. Almost all religious people are members of the "Polynesian Christian" denomination. A frightful 30% of the population is irreligious and 38% of people go to church less than once a month. This trend is increasing and reflects an increase in irreligiousness in general. Most people practice elements of Oan Folk Spirituality in some form even though they are irreligious or Christian.

Education and Science

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  Tamasitanuanu Institute, one of the biggest museums in the world

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  La Rochelle University, one of the best in the world.

La Rochelle is the centre of Oan education, technological and scientific development. The massive National University of the Oan Isles, the largest correspondence university in Polynesia is headquartered here. The renowned University of La Rochelle is located here. Institutions and centres of research and education such as the K. Uye Economics, Business and Finance Institute, the N. Toaye Medical Institute, the East Heights Humanities Institute, the Centre for Law, and so on are housed here.

The headquarters of Metatron Technologies and Cafe Net are located here. They are at the forefront of software development and information technology, along with many other companies and institutions among them the Silawasaitataka Institute of Technology. The Aotearoa Institute of Biological Sciences, located on the grounds of the La Rochelle Zoo, is at the forefront of biological sciences especially genetics. The Tamasolatanuanu Institute, the largest repository of artifacts in Polynesia, is the home of the Imperial Society.

The Imperial Society is one of the most prestigious fellowships of academics and scienctists in the world. The Imperial Society publishes the Imperial Journal of Science, a journal of the most profound research in science and technology. The Imperial Society collaborates with NGOs and other institutions in approximately 20 countries to encourage and nuture talent and knowledge in the science.

Places of Interest

1. Serene Palace - It is the home of the Emperor of Polynesia and the location of one of the three bird sanctuaries in the world where rare species of macaws can be found especially the critically endangered Spix Macaw.
2. Kamomanuwohe Palace - It is the seat of the National Assembly. This building is huge. It has 600 rooms. Its most iconic feature is the massive Unfinished Pyramid. Its Golden Capstone seems to hover 3 metres above the pyramid.
3. Tamasolatanuanu Institute - It is a massive repository of miscellane artifacts ranging from pre-historic stone tools to a 30 metre specimen of an extinct whale. Its collection is so large that only 7% of it can be displayed at one time.
4. Solowasai Theatre - It is the most prestigious theatre in the Oan Isles. It is the home of the National Symphonic Orchestra and the National Opera. Its main hall is a resplendent venue to enjoy the most prestigious theatrical performances in the country.
5. The Palms Stadium - It is the second largest sporting venue in the country, with 100,000 seating capacity. It is a multi-sport stadium, famous for being the home of the Oan Premier Rugby League.
6. La Rochelle Zoo - It is the largest zoo in Polynesia and houses the Aotearoa Institute of Biological Sciences. It is the home of rare critically endangered animals such a species of bioluminescent butterfly, the last blue member of the Panthera genus and the oldest tortoise in the world.
7. Imperial Axis - It is a part of the city that houses massive monuments such as the Mausoleum of Tamatea the Merciful, the Shrine of the Blue Macaw, the St. Paul Clock Tower, Aotearoa Fountain, the Maze of Kings and the Arch of the Seasons.

Culture

The City of La Rochelle is a hub of culture.

There are a number of theatres that form part of the Firelight circuit, the most prestigious of Oan theatrical performing arts. Street theatre is prosperous. With many public plazas and amphitheatres, such as the Plaza of Aotearoa, there are many easily accessible venues in which people can enjoy this Oan art form.

The city has several production companies and studios from which many prominent television shows and films are shot. The Oan Broadcasting Corporation, although seated in Serenity City, supports buddying films and the Serenity Performing Arts Academy maintains a campus here. The city has been the location for a number of international, domestic and regional films.

The city has many museums and galleries. La Rochelle is regarded as the centre of Oan history; it is the largest venue for repositories of artefacts and specimens. The Tamasolatanuanu Institute is the biggest, but other museums and galleries such as the National Natural History Museum and the National Modern Art Gallery exist. The city's most prized collection of art works sits in its most prestigious gallery: the Imperial Axis. This is a long axis between the Kamomanuwohe Palace and the Imperial Palace that stretches 10km. Monuments dot this route, ranging from mausoleums to gardens, shrines to fountains. The Imperial Axis is regarded by the Polynesian Union of Culture and Art (PUCA) as an International Heritage Site. The ancient remains of the "old city" are still preserved. They are regarded as an International Heritage Site as well.

The sports culture is thriving. The Palms Stadium is a 100,000 seat outdoor multi-purpose venue that serves as the traditional opening venue for the Oan Rugby Premier League. The Palms Warriors, the East Heights Titans, and the Tomaeni Fighters are not only major domestic and regional teams, they are among the top rugby teams on Urth. Soccer is actively playes several teams are part of the Oan Soccer Premier Cup: the Tomaeni Sulatinuanu, the East Heights Tekatipolo, the Palms Tukatitaha and the Reaepaniletioanyanaeni Sulatinuanu.