La Rochelle
| This page is a work in progress by its author(s) and should not be considered final. |
| |
| Type | Municipality |
| Mayor | Kalou Kanalua |
| Population | 4,120,750 |
| Density | 4,120 |
| Area | 1,000km² |
| Country | The Oan Isles |
| GDP (nominal) | 166 billion SHD (282 billion KRB or 1.162 trillion OAD) |
| GDP (nominal) per capita | 40,340 SHD (68,578 KRB or 282,380 OAD) |
| Motto | Ti roka ti ahaya |
| Animal | Green Macaw |
| Flower | Pearl Orchid |
| Colors | Green |
La Rochelle is the capital and second largest city of The Oan Isles
Contents
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
La Rochelle has a population density of 8,000 people per square kilometre. Property prices are among the highest in the world. On average an apartment costs 25,000 dollars for 1 square metre or 1,000,000 dollars for 40 square metres of space. The average person has 10 square metres of space available to him or her, at any given time, when total floor space is accounted for. A sizeable portion of the population has even less.
La Rochelle has many historic buildings that are heritage site s. Development is a tentative process. Due to a large migration of Konoans to Konoan and East Polynesians to East Polynesia, and a very low population growth rate, the strain on the city's housing has subsided.
Critics have cited a clandestine policy that has been enacted by the municipal government in collaboration with the national government. State subsidies for housing have decreased and overall fees and rates have worsened. Banks are more reluctant to grant loans or buffer rent payments. Lower paying jobs, free transport and accomodation and a markedly lower cost of living has been promised to many people to move to other parts of the country. Critics have criticised the state as they perceived this as specifically targetting the power.
An apartment of 2 bedrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 bathroom, 1 living room, and 1 dining room, with no room bbeing longer than 5 metres, costs about 8,000 dollars. The state ran programs for the poor and working class to subsidise two thirds of their rent. For some, this was not enough and they were forced to live in state dorms and hostels, in a single room, with a kitchenette, toilet and shower.
Even the rich are not spared the brunt of the heavy prices, most of them rent out rather than buy property. Many people who own property inherited from their ancestors centuries ago or bought it collaboratively as families. This has caused purchase based real estate to perish, but lease based real estate has thrived.
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
Tamasitanuanu Institute, one of the biggest museums in the world
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
Oan National Assembly
Serene Palace
- Tamasitanuanu Institute, the largest museum in the Oan Isles
- Oan National Assembly, the seat of the legislature.
- Serene Palace, the residence of the Emperor of Polynesia.
- Kalankanala Science Centre, the headquarters of the Metatron Corporation.
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.
