Saint Constantinopolis

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Saint Constantinopolis
Ἁγία Κωνσταντινούπολις
New Rethymnon
Νέον Ῥέθυμνον
—  Imperial Seat  —
The Imperial City of Saint Constantinopolis
Top: City Skyline
Second row: City apartments, Rethymnon Tower
Third Row:View of the city from The Shard
Bottom: Another view of the city

Flag

Seal
Nickname(s): The glorious
Greek: Ἡ Δοξασμένη
Location within the provinces
Country Rethymnian Empire
Imperial Province Rethymnon
Founding (As New Rethymnon) 9th of March 2200
Declared Imperial Capital 7th of September 2225
Federal Capital 1st of January 2436
Imperial Capital (As St. Constantinopolis) 1st of January 2541
Founder Andronikos I Aidonakis
Named for Constantine XI Palaeologos
Imperial Capital The Shard
Government
 • Type Legislature
 • Body City Senate
 • Mayor Antonios Archontopoulos
Area
 • Imperial Seat 156 093.09 km2 (60 267.87 sq mi)
 • Land 56 969.16 km2 (21 995.91 sq mi)
 • Water 99 123.93 km2 (38 271.96 sq mi)
 • Urban 19 658.32 km2 (7 590.11 sq mi)
 • Rural 0 km2 (0 sq mi)
 • Metro 37 310.84 km2 (14 405.79 sq mi)
Dimensions
• Length 60.34 km (37.49 mi)
• Width 370.13 km (229.98 mi)
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2540)
 • Imperial Seat 731,000,000
 • Density 12,831.53/km2 (33,233.45/sq mi)
 • Urban 587 000 000
 • Urban density 29,860.13/km2 (77,337.48/sq mi)
 • Rural 0
 • Rural density 0/km2 (0/sq mi)
 • Metro 144 000 000
 • Metro density 3,859.46/km2 (9,995.98/sq mi)
Demonym New Rethymnian
St. Constantinopolitan
Nationalities
 • Rethymnian Greek 78%
 • Earth Greek 20%
 • Other Aeolian 1.9%
 • Other 0.1%
Racial Demographics
 • White European 99.9%
 • Other 0.1%
Time zone AST+0
ZIP Code 77010101
Area Code 77010102
Geocode 77010103
ISO 3166 code RET
Vehicle registration ΡΕΘ-ΧΧΧ-ΠΠ-ΧΧ
Website st.constantinopolis.gov.ret

Saint Constantinopolis (Greek: Ἁγία Κωνσταντινούπολις, tr. Aghía Konstantinúpolis;), also known as St. Constantinople or New Rethymnon (Greek: Νέον Ῥέθυμνον, tr. Néon Réþimnon;) is the capital and largest city of the Rethymnian Empire. The city is a major political, economic, cultural and scientific center in Rethymnon and in planet Aeolis. St. Constantinople is the largest city on the planet, and it has been ranked as the most expensive city in Aeolis and is one of the world's largest urban economies, being ranked as an alpha+++ global city according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. St. Constantinople is the largest amongst high income economies. It is home to the Shard, the tallest skyscraper in Lention and in Aeolis in general and the Rethymnon Tower. It is the largest city in Rethymnon, with a population of 731,000,000 (2540).

St. Constantinople is situated by the Rethymnian Bay in the Province of Rethymnon. The city is well known for its unique architecture which consists of many skyscrapers and high rise apartments. With over 40 percent of its territory covered by greenery, it is one of the greenest capitals and major cities in Lention and Aeolis, boasting an incredible amount of parks and green areas along streets, skyways and paved walkways. In the course of its history the city has served as the capital of a progression of governments, from the first imperial government under the House of Aidonakis, to the federal government set up by Damianos Asikrates to the second imperial days of the present, under the House of Monomachos. St. Constantinople is considered to be the center of Rethymnian culture, having served as the home of prestigious Rethymnian artists, scientists and sports figures during the course of its history and because of the presence of many different museums, academic and political institutions and theaters. St. Constantinople is also the seat of power of the Government of Rethymnon, being the site of the Imperial Government, housed in The Shard, the tallest building in the city. The Shard and the Imperial Square are also one of several World Heritage Sites in the city. Both Houses of the Rethymnian Imperial parliament (the House of Commons and the Imperial Senate) also sit in within the city.

The city is served by an extensive transit network, which includes two international spaceports, nine hyperrail terminals, numerous trams and one of the deepest underground metro systems in the planet.

Over time, St. Constantinople has acquired a number of epithets, most referring to its size and preeminent status within the nation: The glorious (Ἡ Δοξασμένη), The shining city (Ἡ λαμπερή), The Queen of Cities (Ἡ Βασιλεύουσα) and The First City (Ἡ Πρωτεύουσα). The demonym for a St. Constantinople resident is "Ἁγιοκωνσταντινοπολίτης" (Haghioconstantinopolítis), rendered in English as Saint Constantinopolitan.

History

The city is named after the Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI Palaeologos (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος ΙΑ' Παλαιολόγος). The city was founded in 2200 by the survivors of the vessel HCF17-01 after it crashed on the city´s current location, after having sustained severe damage.

The ship´s captain, Admiral Andronikos Aidonakis organized the survivors who numbered in the mere thousands. The settlement that was the predecessor of the city was founded in 2189, after the crash. The admiral and his crew salvaged all the technology that could be saved from the ruin of the once great ship and began using all they could in order to sustain the population. Rations were distributed carefully and with great care so that there was enough for everyone. Aeolis´ lush forestation around the Rethymnian Bay proved a boon for the survivors since it allowed them to gather fruit and vegetables, farm and hunt the local wildlife effectively. Within a decade, the survivors came in contact with other survivors who had crashed all over the continent of Lention. United once more under their admiral, the other newly found settlements agreed to unite under the admiral. Due to the vast size of the land between the settlements, the admiral declared the 'Rethymnian State' in honour of his hometown Rethymnon on the island of Crete and on the 9th of March 2200, the city was christened 'New Rethymnon' and became the capital of the state.

Between 2200 and 2225 the city and the entire state was governed by military law. The remnant of the Greek military kept the peace and directed all matters of state under the rule of the admiral. This time is viewed as a time of reconstruction, for that is what it was. The technological lever of the settlers finally began approaching pre-crash status. The state quickly regained the mastery over technology and the fact that the subsurface of Rethymnon was rich in metals, minerals and other rare elements, the nation was quickly established as a proper state. Finally, the National Conference was held in the city in the 7th of September 2225. The result of this council was the crowning of Admiral Andronikos as Andronikos I, Emperor of Rethymnon. The city was then declared 'Capital of the Empire'

Emperor Andronikos I reigned until his death in the 22nd of November 2245. His reign is still remembered as a golden age by modern Rethymnians. It was he, after all that formed the now grand empire.

Emperor Andronikos I´s son, Konstantinos I Aidonakis ascended to the throne in the Imperial Palace on the 23rd of November 2245. His reign marked the city significantly since it was during his time that the city was embellished with beautiful skyscrapers mostly colored white, giving the city an extremely clean look. Konstantinos I was also the one to implement new strict regulations to protect the right of his subjects, providing high wages and immaculate welfare and social security. It was during his time that the Shard, arguably the most iconic Rethymnian structure was built, replacing the old Imperial Palace.

Konstantinos´ reign ended at the 30th of May 2268 when he unexpectedly died of a heart attack while taking a shower. On his death, his son, Xenophon I Aidonakis ascended to the throne, becoming the third Emperor of Rethymnon. Xenophon is probably remembered most fondly than any other Emperor of the House of Aidonakis. Assuming the throne at the very young age of 16, the Emperor focused all his strength on reconnecting Rethymnon with the rest of humanity. Eventually on the 12th of May 2277 his chief scientist reconnected the realm on the Interstellar System of Communications. Upon this, the Hellenic government on Constantinople immediately attempted to regain control of it´s would-have-been colony but severe backlash from both the Imperial government and the people of Rethymnon secured New Rethymnon´s independence, as well as that of the Empire. Soon, other realms began colonizing Aeolis after Xenophon´s personal invitation. Xenophon reigned in New Rethymnon until his eventual death on the 3rd of December 2341.

Between 2341 and 2430, various emperors held the throne. Their reign can be described as uneventful and yet benevolent and kind. Those Emperors were

  • Andronikos II (2301-2370)
  • Xenophon II (2327-2391)
  • Andronikos III (2337-2399)
  • Konstantinos II (2365-2421)
  • Andronikos IV (2389-2430)

On the 4th of January, Andronikos IV died in the Imperial Palace under suspicious circumstances. The Emperor had three sons, Konstantinos, Xenophon and Zenon. Konstantinos and Xenophon never managed to ascend the throne due to their sudden and inexplicable deaths. In their stead and after a few months of instability, Zenon I Aidonakis ascended on the throne. His reign left the city mostly in ruin. His rule of terror forced an initially peaceful movement Federal Genesis, which hoped to peacefully bring about a democratic government into action, causing the Rethymnian Civil War. The destructive war that saw entire cities ruined also saw the capital seriously damaged. The Emperor was eventually defeated and the FG´s leader, Damianos Asikrates was elected first President and the city was reclassified as the 'Federal Capital' while the Empire itself became a 'Federation'.

The early years of the Rethymnian Federation saw the restoration and beautification of the country. The Democratic ideas that were implemented brought a wave of happiness upon the people. Eventually however, the democratic institution fell into corruption. The worsening economy and the continuously declining standard of living in the Federation caused nostalgia for the return of the Empire. This caused the founding of the Imperial Party which sought to democratically win the elections and re-establish the monarchy. Finally, after a long line of Presidents and Prime Ministers between 2436 and 2540 the Imperial Party finally managed to secure the victory in the 30th of June 2530 elections. After a transitional period of 9 months, the Federation was reclassified as an Empire and the Imperial government was restored under the rule of Emperor Hephaestion I Monomachos. In the 1st of January 2531 the capital was reclassified as the Imperial Seat and renamed to St. Constantinople after its patron saint.

Geography

Location

Satellite image of the area surrounding the city. The white color is the city itself.

The city is situated around the Rethymnian Bay and is surrounded by lush green forestation. The area that the city is build upon is absolutely flat and the flatness continues for many miles around the city.

Time

The Rethymnian National Observatory, built on top of a mountain a few hundred kilometers away serves as the point of the prime meridian. Thusly, the capital itself and the entire area around it and to its south belongs to the AST+0 timezone. Daylight savings is not observed on AST.

Climate

The city is situated at the equator the the planet and is thusly warm. However, Aeolis itself is cooler than Earth, so the city enjoys a Mediterranean climate of sorts.

Demographics

Population

St. Constantinopolis, much like other cities of the Rethymnian Empire is for the most part ethnically homogeneous. According to the 2540 census the population of the St. Constantinople Greater Urban Area was 731,000,000 and rising with the birth rate being over 8.1.

The known ethnic composition of the permanent population is the following

  • Rethymnian 78.1 %
  • Hellenic 19.9 %
  • Aesterngardian 0.4 %
  • Terran 0.3 %
  • Volcan 0.3 %
  • Atraelian 0.2 %
  • Nordagaardian 0.2 %
  • Trøndish 0.2 %
  • Hungarian 0.2 %
  • Other 0.2 %

Religion

Christianity is the predominant religion in the city, of which the Rethymnian Calcedonian Church is the dominant. St. Constantinopole is Rethymnon´s capital of Calcedonian Christianity, which has been the country’s traditional religion and was deemed a part of Rethymnon´s "historical heritage" in a law passed in 2246. Other religions practiced in St. Constantinople include Norse Paganism and Hellenic Paganism.

The Patriarch of St. Constantinople serves as the head of the church and resides in the Estavromenos Monastery. Islam in particular is banned in Rethymnon as a religion that is 'completely and utterly incompatible with out Christian culture and way of life' according to state officials and the larger portion of the population.

Cityscape

View of the city

Architecture

St. Constantinopolis is renowned for its white skyscrapers that rise high above the ground. Unlike other cities of its kind, the city´s high rise towers are not quite as high as one would found in other cities of the modern world. It has however an air of nobility. The predominant colors one can see are white, red, orange, green, all under the blue sky for sparking contrast. The city is quite extensive, going on for hundreds of kilometers at any direction. Its population however is too great even for such a city to contain. Which is why the city also has underground levels with most of the buildings reaching 100 floors below the earth´s surface. In effect this means that one who is above ground barely sees half of the city.

Contrary to popular belief however, the city´s underground levels are not dark and unbearable, but artificial lighting creates an air of relief while giant pumps ventilate the vast underground areas of the city while rapid turbolifts can quickly transport anyone to the surface within a minute.

Landmarks

St. Constantinople has a plethora of famous landmarks, most prominent of which is The Shard, the seat of the Imperial Government.

Other important landmarks would be the Rethymnon Tower and the Headquarters of the RP&Α. The city also boasts a large number of parks and other attractions. Many theaters, opera houses, cinemas are vibrant centers of culture.

Life and culture

Overview

One of the most notable art museums in St. Constantinople is the Marmarakeion, which was founded by Iason Marmarakis, a wealthy patron of the arts who donated a large private collection to the city. Visitors can even see rare originals by early 23rd-century Rethymnian iconographer Nikolaos Gavdiotis. The New Rethymnon gallery, created in Federal times, mainly contains the works of more recent artists, as well as of a few contemporary paintings, but there is some overlap with the Old Tretyakov Gallery for early 23rd-century art. The New Rethymnon gallery includes a small reconstruction of Damianos Asikrates' famous Monument to Democracy and a mixture of other avant-garde works by various other artists. There is also a lot of Imperialist and patriotic works of art within the gallery.

The Imperial Historical Museum of St. Constantinopolis (Αὐτοκρατορικόν Ἱστορικόν Μουσεῖον Αγ. Κωνσταντινουπόλεως) is a museum of Rethymnian history located between Imperial Square and the Square of Triumph in St. Constantinople. Its exhibitions range from relics of the prehistoric tribes inhabiting present-day Crete on Earth, through priceless artworks acquired by members of the Aidonakis dynasty. The total number of objects in the museum's collection numbers is several million. The Polytechnical Museum, founded in 2472 is the largest technical museum in Rethymnon, offering a wide array of historical inventions and technological achievements, including RP&Α's first air purification filters from the 23rd century and the very Rethymnian hyperantenna that managed to connect Rethymnon back to the Interstellar System of Communications. Its collection contains more than 160,000 items. The Rethymnon Bay Panorama museum is located on Xenophon I Avenue provides an opportunity for visitors to experience being on a battlefield with a 360° diorama. It is a part of the large historical memorial commemorating the victory of the Federal Forces in the Civil War of 2436 over Zenon Aidonakis´ army. There is also a military history museum not to be missed, it includes statues, military hardware, and one will surely hear many interesting stories.

St. Constantinopolis is also the heart of the Rethymnian performing arts, including ballet and film. There are 5,871 theaters, 13,112 cinemas and 2,488 concert halls in St. Constantinopolis. Among the city´s many theaters and ballet studios is the Imperial ( previously Federal ) Theater and the Mellinon Theatre as well as Theatre of Joy and St. Constantinople Art Theatre. The repertories in a typical St. Constantinople season are numerous and modern interpretations of classic works, whether operatic or theatrical, are quite common although the classical works themselves are also frequently performed.

The Imperial Astronautics and Colonization Museaum is the central memorial place for the Rethymnian space officials and former operations that took place in space.

The Maleviziotis State Museum of Architecture is the national museum of Rethymnian architecture by the name of the architect Iason Maleviziotis near the Shard area.

Sports

St. Constantinople possesses a large number of various sports facilities and over 9,000 Olympic champions lived in the city by 2540. St. Constantinople is home to three hundred and fourty-nine (349) stadia, of which the Imperial Coliseum is the largest in both Lention and in Aeolis (it hosted the 2504 Summer Olympics). Three hundred and forty other sport complexes are located within the city, including a hundred and twenty-four with artificial ice. There are also fifty-seven horse racing tracks in St. Constantinopolis, of which the Imperial Hippodrome, founded in 2391, is the largest. It was built in a style similar to the original Hippodrome in Constantinople. St. Constantinopolis was the host city of the 2504 Summer Olympics. Large sports facilities and the main international airport, Imperial Terminal (built as Federal Terminal), were built in preparation for the 2504 Summer Olympics. St. Constantinople had also made a bid for the 2540 Summer Olympics. However, when final voting commenced on 6 July 2532, St. Constantinople was the first city to be eliminated from further rounds. The Games were finally awarded to Uppsala.

One of the most titled ice hockey teams in Aeolis, SCHT comes from St. Constantinopolis. Other big ice hockey clubs from the city are are MMHT Saint COnstantinopolis, which was the second most titled team in Rethymnon, and Dorieis HC.

One of the best basketball club in Aeolis and the world are the Saint Constantinople Tauri.

The most titled volleyball team in the Lention and in Aeolis is VCT Saint Constantinopolis.

In football, FC Tauri Saint Constantinopolis has won more championship titles in the Rethymnian Premier League than any other team. They were second only to FC Sword SC in the Empire. FC Sword SC was the first Rethymnian football team to win a UEFA title. Many other teams are based in Saint Constantinopolis.

Because of St. Constantinopolis´ warm local climate, summer sports have a large following as well.

The city also hosts the annual Shard Cup, a popular tennis tournament on both the WTA and ATP tours. It is regarded as a very prestigious tournament and is one of the ten Tier-I events on the women's tour and a host of Rethymnian players feature every year.

Doxa St. Constantinopolis is a professional rugby club, competing in the national Professional Rugby League. Former rugby league heavyweights RC Sword SC have entered the same league as of 2535. The Lention Stadium will host the 2541 Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Night life

The city is full of different kinds of clubs, restaurants and bars. The St. Constantinopolis city center and Ekali (richest area of the city) have a wide selection of luxury establishments. Artemisias Street is also one of the busiest shopping streets in the city.

The adjoining Imperial Boulevard, also south of Artemisias Street, in Kypoupolis, is host to upscale boutique stores. Nightlife in the city has moved on since Federal times and today the city has adopted a more moralistic sort of lifestyle, focused more on traditional music, culture and values and less on outsider customs.

Politics

St. Constantinople is the seat of power for the Rethymnian Empire. At the center of the city is The Shard, which houses the home of the Emperor of Rethymnon as well as many national governmental facilities such as the Imperial Parliament which includes the House of Commons and the Imperial Senate. This includes numerous military headquarters and the headquarters of the Imperial Secret Service. St. Constantinopolis, like with any national capital, is also the host of all the foreign embassies and diplomats representing a multitude of nations in Rethymnon. Lastly, St. Constantinopolis is located within the central economic region, one of twelve regions within Rethymnon with similar economic goals. The basic law of the city is the Charter of St. Constantinople that was adopted in 2540.

Executive

The Mayor of the city is the leading official in the executive, and he leads the Government of St. Constantinople which is the highest organ of executive power. The Mayor is appointed by the government.

City Senate

The St. Constantinopolis City Senate is the City Senate (city council or local parliament) and all local laws must be approved by it. It includes 300 members who are appointed by the respective political formations as representatives of the people. All members of the Senate must pass several tests so that they are approve.

Administrative Divisions

The entire city of St. Constantinopolis is headed by one mayor (Antonios Archontopoulos). The city of St. Constantinople is divided into 1,267 districts.

The Rethymnian capital's specific town-planning development began to show ever since the city´s founding in 2200. The central part of St. Constantinople grew by continuous construction of new urban zones to accommodate the ever growing population.

All districts have their own coats of arms and flags as well as individual heads of the area and local councils.

Economy

Overview

St. Constantinopolis has one of the largest municipal economies in Aeolis and it accounts for approximately 20% of Rethymnian GDP. As of 2540, the GRP in the city reached 9.11 quadrillion Hyperpyra Ϟ (about 10 qdr $).[87]

St. Constantinople has the lowest unemployment rate of all cities in Aeolis, standing at just 0.1% in 2540, compared to the national average of 3%. The average monthly wage in the city is 41,600 Ϟ, which is almost twice the national average of 21,800 Ϟ.

St. Constantinople is the undisputed financial center of Rethymnon and home to the country's largest banks and many of its largest companies, such as the green energy giant RP&Α. St. Constantinopolis accounts for 17% of retail sales in Rethymnon and for 13% of all construction activity in the country. Since the 2380 Rethymnian financial crisis, various business sectors in the city have shown exponential rates of growth. Many new business centers and office buildings have been built in recent years.

Overall, economic stability has improved in recent years and crime and corruption are practically non-existent thanks to the all-pervasive police force.

Industry

Primary industries in the city include the green energy, metallurgy, food, automotive industry, furniture, energy production, software development, machinery industries and arms manufacturing.

The Rethymnian Charmandaris Aeronautics and Aerospace Engineering which is the leading Rethymnian spaceship and aircraft manufacturer is based in the St. Constantinople Industrial area.

The Elysium Hovercraft Plant is one of the leading producers of military and civil hovercrafts in the world. Antoniadis State Research and Production Space Center produces various space equipment, including modules for space stations such as the DOSSS, EEPP and the IASS as well as Proton launch vehicles and military Anti-Matter drives. Eleon, Elais, Maravilis, Markos and Protos spacecraft design bureaus are also situated in the city.The Stergiopoulos Design Bureau, which built fighter craft during the Rethymnian Civil War is also found in the city. Automobile plants Enia and Krateros, as well as the Rethymnian Hyper-Rail Vehicle plant, are situated in St. Constantinopolis and the Dimitrakopoulos metro plant is located just outside the city limits.

The city also hosts headquarters of various software development companies, including such as:

  • Skepsis Company—business software and games producer
  • ΑΒΓ software house—developer of text recognition and translation software,
  • Olympus—video game developer company
  • Chrimson Lab—worldwide-known producer of anti-virus software,

Additionally, RP&Α's state of the art air filtration machines purify the air of the city ensuring a clean environment and a strong industry.