Verona

Verona, officially the Commonwealth of Verona is a state situated on the eastern coast of central Cartadania, boasting a diverse geography that spans from the Urlazian Coast in the east to the Serra Afiada mountain range in the center, and from the meranti forests to the Eastern Lençois Desert in the southwest. With a population of 76.2 million people across an area of approximately 392847 km2, Verona is the most populous and expansive state in Cartadania. Its state capital is the city of Aurimá, located in central Verona, and its most populous urban region is the Palm Coast metro area, home to 31.7 million residents. Sierra, Verona's most populous city, boasts a population of over eight million people, and Sierra County, Verona's most populous county, is also one of its largest counties by area.

Verona is known for its warm tropical climate, but the state's large size means that it varies from rainforest in the west to arid desert in the south, and nearly alpine in the mountains. The Central and Chesapeake Valleys, which are major agricultural areas, dominate the state's center. Verona is considered a global trendsetter in popular culture, innovation, and politics, with the Palm Coast Metro area widely recognized as a center for the global technology and entertainment industries.

The state's economy is the largest of any state in Cartadania, valued at $6.267 trillion, making it more than $2.5 trillion ahead of the next largest economy, Santiago. If Verona were a country, it would be the 15th largest economy in the world and the 25th most populous. It is incredibly diverse, with, government, , technology, and professional, scientific and technical business services accounting for 58% of the state's economy. Additionally, Verona's agriculture industry has the highest output of any Cartadanian state, although it is not a coffee-producing state, it exports a significant amount of goods shipped from other states.

Verona shares its borders with Trentino, Santiago, Alexandria, and the capital city of Alahuela to the west and north, Catania to the south, and Alta Roma and Baixa Roma to the east. Furthermore, Verona shares an international maritime border with the Caphirian province of Turiana.

The first inhabitants
Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, Verona was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in Ixnay. Various estimates of the native population range from 100,000 to 300,000. The Indigenous peoples of Verona included more than 30 distinct groups of Native Cartadanians, ranging from large, settled populations living on the coast to groups in the interior. Verona groups also were diverse in their political organization with bands, tribes, villages, and on the resource-rich coasts, large chiefdoms, such as the Veronesi, Guanches and Vartuli. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups. Whether a Native tribe was friendly or warlike was critical to the fates of Latin explorers and settlers in that land. Friendly tribes taught newcomers how to grow indigenous crops, prepare foods, and hunt wild game. Warlike tribes made life difficult and dangerous for Latin settlers through their attacks and resistance to the newcomers.

Colonial and Latin periods
Because of Verona's long history as a banlieuregio of Caphiria, the impact of Caphirian culture was strong, especially during the first two centuries following Verona's creation. Due to it's equatorial climate and vast size, Verona spent much of its time as a diversified land. It served as an agricultural hub for Caphiria, and through Caphiria's trade networks, much of the world. It also served as a tourist destination for many Caphirians seeking a more distinct vacation. The long white sand beaches attracted many from around the world as well, especially from Levantia.

Verona originally encompassed what is today, Santiago and Trentino, as well as it's present day area. It was bound by a loose government structure that contained settlements such as Amelia, Lynnhaven, and Viridans, which served as important locations for the Imperium. Much of Verona's colonial period was quite dormant outside of development of the region in terms of trade, which would eventually diminish in favor of trade from Luria and Auvia.

Verona further formed the state of Santiago from its Columbia, Sancti, and Tridentum regions toward the end of it's colonial era. Though never officially a region, Sancti served as Verona's playground in terms of developing new "technology" and advancement as a Banlieuregio.

Republic of Verona and Caphirian invasion
Due to the imperium's constant neglect of Verona in favor of other, more centrally located provinces, Verona's autonomous government passed a law known as the Vermillion Act, which effectively separated the province from the imperium, creating a wall between Verona (and its territory, Sancti) and the Alexandria province north of Verona. Initially, the imperium took little notice to this separation, choosing to overlook it as an international publicity stunt. Things began to change, however, when Verona began to issue its own money, the Veronese Lira, backed at a value higher than that of the Taler. This value was further increased by low circulation, Verona's now incredibly diverse economy, its desirable location, and an exploding population. With similar sentiments of the Burgoignesc for freedom from their national governments, Verona began to develop support on an international stage. It officially codified its initial set of laws as a nationstate in 1426, under the name REPVBLICA VERONEZE, and rewrote all of its information, culture, and signage in its local dialect, of which would eventually standardize into Early Cartadanian half a century later.

The imperium, noticing the growing notoriety of the young republic, began to develop a particular feeling of betrayal, going so far as to consider acts of the people of Verona treasonous. As a result, the imperium proceeded to declare a form of marshall law and nearly razed the young republic's infrastructure in an effort to bring it into submission. The result was, of course, Verona's forced re-entry into the imperium. Despite this, however, Verona's disdain for Venceia's rule began to spread and grow not only in Verona, but in Alexandria and Sancti as well. It would go so far as a double-sided operation by Verona's leadership to assist in granting Sancti provincial status so that it would have more power. In the years that followed this invasion, the governments of Alexandria, Sancti, and Verona began very secretive talks of another separation from the imperium.

Union with Alexandria and Santiago
In the the late 1660s, Verona redivided itself into 12 municipios which served as the precursors for Verona's 53 modern counties and are identical to the boundaries of Verona's modern metro areas. In 1671, Verona again seceded from Caphiria, this time taking Alexandria and Sancti, now renamed Santiago from the Cartadanian language equivalent, along with it. The three independent provinces again cited Venceia's neglect of the area for the reason of separation. This time, although Caphiria attempted to bring the three provinces back into the imperium, was torn between the aftermath of the Great Schism and the changing nature of life in Venceia. Inevitably, Venceia withdrew its military from Verona and Alexandria, which generated a de facto new nation, one without name or identity.

Naturally, Alexandria and Santiago looked to Verona for guidance on this as Verona had already been a short-lived nationstate in the past. Over the course of the next 9 years, the three provinces united into the first Republic of Cartadania, written REPVBLICA CARTADANIANA, itself named indirectly for the Carto-Latinic people of the Lusitan peninsula in northern Sarpedon. The union was quite weak and generally served as the basis for what would become the second Cartadanian Republic. The three entities developed an economic model and other aspects that would lead to the development of a stronger nation.

During this period, Verona saw a large urbanization, especially around what is today the Palm Coast. Sierra, previously a small town, began to explode in population and the resulting population growth drastically expanded Verona's economy. It was also around this time that Verona's government moved from Sierra to a more central location in what would become the city of Aurimá. There were a lot of births around this time as well, coinciding with the birth of the new nation. It was also during this time, however, that the country saw what would become the bloodiest conflict on domestic soil.

Early Cartadanian statehood period


In 1697, approximately 17 years after Verona had united with Santiago and Alexandria, things took a turn for the worst. The elite that still oversaw Verona and the other two states through monetary means began to overextend Verona's money and resources for their benefit, which ultimately saw the middle and lower class being neglected by the people they trusted to protect them. As a result, early Cartadania was thrust into a civil war between the wealthy elite and the growing middle and lower class who was becoming poorer by the day. The resulting massacre of many of Cartadania's elite and the forced deportation of three-quarters of Cartadania's upper class would lead to the creation of modern-day Galicia, Ceylonia, and Porlos. The then-governor of Verona was executed during this period as well, which saw Verona enter a period of disarray. The aftermath of this situation and the subsequent eleven year period that followed saw the recreation of Cartadania from a largely capitalist society into a heavily socially democratic one with capitalist aspects.

On 29 October 1709, the governments of the three states called for the creation of a new capital, originally to sit between the three states with land ceded from all three. It was during this period, however, that the west Urlazian provinces, then still part of Caphiria, began to experience the same neglect that Verona faced starting nearly 300 years before. Consequently, to keep the capital centralized and accessible by sea, the three states decided to place the capital between Alexandria and Verona along the Urlazian coast. During this period, Verona also renamed it's municipios to counties, which would continue to divide into the counties of today. Verona's population continued to skyrocket and it was at this time that the State of Verona was renamed to the Commonwealth of Verona. Verona's population, although high, was still quite low in comparison to Alexandria, which served as the capital of the Lusos region during the earlier Caphirian historical periods. This, of course, would change in the coming decades.

Geography
The Commonwealth of Verona covers a total area of 392846.47 km2 and ranks as the largest state by size in Cartadania. It is 1189.4 km north-to-south and 681.2 km east-to-west. The highest elevation in Verona is Mount Amnesty in the Serra Afiada, at 4529.6 m above sea level; while the state's lowest point is at sea level, on the Attalus Bay and Urlazio Sea.

Climate
Although most of the state has a mixed tropical climate, due to the state's large size, the climate ranges from subarctic/alpine to tropical. The cool Ecinian Current offshore often creates summer fog near the coast. Further inland in mountainous areas, there is fluctuation in temperature throughout the year. The maritime moderation results in the shoreline "summer" temperatures of Rosslyn and Sierra being some of the coolest of all major metropolitan areas of Cartadania and uniquely cool compared to areas on the same latitude in the interior, despite being along the equator. Even the Volusia County shoreline bordering Alta Roma is cooler in summer than most areas. Just a few miles inland, summer temperature extremes are significantly higher, with downtown La Joya being several degrees warmer than at the coast. The same microclimate phenomenon is seen in the climate of the Attalus Bay Area, where areas sheltered from the sea see significantly hotter summers than nearby areas close to the ocean. Verona's hyperdiverse geography, ranging from the Urlazio and Attalus Coast in the east to the Serra Afiada mountain range in the center to the everglades and its meranti forests in the west; and from the meranti forests to the Lençois Desert in the southwest, allows this phenomenon to occur and is one of the most dramatic in the country. The Central and Chesapeake Valleys, major agricultural areas, dominate the state's center.

Ecology and wildlife
Verona is one of the richest and most diverse parts of the world and includes some of the most endangered ecological communities. It is part of the Neotropic ecozone and spans a number of terrestrial ecoregions. Verona's large number of endemic species includes some relict species, which have died out elsewhere in the country and world. Many other endemics originated through differentiation or adaptive radiation, whereby multiple species develop from a common ancestor to take advantage of diverse ecological conditions. Many Verona endemics have become endangered, as urbanization, logging, overgrazing, and the introduction of exotic species have encroached on their habitat.

Verona is characterized by s, s, s, s, s, and es. The diversity of the state's geography and climate makes it quite unique, even for Cartadania. The generally tropical to mediterranean climate has made Verona a very comfortable home for many species of plants and animals. In fact, Verona is the most megadiverse state in the country with 206 amphibian species, 181 reptile species, 715 bird species, and 190 mammal species, as well as nearly 900 species of tree and other vegetation. This includes the, the tallest tropical tree on the planet found within the state's everglades.

Regions
The Commonwealth is divided into twelve regions corresponding to the twelve municipios of Verona which became the original twelve counties, from which the current fifty-three were divided. These regions, although they are not official administrative divisions of the state, do have some legal weight as the state still uses them to allocate and divide certain resources. They are most commonly seen as corresponding to the borders of Verona's twelve major metro areas. It is not uncommon for state agencies to endorse these regions in official capacities, for example, with the Verona Tourism Authority frequently using them for promotion purposes.

The largest of the twelve regions by population, and arguably the most widely known, is the Palm Coast region with its 31 million inhabitants, accounting for nearly 50% of Verona's population. It has the largest metropolitan economy in the country and one of the largest in the world for a subnational entity that is not a state, province, or territory at €2.6 trillion, larger than every other state except Verona itself and Santiago.

Verona's regions often times have unique climatic and geographic characteristics as well. For example, while the Palm Coast is characterized by palm trees, beaches, generally sunny weather, and most flat to gently rolling land, the areas of the Chesapeake Valley and Centralia/Capital region are more dramatic in their variation of geography with mountains and valleys, and these areas are typically more Mediterranean and dry. Further still, the other areas of the state are pretty unique as well, such as the Pinellas region with its tropical conifers, the Everglades region with its yellow meranti forests and open wetlands, and the Olympia Valley region with its arid desert climate and occasional oasis.

Population
The Cartadania Office of the Census found that the reported population of the Commonwealth of Verona was 76,239,415 at the 2020 Census, which was finalized on 31 December 2020, making it the most populous state in Cartadania, and roughly 32 million inhabitants ahead of the next most populous state, Santiago. The population density of Verona is 194.1 PD/km2, which despite Verona's large area, makes the state the fifth-most densely populated in Cartadania.

Ethnic groups and ancestry
According to census findings, the population of Verona in 2020 was:


 * Pardo 36.2
 * Latinate or northern Levantine descent 24.4
 * Burgoignac/Charentais 16.9%
 * Cronan (includes the Kiro-Boreal circle) 13.4%
 * Alshari 3.2%
 * Native 5.9%

As it's heritage and identity would indicate, there are strong Latinate ancestry lines amongst Veronese people, especially those from the northern coastal regions, as those were the primary hubs of operation for Caphiria in the past. Like most of Cartadania, the Pardo group holds the majority of the population and leads Latinate descent by about 11.8%.

Languages
The federal official language in Cartadania is Cartadanian, and as a result, the language of business, government, and instruction in Verona is Cartadanian as well. It uses signage in Cartadanian and is the overwhelming language of the state. However, because some 24% percent of the state is of Latin descent, and a good 84% of those individuals is fluent in Latin and/or Ænglish, the General Assembly has and continues to permit combined use of the language alongside Cartadanian. Approximately 33% of the population has reported speaking a other than Cartadanian at home in Verona alongside the national language.

The most common languages spoken in Verona as of 2022 are:
 * 80% Cartadanian
 * 14% Latin
 * 6% Ænglish
 * Other languages less than 1% each

Religion
Verona has a mostly history, although there is a large  community within the state as well. The Catholic Church is the largest single denomination in the state, as Cartadania was a former constituency of Caphiria and is proximate to Urcea, the two largest countries on the planet, both of whom have a Catholic majority. With approximately 54% of the state identifying as Catholic and 32% identifying as irreligious, the remaining 14% constitute other religious groups from around the globe.

Though the separation of church and state is a very stark part of Cartadanian life, Verona's catholic past plays a large part in the customs of its government even today. This is evident in the state's numerous cities and counties named after Catholic saints, as well as buildings and streets. Nonetheless, Verona's active participation in religion is one of the lowest in the country. The father of current pope, Pope Gregory XVII, was born and raised in Cara County, although the pope himself was born in Alahuela, just across the Mendes River.

Economy
Verona's 2024 total gross state product was €6.27 trillion, placing it at 1st within Cartadania. It one of the largest subnational economies on the planet.

Verona is very friendly to small businesses and large businesses alike, although compared to other Commonwealths its taxes are on the higher side. Nonetheless, its open nature and vast lands make it a welcome place for many companies. The state's economy is highly diversified, ranging from agriculture and automobiles to pharmaceuticals and petroleum. It produces large quantities of sugarcane, poultry and eggs, dairy products, rice, and seafood. It is home to automobile manufacturer AGV, one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the country. Other large brands known throughout Cartadania that are headquartered in and/or distributed via Verona include Aurora Aerospace, Marín-Helius, Nexus, Premiere Airways, and Axiom, among others.

Sierra has a large effect on the Commonwealth, central Cartadania, and beyond. It has been the site of growth in finance, insurance, technology, manufacturing, real estate, service, logistics, transportation, film, communication, convention and trade show businesses and industries. Other cities in the state have large degrees of importance, as well. Verona's second-largest city, Mirada, is also located in Sierra County, while the largest city outside of the Palm Coast, Sandy Palms, has an economy based largely around health care, transportation and the government. The five largest sectors of employment in Verona as a whole are trade, transportation, and utilities; government; professional and business services; education and health services; and leisure and hospitality. In output, the five largest sectors are financial services, followed by trade, transportation, and utilities; education and health services; government; and manufacturing. As of January 2024, Verona has an unemployment rate of 3.1%. Verona's economy is dependent on trade and international-related commerce accounts for about one-quarter of the state's economy. In 2008, Verona exported €226 billion worth of goods, up from €194 billion in 2007 and €187 billion in 2006. Computers and electronic products, including defense equipment, are Verona's top export, accounting for 42 percent of all the state's exports in 2008.

In 2024, Verona had a median household income of €88,620, placing it at 3rd amongst Cartadanian states, and quite highly throughout the world in comparison. Verona, similar to the other Commonwealths (of which Porta Bianca is the exception) lacks an income tax, but does levy a higher sales tax of 6.25% (although many localities will increase this to 8.25% or rarely 9.25% which is the legal maximum), and decent average property tax rate of 1.28% (assessed at the local level). It should be noted that federal law prohibits taxation on medications, medically related devices, while state law prohibits taxation of food for home.

Government and politics
The state's capital is Aurimá. Verona is organized into three branches of government – the executive branch consisting of the Governor and the other independently elected constitutional officers; the legislative branch consisting of the Chamber of Emissaries and Senate of Verona; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of Verona and lower courts. All candidates in the primary elections are listed on the ballot with their preferred party affiliation, but they are not the official nominee of that party. At the primary election, the two candidates with the top votes will advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. If at a special primary election, one candidate receives more than 50% of all the votes cast, they are elected to fill the vacancy and no special general election will be held.

Executive Branch
The Verona executive branch consists of the Governor of Verona and seven other elected constitutional officers: Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Controller, State Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, and Superintendent of Education. The governor serves as chief executive officer of the Commonwealth and as commander-in-chief of its militia. The Lieutenant Governor serves as president of the Senate of Verona and is first in the line of succession to the governor. The Attorney General is chief legal advisor to the governor and the General Assembly, chief lawyer of the Commonwealth, and the head of the Department of Justice. The attorney general is second in the line of succession to the governor. Whenever there is a vacancy in all three executive offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, then the Orator Princeps of the Verona Chamber of Emissaries becomes governor.

Legislative Branch
The Verona General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Verona Chamber of Emissaries, with 120 members, and an upper house, the Senate of Verona, with 80 members. Combined together, the Verona General Assembly consists of 200 elected representatives from an equal number of constituent districts across the commonwealth. The General Assembly holds sessions in the Verona State Capitol in Aurimá.

The Chamber of Emissaries is presided over by the Speaker of the House, while the Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Verona. The House and Senate each elect a clerk and sergeant-at-arms. The Senate of Verona's clerk is known as the Secretary of the Senate. The General Assembly also selects the Commonwealth's Auditor of Public Accounts. The statutory law enacted is codified in the Code of Verona.

Judicial Branch


Verona's legal system is explicitly based upon common law (as is the case with all other states except Haia and São Andreas) but carries a few features from civil law, such as community property. Capital punishment is a legal form of punishment and the state has the largest "Death Row" population in the country (though there are states that are far more active in carrying out executions, such as Lombardia). Despite this Verona is nominally, and typically in practice, a rehabilitative state, meaning most criminals go through rehabilitation and re-entry into society.

Verona's judiciary system is the largest in Cartadania (with a total of 3,200 judges, while the federal system has only about 1,680). At the apex is the seven Justices of the Supreme Court of Verona, while the Verona Courts of Appeal serve as the primary appellate courts and the Verona Superior Courts serve as the primary trial courts. Justices of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal are appointed by the Governor, but are subject to retention by the electorate every 12 years. The administration of the state's court system is controlled by the Judicial Council, composed of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Verona, 14 judicial officers, four representatives from the Commonwealth Bar of Verona, and one member from each house of the state legislature.

The Supreme Court of Verona meets in the Javier Padrón Commonwealth Justice building, just east of Downtown Aurimá.

Local government
Verona is currently divided into 53 counties. The county government provides countywide services such as law enforcement, jails, elections and voter registration, vital records, property assessment and records, tax collection, public health, health care, social services, libraries, flood control, fire protection, animal control, agricultural regulations, building inspections, ambulance services, and education departments in charge of maintaining statewide standards. In addition, the county serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas. Each county is governed by an elected board of supervisors.

Residents of a sufficiently large piece of unincorporated county land can incorporate a city. The city government then takes some of the tax revenue that would have gone to the county, and can impose additional taxes on its residents. It can then choose to provide almost all the services usually provided by the county (and more), or provide only a few and pay the county to do the rest. A city in this last arrangement is called a contract city.

Like municipalities in most other states, incorporated cities are municipalities that are within counties. Local government is thus divided between the city and the county. A city can be formed from any area with a defined boundary having a population of 1,000 or more. The method for forming cities starts with petitioning the state legislature to grant a charter. As of 2020, there are 624 incorporated cities in Verona.

Although Verona permits cities and counties to enter "interlocal agreements" to share services, the state does not allow consolidated city-county governments, nor does it have metropolitan governments (PCCMCG is a consortium of county governments). The state does not have townships— areas within a county are either incorporated or unincorporated. Incorporated areas are part of a municipality. The county provides limited services to unincorporated areas and to some smaller incorporated areas. Municipalities are classified either "general law" cities or "charter". A municipality may seek charter status once it exceeds 20,000 population with voter approval. General-law cities owe their existence to state law and are consequently governed by it; charter cities are governed by their own city charters. Cities incorporated in the 19th century tend to be charter governed. All ten of the state's most populous cities are charter cities. Most small cities have a council–manager form of government, where the elected city council appoints a city manager to supervise the operations of the city. Some larger cities have a directly-elected mayor who oversees the city government. In many council-manager cities, the city council selects one of its members as a mayor, sometimes rotating through the council membership—but this type of mayoral position is primarily ceremonial.

Verona also permits the creation of "special districts", which provide limited services. The most common is the school district, but can also include hospital districts, community college districts, and utility districts. Municipal, school district, and special district elections are nonpartisan, though the party affiliation of a candidate may be well-known. Partisan elections in charter counties depend on the laws enacted by the county, while general law county and state elections are partisan.

K-12 Education


In Verona, each school district is run by a school board, a non-partisan council that makes decisions for the district at large, including building new schools and other facilities. The elected council of the school board also helps determine educational policy based upon the state curriculum within the boundaries of the school district, its taxable area, which is "independent" of local government authority. The board also has the ultimate say in the hiring and firing of principals and superintendents, and other district-wide administrative positions. The employment of teachers in individual schools, however, is usually left to the principal and administrative staff of the respective schools.

Between 2018 and 2019, Verona spent €19,901 per pupil ranking it well above the national average, with an outlay of about €318 billion. The pupil/teacher ratio was 11.8, below the national average of 17.3. Verona paid full-time instructors, on average, €76,432, well above the national average of €46,593. The Verona Department of Education (VDOE) administers the state's public school systems. Verona has over 100 school districts- all districts except the Varina County School District are independent from municipal government, though few cross city boundaries and none currently cross county boundaries. School districts have the power to tax their residents and to assert eminent domain over privately owned property, though most funding comes directly from state and federal sources. The VDOE has no authority over private school activities aside from base curricula regulation as required by Verona's Education Code, while homeschooling is illegal in Verona and much of Cartadania as a whole.

Prior to 2002, Verona assessed student performance in the elementary school and secondary school grades via the Verona Education Standards Assessment (VESA), administered at the end of each year beginning in Grade 4. Beginning in January 2002, Verona completely eliminated the VESA and instead opted for a model where teachers formulate their own grading systems for the students similar to collegiate systems, although with oversight from various superior bodies (e.g., principals, directs of primary and secondary education, district superintendents, and VDOE review board). The Verona Education system as a whole underwent a major overhaul in 2004 that marked the end of an era. VESA assessed students' attainment of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies skills required under Verona education standards and the Student Succession Act. The test replaced the Verona Common Core of Learning (VCCL) test introduced in 1971.

Higher education
Verona's public postsecondary education offers three major systems and a number of independent public and private schools. The state's research university system is the University of Verona system (UVA), a public university system. As of August 2024, the University of Verona system had a combined student body of 551,212 students. There are 13 general campuses, and a number of specialized campuses in the UVA system. It is often considered the flagship of the three public, four-year systems. The Verona Commonwealth University system (VCU), with its 34 campuses and eight off-campus centers, enrolls nearly 950,000 students. It has at least one campus in all twelve of Verona's metropolitan regions, offering the most diversity in enrollment throughout the state, with some regions having multiple campuses.

The Verona Institute of Technology system is the state's STEM-focused research university system. It has an enrollment of just under 150,000 across its four campuses and nine centers, and is considered by many as the most prestigious of the systems (although some argue the distinction goes to the UVA system). Finally, the Verona Community Colleges system provides lower division coursework, as well as basic skills and workforce training. It is the largest network of higher education in Cartadania, composed of 111 colleges serving a student population of just over 4 million. Some Verona residents also travel to Alahuela to attend the Erudite University of Alahuela, the largest public, single campus university in Sarpedon with nearly 140,000 students.

Verona also has a number of private universities, the most well known of these is Merced University, located in Canaeria. It has approximately 46,000 students and is the largest private university in the state. Other small private schools can be found in the respective metro areas for each resident.

Transportation
Verona's vast terrain is connected by an extensive network of controlled-access highways ('freeways'), limited-access roads ('expressways'), and highways. In fact, Verona has the most extensive highway and railway system in Cartadania. The regulatory authority, the Verona Department of Transportation (VDOT), constructs and maintains the state's immense highway system, as well as regulates aviation and public transportation systems. The rapidly growing population of the commonwealth is straining its transportation networks, although even with its 76 million residents, Verona has a notable lack of overall traffic congestion relative to its population and density, especially in areas outside of the Palm Coast and Alahuela metro areas. The first Verona freeway was the Bay Freeway, which opened in 1948 and runs the length of the state adjacent to the Bay of Attalus from northeastern Sierra County to Volusia County (after which it becomes South Bend Parkway). As of 2024, 136336 km of public highway crisscrossed Verona's landscape. To fund recent growth in the state highways, Verona has fourteen toll roads with several additional tollways proposed. In central Verona, SH-295 (Varina Tollway) has an advisory speed limit of 195 km/h, the highest in the nation, but also does not have a posted speed limit for most of its length. Before it was opened, the highest speed in Verona was 145 km/h on SH-210, which had it tied with Santiago's SR-600. All federal and state highways in the commonwealth are paved.

Located northerly in Sarpedon, the state is an important transportation hub. Verona has 26 foreign trade zones (FTZ) and in 2022, a combined total of €330 billion of goods passed through Verona land FTZs alone, especially across the bay from Turiana and from other international sources by air and sea.

Sierra International Airport (SIX) is one of the world's busiest airport, due in part to Cartadania's central location (working as a connection point) and the immense amount of people in the region surrounding the airport. It is a major hub for trans-continental flights as well, with flights to nearly every country in Sarpedon. Verona also has several important seaports. The giant seaport complex formed by the Palm Coast International Terminals in northeastern Verona is the second largest in Cartadania, after Sanova International Gateway (world's busiest), and one of the busiest in the world.

The protection of Verona's infrastructure, highways and ports included, usually falls under the jurisdiction of the Verona Department of Public Safety. The Verona Commonwealth Police, a division of the DPS, is responsible for providing any police-sanctioned service to anyone on Verona's state-maintained highways and on any state property.

The Verona Department of Motor Vehicles is responsible for licensing drivers and providing ID cards. It is one of the largest vehicle agencies in Sarpedon and by far the largest in Cartadania. As of 2024, the Verona DMV had 54,344,245 driver's licenses and ID cards on record, which is more active drivers than any other state has inhabitants.

Energy


As Verona is the most populous state in Cartadania, it is one of the country's largest consumers of energy. However, due to conservation mandates, generally decent weather in more populous areas, and strict environmental guidelines, its per capita energy consumption is one of the smallest of any state in Cartadania. Verona leads the nation in total net electricity production, generating 315.5 TWh in 2024. Most of the states power comes from natural gas, clean coal, and nuclear. With the exception of some power plants in the Palm Coast area and northern Verona, majority of the power plants are located in the state's interior.

Verona has a large potential for renewable energy. Its southern interior and counties that border Santiago are generally very flat and the area is known for its build-out of wind farms. Northern Verona is also used for solar energy due to it straddling the equator.

Water


Verona's interconnected water system is one of the largest water systems in the world, managing more water per year than some entire countries. Much of Verona's water supply is centered around its eight rivers, which snake across the commonwealth. Three of which—the Elisabeth, San Miguel, and Trinity rivers—carry the bulk of the state's demand.

Despite the intense output of Verona's river system, the demand of its 76 million residents exceeds its pumping capacity and strains the state's supply. Thusly, Verona also pumps large quantities of water from all of it's neighboring states. Ironically, Alahuela, Cartadania's capital city, purchases all of its water from Verona, which it pumps in using one of the country's largest pumping systems.

Water conservation was a major component of Verona's politics for forty years after Verona crossed the 40 million residents mark, and although it has been less of an issue today due to the abundance of water now within the state, conservation efforts are still around to try and prevent another water crisis.

Despite Sierra County containing a fifth of Verona residents, the majority of the state's water is actually consumed by the southern and central agriculture zones, which feed not only Verona residents, but the entire nation.