Veraise

Veraise, officially the Veraise Territory is an overseas incorporated territory of the United Republic, located in mainland southern Crona bordering Kartejya to the south and Ehemo to the east and north.

Geography
Veraise occupies a strip of coastal lowlands near the mouth of the River Marcian in neighboring Kartejya.

The territory has a humid subtropical climate characteristic of much of southwestern Crona.

History
Veraise was inhabited by the Cartesian people and their ancestors for several millennia before the arrival of Levantines. During the Age of Exploration, Veraise was settled by the Burgundines under the navigator Jean-Claude Gastineau, establishing a trading post and way station that he dubbed Port-Verde (present-day Gastineau) in 1593. During the Kiro-Burgundian Wars, Veraise was attacked by the Ehemoans, who were friendly to the Kiravians at the time, but was never captured or occupied. It was, however, eventually sold ceded to Ehemoan control in 1812, as the costs in holding the territory began to outweigh its benefits.

Under Ehemoan rule, Veraise became known as the "Lynchpin", as its location near the mouth of the Carte River allowed for Ehemo to not only influence indirectly neighboring Kartejya, but also secured the Ehemoan core against an invasion from the south. Nevertheless, the local Veroui (people of Burgundine descent) increasingly grew discontent over the next two centuries as a result of their unofficial status as second-class citizens, as well as a lack of autonomy in regional affairs. This culminated in the Veroui Revolt, in which the Veroui assisted the United Republic in driving the Ehemoans out of Veraise, as part of the then-concurrent Kartejyan War. As part of the Treaty of Dawsbury, which ended the war in January 2020, Veraise was transfered to and annexed by the United Republic as an autonomous territory.

Government
Veraise is an incorporated territory of the United Republic. Its governmental structure and fundamental law are prescribed by the Veraise Territorial Charter, promulgated by President Benjamin Ryder and validated by Parliament in 2020. The Governor of Veraise is elected by the residents of Veraise, and is prescribed a four-year term by the Charter, though a Governor may be replaced or recalled at any point in their term.

The territorial legislative body is known as the Assemblée des Députés (Assembly of Deputies). It is a part-time body that meets twice annually at for a period of 12 weeks. The Assembly comprises of 40 seats, apportioned according to population, with a guaranteed minimum of two seats per precinct.

Veraise sends a single non-voting Delegate to the National Council.

Society & Culture
Veraise has an ethnically diverse population. 39% of residents are identified as being of Burgundian-descent, 21% are native Cartesians, and 33% are of other origins, mainly descended from migrants from Kartejya, Ehemo, and Anta Carda.

Veraise is a multilingual society, with the most widely spoken languages in the territory being Alsintian Ænglish, Burgoignesc, and Vertannes. 62% of Veroui are Catholic, with minorities practicing other Christian traditions, most prominently the Chantry of Alstin.

Economy
Veraise has a diversifying economy rooted in plantation agriculture and cargo shipping, though it has been transitioning towards a service orientation in recent decades, with tourism, sea and air transportation, retail trade, and commercial fishing are the sectors contributing most to economic growth since the early 2000s.