Maresia

Milan, officially the Commonwealth of Milan, is a state located on the island of Urlazio within Cartadania's Charente region. With 19.4 million residents across a total area of about 92375.7 km2, Milan is the fifth-most populous and twentieth-most extensive, but fourth-most densely populated state in Cartadania. The state capital is the city of Auvergne in central Milan, which is also the most populous city in the state. Greater Auvergne is the most populous urban region in the state, with 7.2 million residents spread amongst nine parishes.

Milan is the only state in Cartadania with a multi-lingual history, that being Charentais which is a regional variety of Burgoignesc, that originates outside of Cartadania (although Montecarlo has Charentais as co-official, this is due to Milanese migration). Most Milanese people are bilingual at minimum and many state signs also appear in Charentais. Milan was the first state to use the term parish instead of county for its first-level divisions and the second state, after Verona, to call itself a commonwealth.

Some Milan urban environments have a multicultural, multilingual heritage, being so strongly influenced by a mixture of Burgoignac, Latin, Native Cartadanian, and Istroyan cultures that they are considered to be exceptional even in Cartadania. Before the Cartadanian control of the territory in 1711, areas of the current Commonwealth of Milan had been part of both a Burgoignac colony and for a brief period, a Caphirian one. In 1829, Cartadanian was for a time made the sole language of instruction in Milan schools before a policy of multilingualism was revived in 1904. There has never been an official language in Milan, and the state constitution enumerates "the right of the people to preserve, foster, and promote their respective historic, linguistic, and cultural origins," whether Cartadanian, Charentais, or otherwise.

History
Milan's history is quite unique in that, unlike the other states of Cartadania, its basis for exist, whether cultural or otherwise, is rooted in its origin as an early port for the Burgoignac in their maritime travels. Though not intended to continue as an entity of its own, the arrival of the southeast Levantines sparked the creation of a creole cultural (hence the nickname "Creole Commonwealth") region unlike anywhere else in Cartadania. Although Cartadania's complete control of the area did not occur until the early 1710s, Alahuela maintained a hands off approach to much of the northern portion of the commonwealth, where the Charentais culture began developing.

The name Charentais is from the region of Urlazio where this culture developed; the Charente. The area extends outside of Milan into the states of Aleira and Cambria, south into Acara and easterly slightly into Triessa, although Triessa and San Andreas are typically not included due to their more Latin-dominated cultures. Despite this, Milan has continuously been referred to as the birthplace of the culture. According to historians, the specific dialect arose around the early to mid-18th century from Milan's northern coast and spread southeasterly toward the Aurillac River. Although it is considered a dialect of Burgoignesc, due to it's standard Latin, Cartadanian, and native influences, it can be difficult for Levantine speakers to understand Charentais.

Though a Caphirian colony and eventual province for a short period, actual Caphirian influence in the region was minimal and the Latin influences seen in other states did not quite permeate Milan as heavily. Nonetheless, Venceia's impact on Milan can still be seen, mostly in the area of cuisine, where Milan's creole cuisine has a lot of pasta-based dishes more akin to border states (i.e., Triessa and San Andreas) and Hispania region.

Among many of the other notable features of Urlazio that Milan lacks is the cultural remnants of Istroyan civilization. Although there is evidence of their presence in Milan, the Istroyan structures known as "arxi" are not as abundant in Milan. Some historians believe that this may be due to lack of desire by the Istroyans to expand so far westerly, especially across the Aurillac River, in having to deal with other cultures and people groups, while others believe the structures may have been destroyed or dismantled by Latinic and Cartic peoples.

Climate
Milan has a (: Aw) according to Köppen climate classification; it is hot all-year-round, with high levels of relative humidity. The average temperature is 28.4 °C (85 °F) and daytime temperature usually remains around this point. Nevertheless, from late November to early April, trade winds more or less cool it to a more comfortable temperature during daylight. During the evening and through the night, temperature can change due to the winds it receives. Rainy seasons are from April to June and from August to November. This has been known to cause flooding in the state, especially areas of the very large Aurillac and Millau drainage basins in the Est region. The states Burgoignac heritage, peninsular geography, and somewhat marshy terrain has made many Milanese people accustomed to maritime travel.

Regions
The Commonwealth is divided into three regions–the "Promontoire", the "Est", and the "Faible". These regions hold more cultural significance than legal as they are not official administrative divisions of the state. Nonetheless, it is not uncommon for state agencies to endorse these regions in official capacities, for example, with the Milan Tourism Board frequently using these regions for promotion purposes.

In the most basic of terms, the Promontoire is the most recognizable region of the commonwealth. It is where the largest portion of its population resides, with all of the top ten most populous parishes being located here. It was formed by merger of the former "Charente" region and earlier Promontoire region into what it is today. Most of the state's top corporations are headquartered here–primarily Essonne, Marée, and Rhône Parishes–and it is what most people think of when speaking of Milan. It is anchored by Auvergne, Milan's capital, and Aumiers, the second largest city in Milan, which is located on the Millau delta along the Marée Channel.

The Est region is east of the Promontoire (hence the name, which means "east" in English) and is a mostly suburban in character. It is commonly referred to as Bayou country because the Est is very flat, similar to the Promontoire, but due to lack of large scale urbanization in the area, retains much of its original marshy character. This is partly due to the extremely large basins of the Aurillac and Millau rivers which saturate the state's flat land. Because the eastern part of the state is more forested than the west, it creates some very unique environments, especially for the tropics.

The Faible region is south of the Est and is the where the state's only mountains are located, including the highest point in Milan–Mont Pierre, in Trinitè Parish. It is referred to by many from the other regions as the forgotten region and many Milanese from other parts of the state, especially those from Auvergne and Aumiers, will comically feign being oblivious to what the Faible is. It's name, which means "low" in English, although incorrectly contextualized, has a few meanings. Primarily, those are that the region is in the state's lower portion. It also refers to the region being more on the rural side, respective to the rest of Milan. Nonetheless, because of it's more laid back attitude and low density, many of Milan's large scale manufacturers are located here (e.g., Hèrmes Automobili, Bellegarde's dry goods annex, and Nexus). This is further supported by the South Milan Terminals, which allow these companies to distribute their goods by means other than air, rail, or truck.

Flora and fauna
The state is characterized by low swamplands, bayous, creeks, woodlands, and coastal marshlands and beaches. The tropical climate has made Milan a very comfortable home for many species of plants and animals. In fact, Milan is the third-most megadiverse state in the country (following Verona and Viterna thanks to their large rainforests) with 150 amphibian species, 120 reptile species, 631 bird species, and 161 mammal species, as well as nearly 750 species of tree and other vegetation.

Population
The Cartadania Office of the Census found that the reported population of Milan was 19,386,711 at the 2020 Census, which was finalized on 31 December 2020, making it the fifth-most populous state in Cartadania. The population density of the state is 209.9 people per square kilometer (534.6 per square mile), making Milan the fourth-most densely populated state.

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


 * Pardo 39.2
 * Burgoignac/Charentais 38.7%
 * White (Latinate/northern Levantine descent) 15.2
 * Cronan 0.6%
 * Punthite 0.4%
 * Native 5.9%

As it's heritage and identity would indicate, there are strong Burgoignac ancestry lines amongst Milanese people, especially those from the northern coastal Promontoire region. Like most of Cartadania, the Pardo group holds the majority of the population, but only leads Burgoignac/Charentais descent by about 0.5%, which is well within a potential margin of error.

Local government
The Commonwealth is divided into 66 parishes across the three regions. Some parishes have been named for prominent figures in both Cartadanian and Milanais history, and many bear names relevant to their geography or features. Parishes in Milan have their own elected legislative branch, usually called the Board of Commissioners, which usually also has executive authority in the parish. Milan's constitution provides all parishes and cities with "" authority. The parish commissions have considerable power to pass legislation within their parish, similar to how cities would.

Milan recognizes all local units of government as cities, so all incorporated towns are legally cities by virtue of commonwealth law. While Milan does not provide for townships or independent cities like Acara, Aleira, or Triessa, it does allow governments by way of local referendum, though none currently exist.

State government
As with all other Cartadanian states and the federal government, Milan's government is based on the separation of legislative, executive, and judicial power. Executive authority in the state rests with the. Both the Governor of Milan and lieutenant governor are elected on separate ballots to four-year terms of office, limited to two terms. Most of the executive officials that comprise the governor's cabinent are elected by the citizens of Milan rather than being appointed by the governor. Milan was the first state in Cartadania to elect a female governor in only its third election after joining the union, that of 1718.

Legislative authority resides in the Milan General Assembly, composed of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. The Lieutenant Governor presides over the commonwealth's senate, while members of the Chamber of Deputies select their own speaker. The Milan Constitution sets the number of senators at 50, each of whom are elected from single-member districts. It also mandates a minimum of 150 representatives, apportioned among the representative districts. The state currently sits at the legally defined number of 50 senators and 150 representatives, each of whom serve two year terms with no limit. The states laws are codified as the Milan Statutes. Milan's law mirrors heavily off of Verona's law (although the laws of the states does tend to vary quite a bit with Milan having more Levantine influence early on), and the common set of laws and regulations between Milan, Lombardia, Porta Bianca, and Verona is commonly known as "Commonwealth Law".

Milan's judges and justices who make up the commonwealth's judicial system are elected by a majority vote in both the Chamber and Senate without input from the governor, one of the ways Milan's legislature has more power than its executive. Judicial authority rests with the Supreme Court of Milan and Court of Appeals of Milan. In addition, there are smaller courts which have more limited geographical jurisdiction, including Circuit Courts, the trial courts of general jurisdiction, and the lower Superior Courts, which house Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts and General District Courts. The Supreme Court has seven justices who serve twelve-year terms, with a mandatory retirement age of 75. The supreme court selects its own Cheif Justice from among their seven justices, who is limited to no more than a twelve-year term as Chief.