São Ricardo: Difference between revisions

'''São Ricardo''', officially the '''State of São Ricardo''' ({{lang-cd|Estado de São Ricardo}}), is an insular state of [[Cartadania]]. It is the northernmost island group in the [[Urlazio Sea]], occupying an archipelago in the confluence of the Odoneru Ocean and the Urlazio Sea, and is one of two states to be composed completely of islands, the other being [[Porta Bianca]]. São Ricardo is the 25th-largest at {{convert|61945.1|km2|sqmi}}, and the 16th-most populous with 8.15 million residents, as well as the 8th-most densely populated of the thirty-one states, with {{convert|131.5|PD/km2|PD/sqmi}}. The state's coastline is about {{convert|2900|km|mi}} long, one of the longest in Cartadania. Its capital and largest city is [[Lua, São Ricardo|Lua]] on the island of São Ricardo.

The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Fortuna archipelago, a remnant of ancient times when the island chain was often referred to as "the Fortunate Isles", which comprises five large islands and numerous smaller ones spread over {{convert|65000|km2|sqmi}} of land and sea. At the northern end of the archipelago, the five main islands are—in order counterclockwise from northeast to southeast: Rey, Maceres, Gravarre, the island of São Ricardo, and Graciosa. The island of São Ricardo is the largest island in the group; it is often called the "Big Island" or "Fortuna Island" to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago. The archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Luson region of Sarpedon despite being halfway between it and the Charente region.

São Ricardo's diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public beaches, oceanic surroundings, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists from around the world. São Ricardo has over 8 million permanent residents, along with many visitors and military personnel from both halves of the country.