Ambaqwe

Ambaqwe
City, provincial and regional capital
Flag
Nickname(s):  The A, Forest City, Airport City, Amba
Country	Tierrador
Region	Auqali
Qoyalet	Topakee
Parish	Hartwell, Rosslyn, Fort
Founded	877
Incorporated	1864
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Body	Ambaqwe City Council
• Mayor	Netéla Ala'usataha (PpT)
Area
• Total	199.3 km2 (77.0 sq mi)
• Land	195.1 km2 (75.3 sq mi)
• Water	4.2 km2 (1.6 sq mi)
Population  (2033)
• Total	6,135,727
• Density	31,000/km2 (80,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC–09:00 (Wečas Mainland)
SPT codes	40101–40199, 40231–40287
Area codes	404/937/775/445/336

Ambaqwe is the capital and most populous city of the Tierradorian commonwealth of Auqali and the Qoyalet of Topakee. It is the seat of Hartwell Parish, along with many portions of the city extending into neighboring Rosslyn and Fort Parishes. With a population of 6.1 million living within the metropolitan area of the city, Ambaqwe is the fourth most populous city in the Tierradorian Woqalate as of the 2030 census. Ambaqwe is situated among the foothills of the Wečas Mountains at an elevation of just over 300 meters above sea level. The city features unique topography that includes rolling hills, lush greenery, and the densest urban tree coverage of any major city in Tierrador.

Ambaqwe was originally founded in 877 AD by Qabóri settlers looking to open a small trade hub in the southern qoyalets of the Woqalate. For most of its history, Ambaqwe primarily served as a small agricultural hub, though only being known within the region where it was located. During the Orixtal Crusade, the city served a strategically important role for the Woqalate until it was captured by Varshani Warriors in 1654. The city was entirely burned to the ground due to scattered Varshani raids in the Sieges of Ambaqwe. Even after Qabór managed to quickly take the city back, they determined that the damage had already been done, and abandoned the city until 1844, when Hectór Cruz, at the time the Governor of the Auqali & Sonaxa, refounded the city as a terminus for major rail transportation routes throughout Auqali. This, along with the discovery of vast pockets of copper and iron ore throughout the surrounding areas, spurred rapid growth. Twenty years later, in 1864, Ambaqwe was officially incorporated as the City of Ambaqwe.

Ambaqwe quickly became a hub for mineral extraction and early manufacturing in the 19th century, thanks to the city's location at the foothills of the Wečas Mountains. It became a hotbed for many different valuable minerals, with the Auqali Mining Company (now Auqali Lithium) quickly becoming the largest mineral extraction company in the world. As the country modernized in the 20th century, Ambaqwe followed suit, expanding its economy and attracting media, entertainment, and tourism service providers to the city. In the modern era, Ambaqwe has still remained an inland hub for transportation, with the Ambaqwe International Airport being Crona's fourth-busiest airport by passenger traffic, with an estimated 88 million passengers per year as of 2032. The Willow National Station serves 309 million passengers per year, and is the 10th-busiest rail station in the world, and is a major hub for both TerraRail travel and AMTA transit.

Ambaqwe has one of the largest economies amongst cities in Tierrador. Its top sectors include transportation, logistics, mineral extraction, energy, and media operations. Ambaqwe rose to global prominence in 2002, when it hosted the 2002 Summer Istroyan Games. The Games sparked economic and development growth for the city, which was doubled when Ambaqwe was announced as a host city for the 2004 WIHF World Cup of Hockey. Many notable landmarks in Ambaqwe include Songun Credit Stadium, Četcan, the Ambaqwe Teklan, the World of TerraCola, Auqali Aquarium, the University of Ambaqwe, and the Auqali Capitol. Important cultural and sporting events held in Ambaqwe include the Auqali Imperial Fair, in which the STC Championship Game and the Auqali Imperial Racing Championship occur across the Četcan, and is a rotating host of the Wečas Classic outdoor SCHL games.

Culture

Sports

Sports are an integral role to Ambaqwe's culture. The city is home to various major professional sports clubs, the most notable being S.D. Ambaqwe of the Premiership, U.D. Houtaís of the NFL Championship, the Auqali Shockers of the OHL, and various intercollegiate sports teams, including the Ambaqwe Scorpions of the Songun Coast Conference and the Auqali State Cougars of the Equatorial Athletic Conference. The city has also hosted various international and national sporting events, including the Tierrador Cup, the UCFA Cronan Championship, the UCFA League of Champions, the CFP National Championship Game, and the Mango Bowl Game.

S.D. Ambaqwe was established in 1892, and was the first professional sports club in Ambaqwe, and until 1986, was the only. Overall, the club has won 5 UCFA Championships, 12 Premierships, 8 Tierrador Cups, and 18 Auqali Premierships, making the club one of the most successful in Tierrador. The team has played its home matches at Songun Credit Stadium since the stadium's opening in 2017, having moved from the Auqali Dome, which operated from 1996 to 2016. Ambaqwe is also home to various clubs throughout the Tierrador/Auqali football league pyramid.

The Auqali Shockers are the city's professional ice hockey team, and have played in the OHL since its establishment in 1986. The team currently plays at the Farmers' Union Arena, located across the street from Songun Credit Stadium. Since its establishment, the Auqali Shockers have won 10 division titles, 8 conference titles, and 4 Watson Cups, in 2011, 2024, 2025, and 2028. Ambaqwe is also home to two SCHL minor league teams, the Hartwell Rockets and Ambaqwe Wranglers, whom both play in the SEPHL.

Both the Ambaqwe Scorpions and Auqali State Cougars represent the city in all sports in OIAA Division I-A. Ambaqwe has won a combined 20 SCC titles and 6 national titles in all five major sports (football, ice hockey, soccer, basketball, and baseball), while Auqali State has won 6 EAC titles and has appeared in two national championship games; the 2011 BCS National Championship Game for football and the 2006 OIAA Ice Hockey National Championship for ice hockey, losing both in very close games.