Medimeria
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Rectory of Medimeria | |
|---|---|
Overseas territory of Urcea | |
 Flag | |
 Madix, Cathedral City of Medimeria | |
| Transferred from Burgundie | 2014 |
| Cathedral City | Madix |
| Government | |
| • Rector | Lucretio Mac-Airt |
| Area | |
| • Total | 148 sq mi (380 km2) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 55,591 |
| • Density | 380/sq mi (150/km2) |
The Rectory of Medimeria is an overseas possession of Urcea in the Levantine Ocean.
The island, which was likely unknown to Audonians at the time of its discovery and colonization, was the site of Protestant refugee settlement in the wake of the Great Confessional War in Levantia. The island served as a primarily self-governing Pharisedom and refuge with important but limited trade importance - primarily in whaling - until the rise of steam power, after which time Medimeria became an important coaling station. Its importance to Burgundie gradually declined after the First Great War. In the 21st century, the presence of phosphorite was detected on the island, giving the island a major natural resource export. It became strategically relevant to Urcea during the War of the Northern Confederation, beginning a period of Urcean investment and presence on the island. In 2014, it was ceded to Urcea in exchange for Antilles.
Previously, it was a colony of Burgundie and was represented as a member of the Burgoignesc Overseas Representative Assembly (BORA).
Etymology
Medimeria derives its name from the Burgoignesc words med (Eng. middle), mer (Eng. sea), and the Latin suffix ia (Eng. place). The meaning translates approximately to place in the middle of the sea in reference to its central and isolated location in the Levantine Ocean.
Geography
Medimeria is a roughly oval shaped island oriented northwest to southeast in the northern part of the Levantine Ocean, and the island approximately forms the boundary between the Ocean proper and the Sea of Capelan. Its ovular shape is disrupted by the prominent Monro peninsula on the northernmost part of the island, and its position forms the upper part of Saint Marie Harbor, the crescent-shaped indentation which defines the east coast of the island. The island has some topography, with the Monro peninsula having a hillier and more elevated area which looks down on the rest of the island. Medimeria is located roughly halfway between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic circle; climatologically, the island has a relatively pleasant Oceanic climate. Temperatures range from about 43 degrees fahrenheit in January to 81 degrees in July, providing a stable environment for human habitation.
| Climate data for Medimeria | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 12.1
(53.8) |
12.6
(54.7) |
14.3
(57.7) |
16.5
(61.7) |
19.7
(67.5) |
23.4
(74.1) |
27
(81) |
27.3
(81.1) |
24.3
(75.7) |
20.2
(68.4) |
15.6
(60.1) |
13
(55) |
18.8
(65.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 9.3
(48.7) |
9.6
(49.3) |
11
(52) |
13.2
(55.8) |
16.3
(61.3) |
20
(68) |
23.3
(73.9) |
23.4
(74.1) |
20.8
(69.4) |
17.1
(62.8) |
12.8
(55) |
10.3
(50.5) |
15.6
(60.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 6.5
(43.7) |
6.6
(43.9) |
7.8
(46) |
9.8
(49.6) |
13
(55) |
16.5
(61.7) |
19.5
(67.1) |
17.3
(63.1) |
14.1
(57.4) |
9.9
(49.8) |
7.5
(45.5) |
6
(43) |
12.3
(54.1) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 82.4
(3.244) |
82.8
(3.26) |
64.7
(2.547) |
53.2
(2.094) |
40.1
(1.579) |
25.7
(1.012) |
15.5
(0.61) |
27.8
(1.094) |
57.0
(2.244) |
104.9
(4.13) |
85.7
(3.374) |
72.2
(2.843) |
711.8
(28.024) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 147.8 | 148.9 | 203.2 | 252.1 | 234.9 | 280.6 | 310.3 | 355.5 | 319.5 | 247.0 | 201.5 | 145.5 | 2,748.1 |
Significant parts of Medimeria are urbanized. Prior to human settlement of the island in the 16th century, most of the island was covered by a deciduous forest, but most of the forests were cleared for agricultural purposes by the middle of the 18th century. Madix, established on the island's east coast, is the largest city on the island and it covers approximately ten percent of the island's total landmass. The second largest city, Saint Marie, is also located on the east coast at the more shallow part of the harbor. The cities are sometimes referred to as villes jumelles - the Twin Cities.
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Climate map -
Topographical map
History
Prior to the arrival of Levantine settlers, Medimeria was primarily unoccupied. Significant scholarly debate has occurred since the early 20th-century about previous human settlement on the island. Due to its significant distance from the Audonian mainland and unfavorable winds to reach the island, many natural scientists are convinced that the Levantines were first to step foot on the island when they did so in 1574. The archaeological evidence is unclear; the presence of pre-discovery Audonian trade goods buried beneath the surface have been proposed, but not proven, to have been imported by the colonial settlers in the 16th century. Additionally, the historical record of Oyashima reports small islands being used occasionally by fishermen to the north and to the west, but a small consensus of historians suggest this account refers to islands immediately to Oyashima's north and west, within around 100 miles, rather than to the small islands far north of Audonia. A plurality of scholars thus believe that the Levantines were first to discover the island, but debate and uncertainty continue.
Initial settlement
The impetus to settle the island came in the aftermath of the Great Confessional War and subsequent Dragonnades in Levantia. During these events, Protestants - both Derian and Ænglish - opted to try and flee the Holy Levantine Empire rather than submit to the Catholic faith, and many others still were not given the choice and simply deported from their homeland. Accordingly, many of these refugees found their way to the Duchy of Bourgondi. A privately-funded refugee society known as the Middle Seas Refuge Company (Burg: Compagnie de refuges en mer moyenne) was established in 1576 for the purposes of settling the Protestant refugees abroad. The Middle Seas Refuge Company purchased the right to the recently discovered island of Medimeria from the Emperor of the Levantines that year and began the process of organizing the refugees. Prior to their departure from Levantia, twelve patroonships were created and sold to twelve refugee noble families. Beyond their number - roughly 30-40 - the initial settlement of Medimeria would include 150-200 or so free persons intended to serve as tenant farmers on the island. The small Company flotilla departed in late 1577 and arrived in 1578, having lost ten persons on the journey. Upon their arrival, the colonists settled Madix. As envisioned by the Company, the twelve patroons established themselves as the governing and economic authority on the island almost immediately, establishing a twelve-person governing Patroon Council (Conseil Patronal) and beginning the work of surveying land to be divided among them. Medimeria became one of the first deliberately established Pharisedoms along with places like Torlen and Alstin.
Unlike many other Occidental colonies of the time, the settlers on Medimeria were greeted by a favorable and mild climate and few diseases, enabling most of the first settlers to survive the first winter. In March 1579, the Patroon Council enacted and the Middle Seas Refuge Company approved the Manor Writ, which formally divided the the island into the twelve patroonships envisioned before settlement. The island was separated largely radially from the center of the island though borders largely were based on natural features. Madix was excluded from the patroonships and instead put under the direct control of the company-appointed governor. The success of the island to date induced significant influx of new Protestant refugees and additional funding and support for the Refuge Company. Between 1579 and 1590, almost 3,000 Protestants were transferred to the island. This influx created a large pool of labor on the island, though many new refugees signed agreements to transition from free laborers to tenant farmers and a small number remained in Madix. In 1585, Company leaders ordered their governors to begin searching for a profitable export as private patronage in Levantia started to dry up due to fading interest in Protestant relocation and a greatly reduced Protestant population by the end of the 1580s. Very few cash crops, at least ones suitable for transport to Levantia, could be grown in the sprawling patroon plantations, who instead grew either food or relatively less valuable cash crops to be sold on the Audonian mainland. Accordingly, whaling soon became the focus of many of the people living in and around Madix. The position of Medimeria allowed for it to become a long-distance base for arctic whaling, giving it a significant advantage over other Levantine possessions. The island's newfound focus on whaling brought in the last major surge of Protestants, this time skilled fishermen and whalers rather than refugees, between 1590 and 1600. By 1605, the island was self-sustaining and profitable in the production and trade of whale oil. The relative profitability of the territory allowed it to remain self-governing as the small, but sustainable, profits allowed the Refuge Company to remain in operation as a business enterprise rather than charitable endeavor.
By 1610, the previously ad hoc Conseil Patronal had taken on a permanent standing basis representing the interests of each of the 12 patroons as a kind of legislative body in conjunction with the executive authority of the company-appointed governor. The 1610s and 20s saw the first great wave of church-building and emergence of local society on the island. Historians have observed that, prior to this, most Medimerians viewed their stay here as temporary until the divinely-appointed restoration of Protestantism in Levantia or, alternatively, the apocalypse. However, as memories of life in Levantia faded, new children were born on the island, and some wealth and comforts became available, a new mindset set in among the Medimerian people during this period. They embraced their new lives and understood its permanence, inaugurating a period of significant interest in building and infrastructure. The large Church of the Divine Redeemer (Église du Divin Rédempteur) was built between 1614 and 1650 just outside Madix, standing today as the most visual symbol of Medimerian Protestant faith. Several schools were built, and the court of the governor became a minor hub of Protestant artists and musicians fleeing persecution abroad.
The progress of the island precipitated the growth of free laborers in the city of Madix as many Medimerians began to end their tenancy contracts or even abscond from them, causing a shortage of farm labor. The ever-expanding whaling industry also began to have additional labor needs by the 1630s. The stream of Protestants from Levantia was reduced to a trickle by this period, more than a half-century after the end of the Confessional War, and most new arrivals were nobles or prominent burghers imprisoned by the Imperial Inquisition and deported to Medimeria. In 1634, facing continued labor shortages, the Refuge Company approved the importing of Audonian laborers. Attempts were made to launch slave raiding parties into modern day Soirwind and Zaclaria, but these were easily repulsed by local authorities and perpetrators executed by local authorities. Instead, two different solutions were implemented. First, Audonian peasants and poor Audonian city-dwellers were offered relatively decent terms to live and work on patroonships as tenant farmers for a twenty year period of indentured servitude. Second, the Refuge Company began to offer to buy the rights to petty criminals imprisoned by various Audonian realms, who would then serve thirty year periods of indentured servitude. The result of both of these programs were mostly the same; the majority of those voluntarily becoming indentured servants were often absconding from the law or some other obligation, transforming Medimeria's patroonships into de facto penal colonies. These Audonians and their descendants formed the ethnic group now known as the "Ebidi", a Burgoignesc language corruption of the Audonian term abeed, meaning servant. By the end of the 17th century, the original group of the Ebidi had descendants numbering multiple generations. The Ebidi, primarily now tenant farmers rather than indentured servants, faced de facto segregation by the island's Levantine-descended Protestant majority; accordingly, they largely kept to themselves, building small villages within the Patroonships and practicing a number of different religions and indigenous Audonian practices.
Medimeria grew in importance with the beginning of Canespa-Burgoignesc relations in the early 1700s. The island's location roughly halfway between Cusinaut and eastern Levantia made it a critical transshipment port in Deric global trade routes. The trade route had the effect of greatly expanding the importance of Madix as a port city with some minor cascading effects for the rest of the island. The need for additional labor in Madix tended to attract Levantine-origin free laborers or indentured servants at the end of their term, leaving the Patroonships to rely more on Ebidi labor.
Reform period
In 1713, the Middle Seas Refuge Company was nationalized by the Duchy of Bourgondi in light of its growing trade importance with Crona. The Duke issued an edict of toleration and Patent of Governance, which recognized and retained the traditional rights and privileges of the Patroons and codified the existing Patroon Council into law. The 1713 acts also entrenched Protestantism as official, rather than predominant, religion on the island, and guaranteed certain rights only to Protestants. This had the practical effect of beginning the conversion of the Ebidi; the guarantee of rights to Protestants began a process by which Protestant rights would be exploited by the most forward thinking and best educated Ebidi, beginning the slow process of ethnic integration.
By 1750, Medimeria's status as a Pharisedom haven for Protestants had largely faded. The idea of Medimeria as a beacon of religious liberty for Protestants remained and remains important culturally, but it had been more than a century since the last arrival of Levantine Protestant deportees. Additionally, its status as a colony of the Duchy of Bourgondi rather than a self-governing company island reduced its relative uniqueness compared to other Burgoignesc-speaking territories. Despite these changes, the Patroons still retained a dominating position on the island both politically and economically. This led to a generally bitter relationship between the free burghers of Madix and the Patroons, as well as a generally negative relationship between the tenants and indentured servants living on Patroonships with their manorial masters. Several petitions asking for a reduction in Patroon power were sent to Bourgondi beginning in 1754 that were left unanswered.
The period between 1760 and 1820 in Medimeria was mostly characterized by civil discord. The Patroon class still held political, social, and economic dominance on the island, but the Patroons and an aristocracy formed of descendants of the first Patroons were far outnumbered by both free les Refuges tenants, burghers, and the Ebidi. The growing rights of the now mostly-Protestant Ebidi sparked ethnic tensions on the island largely between themselves and the les Refuges tenant farmers, and these rifts for a time were managed by the Patroons who exacerbated tensions on both sides and provided funding and even arms to the most radical agitators in both groups. In 1777, the Port Marie massacre saw 14 Ebidi churchgoers killed by a les Refuges militia, leading to a series of retaliatory skirmishes in the countryside. A race war appeared imminent, requiring the deployment of troops by the Duchy of Bourgundi to restore peace on the island. The machinations of the Patroons, however, would soon quickly backfire; the Madix Journal published several leaked letters between members of the Conseil Patronal commenting on the success of recent efforts to foment resentment. The news quickly spread among the literate Ebidi and les Refuges tenant farmer alike, sparking full blown insurrection and riots on the Patroonships beginning in 1782. The Ducal armies were called upon to halt the rebellion, but avoided direct conflict. The members of the Conseil Patronal issued a formal complaint to the Duchy in 1784 regarding the lack of urgency as their estates reached a level of zero productivity, though the residents of the island began to grow in appreciation for the restraint of Ducal troops. An organized insurrectionary army in 1785 was formed and rallied around the slogan "Le duc et son île" (The Duke and His Island), signifying a desire to replace Patroonal rule with direct rule from Bourgundi. A series of major skirmishes, known as the Guerre des loyers (Rent War) was fought between the insurrectionists and aristocratic militias as well as estate police forces. In 1787 the war came to an end with a declaration of martial law on the island.
During the three year period beginning in 1787, the Ducal government issued major reforms. Most tenant farmers, both Ebidi and les Refuges, had their leasehold farmsteads transformed into freeholds, parceling out the major Patroonships to the small farmers. The Patroons were left with their manor houses and enough land to generate enough revenue equivalent to their 1780 expenses, and in most cases this left most of the Patroonships profitable due to their drastically decreased scale. Three members from Madix and one member from the city of Saint Marie were added to the Conseil Patronal on the basis of urban elections. One member was added who served as a direct appointment of the Duke of Bourgundi, bringing the Conseil up to its modern membership of 17. With order restored, martial law was ended in 1790. Significant resentment on the part of the Patroon class existed towards their fellow islanders, resulting in major class discrimination and a further segregation of the Patroon class from the rest of the island's residents; inversely, the 1787 settlement decreased hostility between the lower orders of both ethnicities and laid the groundwork for integration and a post-manorial economy.
The 1787 settlement remained largely in place for a generation. In the 1810s, however, many of the now greatly reduced Patroonships began to struggle financially. The lack of readily available labor compounded the issue of smaller manors, and in 1830 five of the twelve Patroons were functionally bankrupt. They petitioned for a financial bailout, citing their historic importance and longstanding leadership role on the island; instead, the government of the Duchy of Bourgundi offered to buy their Patroon titles outright. The families were allowed to keep their manor house and directly adjoining lands, but all future political and legal roles were forfeit. All five Patroons begrudgingly accepted, and one Patroon - Loís Vert of Vertdom - was so offended by the offer he sold his manor house too; Vertdom House is today one of the major heritage tourist sites on the island and is home to the Patroon Museum, which details the history of the system and demonstrates an immersive, working example of a Patroonal manor. The five Patroonal seats on the Conseil were replaced first by appointees of the other 12 members before becoming filled by individuals elected in island-wide elections every three years. Between 1830 and 1860, the remaining seven hereditary Patroons sold their offices to the state, and in 1860 the final hereditary Patroon sold his office, formally ending the three-centuries old system on the island. In 1863, the Conseil was reformed; all seventeen of the so-called "elective Patroons" would be elected in island-wide elections, replacing the mixed system of at-large representatives, urban representatives, and an appointed representative from Burgundie.
This period also saw the transition of ownership of the island from the Duchy of Bourgundi to the new state of Burgundie. Upon its formation, all traditional rights and agreements were ratified as were the other Burgoignesc foreign territories, and accordingly the transition to Burgoignesc statehood did not meaningfully affect the island.
Peak and decline of Burgoignesc interest
The advent of the steam engine revolutionized the Medimerian economy and made the island relevant in a military and global trade context. The island's transshipment role was greatly enhanced in the early 19th century when need for coaling stations became apparent. Coal shipments to and from the island became common as of 1840, making Medimeria an absolutely essential stopping-off point for all ships heading east from Levantia. This period saw the major growth of port infrastructure facilities in Port Marie, which had been a fishing town previously. The wide availability of developable land meant that Port Marie soon eclipsed Madix as the primary port town on the island. The new relevance of the island and its new strategic importance led to the major militarization of Medimeria beginning in 1855 by the new Burgoignesc state, Burgundie. The Port Marie naval base was constructed in the 1850s and persists today as a major military installation. During the First Great War, Medimeria served as the primary hub allowing Burgoignesc control over the Sea of Capelan against Kiravian naval assets.
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Medimeria reached its peak relevance in the 1890s and early 1900s. The advent of diesel-powered warships and increased naval range - combined with the Burgoignesc thalattocracy having a much larger range - meant much of the Navy of Burgundie preferred to dock and refuel at ports on the Audonian mainland. Naval activity on the island slowed in the 1920s. The Second Great War saw a briefly renewed interest in the island, as it was a strategically valuable staging area for allied forces to resupply or attack parts of Audonia as needed, especially given its far distance from Daxian naval power.
Following the Second Great War, the importance of Medimeria began to fade as the Jet Age largely made it redundant as a strategic military base. Ships also began to have increased efficiency in their internal combustion engines and they eventually were able to bypass Medimeria all together on their journeys with the Prevailing Winds from Crona and eastern Audonia. By the end of Operation Kipling, in which it played only an ancillary reserve force staging area role for elements of the Urcean XII Corps, military and shipping technology had progressed to the point that Medimeria's position, alone, in the middle of a pacified sea, made it more of a burden than a boon. With the rapid increase of consumerism, that accompanied the rise of living standards, Medimeria's self-sufficiency waned, and it eventually became a massive importer of foreign goods, running a large trade deficit. The increased demand for electricity, telecommunications, and eventually internet, placed more and more financial burden on the government to develop and maintain the infrastructure, without any compelling exports or strategic significance.
In 2002, one of the world's largest undiscovered deposits of phosphorite was discovered in Medimeria. Phosphorite is a primary industrial ingredient in the manufacturing of fertilizer. Interest in Medimeria and its economy was transformed overnight, as large investments in mine construction began later in 2002.
Despite the new economic sector, the island remained largely irrelevant to Burgoignesc overall interests, and the self-governing and culturally distinctive style of the island gradually returned as Burgoignesc military interest receded. With the beginning of the War of the Northern Confederation, the island was suddenly thrust into military relevancy again, but now for the Urcean military. Reinforcements and materiel from Urcea headed towards New Harren were often queued in Medimeria and, in many cases, Medimeria served as a gathering point for goods procured from Audonia to be shipped to New Harren. In 2009, Urcea and Burgundie signed a 99-year agreement which allowed full use of all military facilities on the island for the duration of the lease. This agreement laid the groundwork for increased Urcean presence on the island, and as more Urcean military and civilian personnel were on the island, Urcean investment in the island's mining sector also grew.
Cession to Urcea
In the 21st century, the increased presence of the Urceans led to a gradual abandonment of the island by the military. The arrival of the Urceans also greatly increased both the tourism and mining sectors on the island. In 2014, Urcea acquired the island in exchange for Antilles as part of a mutual strategic interest realignment on Urcea and Burgundie's parts, and in that year the island was organized as a Rectory of Urcea with specific autonomous rights added to the law governing Urcea's overseas territories specifically to accomodate Medimeria's culture of self-governance. Urcean influence did slightly change the governance of the island, however, with the new Rector taking on the role similar to a president in a parliamentary republic and political parties being organized on the island for the first time.
Urcea's ownership of the island led to a renewal of military and fueling efforts on the island given its position nearly halfway between Levantia and New Harren. The military facilities at Port Marie were significantly renovated between 2016 and 2019, adding increased base capacity for both ships and personnel. The island's small international airport was expanded significantly for increased civilian and military air traffic. Significant investments were also made into the island's emergent phosphate mining sector, and as of 2030 Medimeria's phosphate mines produce a large amount of the raw phosphate material used in fertilizers in Nysdra Sea Treaty Association countries in addition to significant exports to Levantia as well.
Government
Medimeria is a Urcean civil rectory governed in accord with the provisions of the Rectory and Overseas Territory Law. Accordingly, it is governed by a Rector appointed by the Apostolic King of Urcea by the non-binding advice of the Government of Urcea. It incorporates many of the pre-Urcean institutions of government, however, as provided by exceptions under the Rectory and Overseas Territory Law. It has among the weakest Rectors among all Urcean territories, with the rectory's legislature - the Patroon Council (Conseil Patronal) - functioning as the primary governing body of the island, in effect making Medimeria a parliamentary democracy. The Rector is largely responsible for serving as liaison between the Council and the Government of Urcea, and the Rector's direct authority is limited to control of island militias as well as limited civil authority over Urcean military forces on the island. Nominally, the Rector is responsible for signing Council proposals into law and inviting political leaders within the Council to form a government, but these are largely ceremonial responsibilities. It has been observed that Medimeria is the most autonomous and self-governing of Urcea's foreign dependencies and territories, including even the nominally sovereign states of New Harren and Talionia.
Much of the island's governing tradition is established by precedent, and the island has no formal agreement or charter of local government. The Patroon Council and the traditions around it date back to the earliest settlement of Medimeria, predating the unification of Burgundie or even its incorporation as a colony of the Duchy of Bourgondi. Accordingly, much of the governance of the island pre-dates the typical form and function of a Burgoignesc overseas territory.
In 2030, the Conseil Patronal consisted of seventeen members, elected from election districts ("patronships") apportioned on the island on an equal population basis. The election districts descend from the original land tenure system of the island, patroonships, but have no continuity of those manorial systems beyond the inherited name. The Conseil is led by the Premier, who forms an administrative government with ministers for post public administrative areas. The Rector confirms the Premier and nominally appoints the various ministers on the binding advice of the Premier. Ministers are generally not members of the Conseil but serve at the pleasure of that body.
There have been two noteworthy innovations to the Conseil following Medimeria's transfer to Urcea. First, terms were lengthened from three years to five years to match the election cycle throughout Urcea's other possessions and Urcea itself. Secondly, and in stark contrast to Burgoignesc-based systems, the transferrence to Urcea introduced the use of political parties to Medimerian political life. Previously, non-partisan voting blocs and factions within the Conseil were enough to support and sustain a Premier, but the introduction of Urcean influence and election law made the formation of political parties a foregone conclusion. The two largest parties on the island are descended from the predominant two factions within the Conseil at the time of the transference. They are, in Ænglish, the Progressive Party, a center-left, internationalist, and largely secularist party, and the Shining City Movement, a conservative, primarily Protestant party. As of 2030, the Progressive Party possessed a majority government in the Conseil, holding 10 seats to the Movement's 7.
Economy
The economy of Medimeria is based on five primary sectors: the military (specifically, the Royal Navy), tourism, fishing, agriculture, and mining. The first two sectors contribute to a large secondary service industry in support of the naval base and tourism, including a well-developed retail sector, many hotels, restaurants, bars, and well-developed beaches. The Royal Navy maintains a very large presence on the island, serving as the host of the Capelan Squadron at Port Marie, which had, in 2034, 62 ships including 2 carrier task forces. Tourism to Medimeria is generally from Levantia and is less active than some other Urcean possessions, such as Huadao, and the main attractions on the island are its beaches. In addition to the tourism benefit of the sea, fishing and whaling were historically the two largest economic sectors for the island, producing at one time a large trade surplus and revenue. The ban on commercial whaling significantly hurt the island, though fishing - particularly crab fishing - is still a major industry that serves both domestic patrons as well as for export. Agriculture was once a large sector on the island as the island was divided into large patroonships, but the unsuitability of farming cash crops, historical problems with labor, and the need for subsistence farming made agriculture largely irrelevant compared to fishing by the 19th century.
Mining is, by far, the largest non-service sector related industry on the island. Mines on Medimeria mine phosphorite, an essential component in the manufacturing of fertilizer. Phosphate rock deposits are large enough in Medimeria that many experts predict the island will be able to be mined through at least 2100. Since the opening of phosphate mines on the island at the dawn of the 21st century, it has become the second largest industry on the island just behind the urban service economy. Most of the minable phosphate rock is beneath the island's surface, requiring underground mining, though some is also mined in shallow marine conditions just off shore. More than 7,000 Medimerians are engaged in mining-related economic activity, and in 2034 it comprised a full third of economic activity on the island. Phosphate rock is primarily exported to Urcea but significant portions are instead exported to mainland Audonia, and such transactions are subject to tariffs. Large amounts are also imported into New Harren to be processed for fertilizer in use across the Nysdra Sea region.
Demographics
In 2014, the population of Medimeria was 55,591.
The vast majority of Medimerians are some variety of Protestant. Denominationally, about a fifth of all Protestants belong to the non-denominational movement, while both the Mercantile Reform Protestantism and College of Levantine Churches both claim about 40% of Protestants. Catholicism was not present on the island in any significant way until about 1800, but remained a very small minority until about 2020; since then, it makes up about 8% of the population. A very small remaining portion of the population practice Islam, almost all of whom are Ebidi.
Medimerians consider themselves to be part of two ethnic groups. The first, called les Refuges, are predominantly Levantine-ethnic origin individuals who arrived to Medimeria as Protestant religious refugees. The second, called Ebidi, are descended from Audonian laborers brought to the island in the 17th century as indentured servants.
Almost all Medimerians, excepting Urcean people who arrived on the island during the 21st century and Urcean military personnel, speak the Burgoignesc language. Knowledge of other languages is limited, with only 38% of Medimerians having a working understanding of Julian Ænglish. It is the only Urcean overseas territory in which a majority of the population is not at least fluent in Julian Ænglish.
Culture
Medimeria has a four-century old culture that is aloof from both the Urcean culture that it now shares a polity with and the Burgoignesc culture it once originated from. Its independence, and its long tradition of self-governance, are some of the most readily identifiable traits of Medimerian culture. Medimerians strongly view their island as a place of refuge and take pride in their identity as a Pharisedom.
Ethnicity
Medimerians are divided among two ethnic groups; the predominant les Refuges who make up about 80% of the island and the Ebidi who make up about 20% of the island's population. In the 21st century, these groups are heavily integrated, with ethnic-based prejudice being both uncommon and illegal on the island. Small wealth disparities exist between the more prosperous les Refuges people, but significant strides were made in the 20th century to alleviate the differences. The degree of integration is such that Medimerian, rather than one's ethnicity, is the primary identity of island residents. It is considered impolite to comment on someone's ethnic background without them initially discussing it.
Ethnic relations were, for a long time, largely negative and colored by the origin of both ethnic groups. The les Refuges are descendants of the Levantine Protestant refugees who settled the island in the 16th and 17th centuries, predominantly coming to the island as free laborers, tenant farmers, or patroons. The Ebidi, meanwhile, were Audonian laborers (of various modern national descents) who were brought to the island on long terms of indentured servitude to work on large farm estates. The Ebidi, as they were never enslaved, had some legal standing from their arrival, but civil rights and true integration came after the process of Ebidi conversion began in the 1700s. The Ebidi were initially culturally segregated from the les Refuges, developing a distinctive culture that incorporated their own Audonian traditions with those held by the les Refuges. Conversion led to the gradual end of de facto cultural segregation, and Ebidi culture is best preserved in some vocabulary of Medimeria as well as in its cuisine, with cevapi being one of the best known local dishes from this tradition.
Religion
Protestantism is the predominant unifying feature of Medimerian cultural life and forms the bedrock on which Medimerian cultural history is founded.
Prior to the 19th century, Medimerians eschewed the idea of denominations in favor of individual church congregations. Pre-19th century Medimeria, accordingly, was home to a wide variety of religious views. The lack of Protestant leaders in Levantia or abroad led to a focus on hyper-local belief, allowing congregants to freely join and leave local congregations. The pre-19th century religious establishment more or less treated each Protestant congregation as equally legitimate. This settlement ended with the formation of a cohesive set of Mercantile Reform Protestantism doctrines in Equatorial Ostiecia in the 19th century as well as the formation of a unified polity of Burgundie, bringing Medimeria into a broader Burgoignesc cultural world. The issue of Mercantile Reform Protestantism sharply divided local believers as those with a more high church view of Church polity and sacraments (such as those who considered themselves Old Believers) were functionally excluded from their belief system. Between about 1850 and 1880, the approximately third of Protestants who held high church beliefs were socially ostracized as "Crypto-Papists" until action from the new government in Burgundie worked to enforce civil rights. In the meantime, the high church believers were forced to coalesce socially and politically, and in 1854 their congregations joined together as the Canonate of Medimeria and formally associated themselves with the Chantry of Alstin. In 1858, the Canonate of Medimeria was merged into the Chantric Province of Dericania and the Vandarch. The Province was incorporated into the College of Levantine Churches in 1954 and approximately 40% of Protestants in Medimeria are adherents of the Collegiate Church as of 2030.
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