Halfway

Province of Halfway
Province of Urcea
Flag
Location of the Province of Halfway
Country	Urcea
Cathedral City	Koureiros
Government
• Governor	Bridget Quinius Aulus (NP)
Population  (2014)
• Total	10,582,573

Halfway is a province of Urcea in the Sea of Canete. It is considered part of Urcea's Insular region. Initially settled as part of the Ancient Istroyan civilization, Halfway long sat at the crossroads of Latinic, Istroyan, and Audonian civilizations before its conquest during the Crusades and establishment of the Principality of Halfway, which imparted on the island a definitive Levantine identity. In 1474, the Principality was inherited by the Apostolic King of Urcea, though it remained a separately governed entity until it was incorporated into the crownland of the Kingdom of Crotona in 1660. Reorganized as a province in the late 19th century, the island's population strongly associates itself with the Urcean identity, partly due to the nearly 500 years of association between Urcea and the island and partly due to the resettlement of Urcean mainlanders to the island.

Halfway today serves as a major military installation for the Urcean military, particulrly the Royal Navy, but also is a popular tourist destination for Urceans and many other visitors from abroad. Though the islanders view themselves as fully incorporated within Urcean society and nationality, the island nonetheless retains a significant Istroyan character and legacy. In modern geopolitics, Halfway serves as an important bridge for Urcean policymakers to Sarpedon, allowing it to project soft and hard power into the easten part of that continent.

Etymology

The etymology of Halfway is not generally known. The original Ancient Istroyan authors use a number of names for the island but primarily just refer to the city-states that existed upon it, using terms such as the "Island of Koureiros" and other city-states dependent on context. Adonerii people and the later Great Levantines used the term Alvenensis, the earliest documented form of "Halfway", though the source and meaning of this term is unclear. "Halfway" as a term emerged likely from Gothic sources probably from the Urlazian Kingdom and introduced into Ænglish later during the medieval period. A minority of scholars have suggested the "-way" originates as an Audonian corruption during the island's brief control by allies of the Oduniyyad Caliphate, but this position has largely been characterized as speculation.

History

Halfway has been home to continuous human settlement since the earliest emergence of early modern man, and has been home to agricultural societies for thousands of years. Halfway was the site of some of the earliest cities of the ancient Istroyan civilization. Istroyan civilization thrived on the island for centuries, even during the reign of the Latin Kingdom and subsequent control of the island by Caphiria. The Istroyan civilization of antiquity on the island is considered to have ended with the arrival of the Oduniyyad Caliphate and its allies to eastern Sarpedon, some of whom conquered Halfway and ruled it as an independent Emirate. The destruction of the island's major cities and disruption of its economy by the arriving Audonians not only ended the island's ancient history, it also weakened it significantly allowing for its liberation during the First Crusade. Halfway was ruled by Levantine nobles from the 1080s until 1474 when it was inherited by Urcea's House de Weluta. It has been ruled by Urcea since.

Prehistory and Istroyan civilization

Archaeologists have uncovered significant early human activity on Halfway. While there is no consensus date for the rise of urbanization on the island, it is agreed that complicated urban centers based around fishing and trade developed very early on after the rise of agricultural civilization in Sarpedon. Traders from Halfway are attested to in Urlazic archaeological inscriptions as early as 1750 BC. By the time the Adonerii entered their peak, Halfway was considered to be an "old", respected trading island. The island's early political situation, which probably included semi-nomadic pastoral tribes in the interior, coalesced into six major cities by or before 1000 BC: Koureiros, Elatia, Pertoulo, Damasa, Chasini, and Pedino, though all had earlier, non-Latinized names and other nicknames which appear common in the historical record. All six cities are among oldest continuously settled cities in the Occident.

In the period 854-850 BC, the cities of Halfway were conquered by the Messisorian Kingdom based on nearby Herciana. The Messisorians had begun to exert more influence and authority over the cities of the island in the preceding century, falling in and out of the Messisorian orbit as clients. The emergent wealth and stability within that Kingdom led to a direct campaign against Halfway in the 850s. Koureiros led the defense and held for two and a half years before falling in a siege to the Mesissorians in June of 851 BC; most of the elites of the city were slaughtered or sold into slavery in mainland Sarpedon. Following the savaging of Koureiros, the remaining cities only put up half-hearted resistance, with many peace parties within those cities eventually gaining power by the end of 851 BC. In 850 BC, all of the cities of Halfway recognized the King of Messisoria as their overlord, ending the conflict on the island and beginning a half millennia of rule from Herciana. During the Messisorian period, the island was governed relatively loosely; a garrison of soldiers from Herciana was stationed on the island and paid for by the local cities in addition to a tax paid to the King, but otherwise the cities retained autonomy from one another. During the Messisorian Kingdom's peak, Halfway was a safe core part of the Kingdom, away from the conflicts on the mainland with Sarpic peoples and other Istroyan city-states. This period saw many men of Halfway serve in the Kingdom's armies on the mainland, having the practical effect of bringing mainland cultural innovations to the island. The island also served as a buffer for the capital in Taxades and Herciana itself against piracy, and by 600 BC a major Messisorian fleet was stationed on the island.

In 313 BC, the island was attacked and swiftly conquered by the Latin Kingdom. The quickness of the conquest was attributed by Latin historians as due to the absence of the island's Messisorian garrison due to combat with Caphiria on the Sarpedonic mainland; in any case, the Latin Kingdom assumed control of the island but largely left its local Istroyan culture in tact. The Latin King Sabinus created the role of Archon of Alvanensis to govern the island following its conquest. In practice, the Archon was always the senior urban magistrate of the city of Koureiros, chosen sometimes by heredity and sometimes by election among the local nobility. The Archon would govern the island absolutely on behalf of the Latin King, largely bringing about the end of the autonomy and political culture of the island's other cities. The Archonate would become the primary governing institution of the island for the next millennia, and it brought about consolidation of the political power of Koureiros over the other cities of the island.

Geography

Mount Pinefor and its adjacent range and highlands, picture here, dominate much of the central part of Halfway.

Halfway is a roughly triangular island in the Sea of Canete, sitting about two hundred miles to the east of northeastern Sarpedon. Halfway has an area of about 10,600 square miles. The island is situated just below the equator. The island was formed from an ancient volcano, known as Mount Pinefor and the associated Mount Pinefor range, which is the primary topographical feature of the island. Mount Pinefor sits at the center of the island, with the island's highest point being roughly its geographical center; Mount Pinefor gently slopes down from the island's center to a ring-shaped coastal plain that makes up the island's coasts. Accordingly, the island's bays and harbors are well suited for human settlement and commercial applications, giving Halfway its historic reputation as a trade center.

Due to the island's location relative to the equator, Halfway has a tropical wet climate. Resulting from this, human settlement is more densely focused on the external plain of the island, as the area around Mount Pinefor is dense, wet jungle not well suited for human life. The peaks themselves are covered in shrub brush rather than dense foliage made up of trees.

In terms of its political geography, Halfway is divided into five counties and one consolidated city-county, Koureiros. Each of the five counties is broadly coterminous with the metropolitan area of five of the island's six major cities. They are Elatia County, Pertoulo County, Damasa County, Chasini County, and Pedino County, each being named for the County's major city center.

Economy

Halfway's economy is primarily reliant on tourism given its tropical location, safe environment, and built-up infrastructure. The island's pink sands are considered to be iconic and a major tourist draw; many huge resorts dot the nation's shoreline. The economy is also dependent on the Armed Forces of the Apostolic Kingdom of Urcea, whose major presence on the island since the Occidental Cold War has been enhanced. The demilitarization of Lariana in the wake of the Assumption Accords has lead to an increased military presence on the island, strengthening the local economy. Urcea's major Royal Navy base for the east Sarpedon theater is located on Halfway, where it has been since 1905.

Besides tourist and military sources, a major cornerstone of Halfway's economy is the presence of the Royal Orbital Service and Space Command (ROSSC), Urcea's space program. The ROSSC's primary spaceport, the Lucás IV Starport and Launch Facility, is on Halfway, whose advantageous near-equator location allows for easy orbital launches. Consequently, the technology sector is very well developed on the island as many engineers and engineering firms have relocated to the island since the ROSSC's establishment in 1952. The ROSSC's service to other Levantine nations, such as Burgundie, has only served to further develop the island's economy and reliance on the technology sector, and the Government of Urcea has taken special care to use some of the fees assessed for ROSSC services for use in development of the island.

Historically, Halfway served as a center of trade between the Istroyan south, Caphiric west, and Levantine northeast. In the era before the early modern period, traders on Halfway would serve as intermediaries between Levantine and Sarpedonic mercantile interests, making a tidy profit conveying products between the two continents. As the range of trade ships and power of states on both continents increased, the importance of the Halfway mercantile classes waned significantly. Despite this, the island's historic reputation and infrastructure as a major port remains in the 21st century.

Demographics

In 2014, Halfway's population was estimated to be 10,582,573. Of these, the vast majority identify themselves as Urceans, speak Julian Ænglish, and are members of the Catholic Church. However, 82% of the island's population self-described themselves as having part or entirely "Istroyan ancestry". Additionally, the Julian Ænglish spoken on Halfway is spoken with a regional accent reminiscent of other places in northeastern Sarpedon, as is the case with many residents of the Urcean insular region. Additionally, significant vocabulary additions from Istroyan have created what some have referred to as the "Halfway dialect", though many of these terms have entered common use as slang throughout Urcea since becoming prominent in Halfway.

Government

Halfway is a Urcean province. As a province, Halfway as a chief executive known as a Governor and a bicameral legislature known as the Great Court. Like other provinces, the Governor of Halfway has extensive powers to propose laws to the legislature, execute the laws of the province and Kingdom, and to set forth executive policies while appointing a large number of public officials. Elections in Halfway take place every five years in conjunction with the national elections.

The Great Court has existed in several forms since the establishment of the Crusader principality and is arguably the oldest provincial legislature in Urcea. In its current form, the Great Court has an upper chamber, the Lion Chamber, and a lower chamber, the Principal Assembly. The Lion Chamber, so called for the large room in which the highest knights and lords of the Principality once convened to discuss military affairs, is comprised of 18 High Magistrates. The Principal Assembly, the lower chamber, has 82 members. Both bodies, as per Urcean law, elect their legislators in specific legislative districts determined after every decennial census. The Great Court is unusual from other Urcean provincial legislatures not only due to its vintage but also by its nomenclature; nearly all other provincial legislatures simply use the terminology of "Legislature", "Senate", and "Assembly", giving Halfway a unique signifying tradition.

Politics

Halfway generally leans strongly towards Urcea's National Pact. Three of its four seats in the Concilium Daoni are considered to be "safe" National Pact seats, with only the district encompassing Koureiros usually being held by the Solidarity Party and its predecessors. Accordingly, Halfway is considered to have "solidly leaned" towards the National Pact in every Procuratorial election of the 21st century, and the Province hasn't elected a non-Pact Governor since the 1970s. In the 2030 Urcean elections, National Pact Procuratorial candidate Conner Scipio Salderio won 58% of the vote to incumbent Solidarity Procurator Livio Iarnán's 40%. Similarly, both houses of the Great Court have long-running Pact majorities; after the 2030 election, the Pact held 54 of 82 Principal Assembly and 12 of 18 High Magistrate seats. Nearly all non-Pact support on the island comes from Koureiros and its environs, including the vast majority of all non-Pact provincial legislators.

Sports

Halfway does not have a team from any of the Urcean major leagues, but teams from the major leagues as well as college sports are very popular in the province. The University of Koureiros is the most popular sporting institution on the island. UK, as it is known, is generally competitive at the highest levels of Urcean college basketball on a perennial basis. The primary inter-island competition is at the high school sports level. Indoor ice hockey at the school level is very popular among both students and spectators due to the island's hot climate. Matches in the Halfway Hockey Varsity Association - HHVA - are well attended and feature the largest on-island sporting arenas; attendance of 2,000 or more for a weekly varsity hockey match is not uncommon.