São Ricardo: Difference between revisions

| name                = São Ricardo

| image_seal          = Seal of the State of São Ricardo.svg

| nickname          = The Island State,<br/>The Fortune Isles,<br/>The Sunset Isles,<br/>Gateway to the World

| anthem            = Hino da ilha

| LargestCity        = capital

| 2020Pop            = 8147881

| Former            = Regio Fortuna

  | Coat of arms        = Coat of Arms of the State of São Ricardo.svg

'''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. As of 2024, São Ricardo had the highest median household income of any state, owing in large part to its location at the mouth and a highly diversified economy spanning manufacturing, services, higher education, healthcare, and biotechnology.

 

The area that today corresponds to the state territory was already inhabited by indigenous peoples and Adonerii from approximately the 12th century BC. The coast of the region was frequently visited by other sea-faring explorers and navigators resident to the Odoneru, and the islands gained the name ''Felix insulae''. It became a common stopping point for sea vessels passing not only into and out of the Urlazian zone, but also as a stoppoing point from Levantia to lands as far as Vallos. After the establishment of the Banlieuregio of Alexandria during the Pontificate, the region began to a period of isolation, wanting to remain an independent and sovereign self-governing island, though it eventually was annexed and named Regio Fortuna. After Odridian independence in 1671, Fortuna began to become a major agricultural producer (mainly coffee and sugarcane) in the newly constituted Cartic Federation (that would become the Cartadanian Republic) along with being a major port of entry to Urlazian world, which ultimately created a rich community on the islands unseen anywhere else in the country (a feature the island retains today as the richest state by income), a quality that made it a target among the maritime community for many decades. There was also a small population of Ettian people in eastern Fortuna who had arrived from Alexandria and are the oldest continuously existing civilization in Sarpedon.

 

While it did become a region of Caphiria early in its history and then Cartadania, with the dissolution of the Cartadanian Republic in 1698, Fortuna reverted to being an autonomous collectivity or possession of Alahuela, and is the only territory in the country's entire history to hold the status it did. Fortuna operated as a ''{{wp|Sui generis}}'' territory and while it reported to Congress (which provided defense and diplomatic relations to foreign countries), Fortuna created its own laws, legal system, and other governmental aspects, and essentially functioned more like an associated state than a territory. It continued to use the Lira as its currency until its replacement with the Escudo in 1710, and depended on Cartadania for most of its economic policy, but wasn't legally a part of the country, which itself was undergoing major revisions. Fortuna existed in this state of autonomy for 73 years until it again became a territory of First Class in 1771. This allowed Alahuela to secure the Marée and Sanoria Channels and allow passing from the Urlazian states to the mainland.

=== Statehood era ===

=== Modern history ===

It was around this time that the state also adopted a unified school model for public education, which had previously been devolved to the counties, as well as its Plan for Higher Education, which established the state's college and university systems. São Ricardo's economy increased rapidly after the 1950s, pushing the state to first among median household incomes. This, however, also caused the average cost of a single-family home to increase as well. Housing prices in urban areas continued to increase; a modest home which in the 1960s cost €25,000 would cost half a million escudo or more in urban areas by 2005. More people commuted longer hours to afford a home in more rural and suburban areas while earning larger salaries in the urban areas.

== Geography and environment ==

<gallery mode="packed">

In addition to the five main islands, the state has many smaller islands and islets. These land features allowed the construction of the bridge and causeway systems between Cartadania's mainland (via [[Alexandria]]) and the Urlazian region (via [[Maresia]]), two marvels of engineering that would other be impossible (whether physically or financially) without their presence. The Northern Fortuna Islands is a group of nine small, older islands to the northwest of Maceres that extend from Penremo to Mareserta Cay; these are remnants of once much larger volcanic mountains. Across the archipelago are around 130 small rocks and islets, such as Toniche, which are either volcanic, marine sedimentary or erosional in origin.

| location = Lua

| metric first = Y

| single line = Y

| Jan high C = 25.4

| Feb high C = 25.5

| Mar high C = 26.6

=== Protected areas ===

=== Flora and fauna ===