Purépec
| Free City of Purépec Libre Llaqta Purépec | |
Flag | |
| Country | United Republic |
| Capital and largest city |
Purépec |
| Area | TBA |
| Population | 1,491,058 |
| Governor | Cuauhtémoc DeYaqui |
| Legislature | Purépec Council |
| Official languages | Alstinian Ænglish |
| Recognised languages | Varshani |
| Postal Abbreviation | PU |
| Time Zone | Alstin Time |
Purépec, officially the Free City of Purépec is a province of the United Republic, located in mainland central Crona, bordering by Varshan on three sides to the north, west, and east, and Tashi Bay to the south.
Geography
Purépec is situated on the coastal plains at the mouth of the Anzo River, surrounded on three sides by Varshan. Its climate is characterized as being Humid Continental, similar to much of the neighboring Varshani interior
History
Not much is known about the about the early history of Purépec, due to a lack of reliable primary sources; As such what is known has come from secondary sources written after the 17th century and from recent archeological discoveries. The site on which Purépec now stands was first permanently settled sometime between 500 BC and 200 BC by peoples believed to be related to the now-extinct Tashi culture, establishing a number of fishing villages in the area. Not much is known about these villages save for evidence of widespread destruction that occurred sometime in the 800s, though the cause is still a matter of speculation.
The first official mention of Purépec was recorded during Paul Aster's expedition in 1387, which expedition accounts detail a town "clinging to life" at the mouth of the Anzo River; By the time William Bet's expedition reached the area in early 1609, however, Purépec had become a seaport that, according Bet's account, "appeared to stand on the water as if the Lord thyself had taught it how to do so." It is certain that in the intervening decades between the two expeditions that after coming into contact with Occidentals, the Zurgs of Varshan ordered the establishment of ports throughout their domain, with particular emphasis on those in and around Tashi Bay, as it served as the entrance to the Varshani homeland via the Anzo River system. Naturally, ports such as Purépec became a target for devastating naval raids during the Orixtal Crusade, including the 1655 raid that decimated the Varshani fleet based there and indirectly caused the Burning of Purépec to occur.
At the end of the Crusade, Purépec was a shell of its former shell, having lost most of its pre-Crusade buildings and an unknown number of lives; So great was the devastation, that it took an astounding two hundred years for the city to fully return to its former glory. By 1890, the city had, through land reclamation efforts, become an artificial extension of the mainland, and consequently expand to cover much of the mouth of the Anzo. This, combined with extensive renovations to its defenses and port facilities, had given Purépec an unofficial nickname: "The Zurg's Windpipe".
At onset the Second Great War, Purépec would see large amounts of Caphirian-made weapons and Varshani raw material transit through its port, though as the conflict continued, the amount of goods in transit decreased as UR Naval operations put a stranglehold on Caphirian trade in Crona. Following the War, the Port of Purépec would, as a result of Varshan's postwar diplomatic isolation, shift from providing facilities for what minimal international commerce there was, to instead focus on domestic commerce and support for an expanding green water navy. Such efforts would be rendered futile with the outbreak of the Varshani War, as the Varshani Navy would all but be annihilated during Operation Kraken and the Battle of the Seneca Straits, and the city itself would fall to LoN forces during the Race to Anzo in 2024.
As part of the Treaty of Electorsbourg, which brought to an end to the Varshani War on 30 September 2024, Purépec was transferred to the United Republic, and incorporated as an autonomous territory formally known as the Free City of Purépec. Since 2025, extensive efforts have been made towards to reconstruction and renovation of the city's infrastructure, as well as rehabilitating long-held cultural and social norms through the introduction of Alstinian civil rights and values, all the serving as a vital logistics role in the ongoing League Occupation of Varshan
Government
Purépec is an incorporated territory of the United Republic. Its governmental structure and fundamental law are prescribed by the Purépec Civil Charter, promulgated by President Benjamin Ryder and validated by Parliament in June 2025. The Governor of Purépec is elected by the residents of Purépec, and is prescribed a three-year term by the Charter, though a Governor may be replaced or recalled at any point in their term.
The territorial legislative body is known as the Purépec Council. It is a full-time body in which members elected to the body serve for three year terms. The Council that comprises of 39 seats, apportioned according to population, with a guaranteed minimum of 3 seats per ward.
Purépec sends a single non-voting Delegate to the National Council.
Society & Culture
Further reading: Culture of Varshan; Arzalism
Due to its long history of having been previously an integral part of the Varshani homeland, Purépec has been heavily influenced by Varshani societal and cultural norms. As result, it remains one of the most socially and culturally conservative territories in the United Republic, in spite of a massive increase in acceptance of Alstinian and Occidental societal and cultural influence.
State Arzalism, having emerged in the aftermath of the Varshani War, is the dominant religion in the territory, with an estimated 37% of the population being adhering to it practices. Other major religions in Purépec are Christianity (most prominently Chantrism and Catholicism) at 29%, Orthodox Arzalism at 21%, and other religions at 19%.
Economy
The economy of Purépec sits at about $62.5 billion as of 2033, rendering it the smallest in terms of GDP out of all the provinces and territories in the United Republic. This is mostly due to its previous administration by Varshan, as under the centuries-long Zurgite regime, the city's economic growth was stunted by Zurgite domestic priorities and international sanctions. Nevertheless, due the city's geographic location, Purépec became the premier fishing and shipping seaport in Central Crona, serving as the nexus point for trade between the cities inland along the Anzo River, and cities in and beyond Tashi Bay. Since 2025, a multiyear United Republic government-funded renovation project of the Port has been ongoing in order to modernize port facilities and operations, as well as increase port tonnage capabilities for importing and exporting products; The project is currently scheduled to be completed sometime in late 2035.
Aside from commercial fishing, cargo shipping, and shipbuilding, other mainstays of the Purépecan economy include plantation agriculture, rail transportation, oil refining and petrochemical production; The latter two sectors being relatively recent additions due to the discovery of offshore oil and natural gas reserves in the Tashi Bay in 2016. Other economic sectors, in particular service-oriented sectors (such as tourism, air transportation, retail trade, and healthcare services), as well as specialty manufacturing and construction (specifically in regards to infrastructure), has contributed the most towards economic growth in Purépec since 2025.