Acadian Alexandria

Alexandria (French: Alexandrie, Serbian: Aleksandrija, officially the Acadian Administration of Alexandria (French: Administration Acadienne d'Alexandrie, Serbian: Akadska Administracija Aleksandrije is an Acadian territory located in Sub-Antarctica, in the east of its neighbor New Syrmia, which it shares its only border with. The official languages are English, French, and Serbian, while Czech, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese are recognized languages in the territory, spoken by a minority of the population.

Alexandria was originally a Snowinian colony, but was taken by Puffle'and during a war between the two countries, and the territory remained under Puffish rule as a part of the Province of Acadia. After Acadian independence, Alexandria became a part of Acadia rather than Snowiny as the ethnic Snowinn majority had thought, and they conducted many protests against the Acadian administration. In 2015, after becoming President of the United Provinces, Simon McClark began negotiations with Acadia, and Alexandria was returned to the United Provinces in March 2019.

History
The island of Alexandria was originally uninhabited, though there was evidence of previous temporary settlement by Viking Penguins and other groups such as explorers, merchants, and fishermen over the years, until it was colonized by settlers from the Osloven Empire in the 1500s, who claimed the island for the Osloven Empire. The first settlers who colonized the area named it Alexandria (Serbian: Aleksandrija), after a leader in one of the original groups of settlers, and began building the first settlement, which was also named Alexandria.

In the 1700s, during a war being the Osloven Empire and Puffle'and, a sizable Puffish force landed on the mostly undefended island and seized it within hours with little resistance from the local garrison and militia, who were outnumbered by the Puffish forces. A treaty after the war forced the Osloven Empire to recognize Puffish control of the colony, so Alexandria became a part of the Puffish colonial empire, and was incorporated into the Puffish overseas Province of Acadia, under the administration of the Governor of Acadia in Delphi.

During the Antarctic Revolution, the population of Alexandria attempted to rebel against Puffle'and and join Snowiny, but the Puffish garrison on the island managed to crush the rebellion. A rebel force from the Province of Acadia on the mainland also attempted to invade the territory, but was defeated by the larger and more powerful Puffish navy off the coast of the island. Therefore, Alexandria remained a colony of Puffle'and after the Antarctic Revolution that gave independence to many former Puffish colonies, despite protests from Acadia and the United States of Antarctica.

Acadia purchased the island of Alexandria from Puffle'and in 2003, and Alexandria now became an Acadian colony. The ethnic Snowinn population attempted to protest against the Acadian administration to join Snowiny, and the local government petitioned the Acadian government for independence, but the petition was denied. The Snowinian governments put pressure on Acadia to give the colony back to Snowiny, but the Acadians refused, claiming it was an integral part of Acadia, and the Snowinian government stopped asking for the colony back during the monarchy of Robert Smith.

After Simon McClark became President of the newly founded United Provinces in 2015, he began demanding the island from Acadia once more due to its Snowinn majority, and the two countries commenced negotiations with each other. In 2018, an agreement was reached for Acadia to hand the island back to the United Provinces, with the handover date set for March 15, 2019. Alexandria was officially handed back to the United Provinces on that day with a handover ceremony taking place in the territory, and the event was celebrated both in Alexandria and in the United Provinces.

Government
Unlike in the other Acadian colonies, where the governor is appointed by the Acadian government in Delphi, the governor of Alexandria is elected by the local population in an election every five years. The colony's legislature, the unicameral Colonial Assembly (Serbian: Kolonijalno Okupljanje) has 20 seats which are elected every five years as well, and is responsible for making laws, among other responsibilities. Like the other Acadian colonies, Alexandria has non-voting seats in the Acadian Parliament, with Alexandria having two non-voting seats in the Acadian Parliament.

Alexandria was annexed by Acadia in 2003, uniting the former Puffish enclave with the Acadian colony of New Syrmia, which Alexandria shared its only border with, under one ruler. However, the territory was never united with New Syrmia, and for its entire period under Acadian rule, both colonies had two separate heads of government and were administered separately. The official reasons for this are unclear, but some suggest that it was due to opposition from the Check minority, who feared losing their electoral influence in the territory if the Snowinn majority Alexandria was incorporated.

Economy
The major sectors of the economy in Alexandria are shipping and tourism, with shipping being the largest sector of the economy due to Alexandria's location on the SABER trade route between Acadia and other places in the Sub-Antarctic. Most tourists came from the United Provinces, which had free access to Alexandria, but many came from the Ninja Archipelago and the United States of Antarctica. However, the port of Alexandria was often overshadowed by nearby ports in New Syrmia, so to remedy this, the local government introduced reforms which made trade more free and much easier.

Alexandria had the second highest quality of life of any of the territories in the Republic of Acadia, second to only Metropolitan Acadia itself, and was somewhat higher than in the United Provinces. The territory was also one of the most expensive cities in Acadia to live in, second to only Delphi and Rochelle in Metropolitan Acadia. Like with the rest of Acadia, the territory maintained a welfare state to provide benefits for its citizens who needed it. The unemployment rate in Alexandria was at around 3%, which was the lowest unemployment rate in the Republic of Acadia.

Culture
Alexandria's culture was based off of the culture of the United Provinces, since the territory was majority Snowinn, was a former colony of Snowiny, and was close to the United Provinces, but there was heavy cultural influence from Puffle'and due to the hundreds of years of colonization under Puffle'and. Much of the architecture was built in the Puffish style, and the population observed many Puffish customs and traditions and ate Puffish food. There was also minor cultural influence from the United States of Antarctica as well, due to the proximity to the United States of Antarctica.

Geography
Alexandria is located on the western coast of New Syrmia, and is also surrounded on three sides by New Syrmia, with the Alexandria also bordering the ocean. The city is surrounded by low hills and mountains on its outskirts, which its border with neighboring New Syrmia somewhat travels through. Aside from the hills lying on the outskirts of Alexandria, the city is mostly flat, and there are also no major waterways in the city. Alexandria is located close to nearly all the major cities in neighboring New Syrmia, and it accessible to those cities by many different methods of transportation.

Transportation
A major highway connects Alexandria with many other major cities in New Syrmia, and New Syrmia itself, and many roads also connect the city with the rest of New Syrmia. There are also many different methods of public transportation in Alexandria, including by bus or train, both of which also connect the city with New Syrmia. The Port of Alexandria, one of the largest in Sub-Antarctica, plays a major role in the economy of the city as well. On the outskirts of Alexandria is Alexandria International Airport, which connects the city with many other airports around Antarctica.