The Andorinhões

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Constitutional State of the Andorinhões Estado Constitucional dos Andorinhões
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: "Frente" "Forward"
Anthem: "Juntas marcharemos" File:National Anthem of the Andorinhões.ogg
Location of the Andorinhões on Urth
Location	Location of the Andorinhões
Capital	São João das Ilhas
Largest	Colheitas
Official languages	Cruzean
Recognised national languages	Staynish
Recognised regional languages	Lissian
Sign language	Cruzean Sign Language (LGC)
Demonym(s)	Andorinhense
Government	Unitary semi-presidential republic
• Governor	Cristóvão de Carvalho
• President of the Council of Ministers	João Paulo Rodrigues
Legislature	National Assembly
Formation
• Settlement of Santa Cruz	15 August 1435
• Sovereign Land of the Holy Cross	16 April 1487
• Republic of Martlet	10 October 1804
• Socialist Republic of the Martlets Islands	6 May 1971
• People's Republic of the Andorinhas Islands	19 November 1973
• Constitutional State of the Andorinhões	5 June 1991
Area
• Total	6,221 km2 (2,402 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 estimate	1,323,529
• 2014 census	1,314,965
• Density	21,117/km2 (54,692.8/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$16.850 billion
• Per capita	$12,814
Currency	Andorinhense escudo (ANE)
Time zone	UTC+11:30
Driving side	right
Calling code	+015
ISO 3166 code	AN
Internet TLD	.an
Website www.theandorinhoes.an

The Andorinhões (Cruzean pronunciation: [ɐ̃.du.ɾi.ˈɲõjʃ]) officially the Constitutional State of the Andorinhões (Cruzean: Estado Constitucional dos Andorinhões) is an island country located east of Aurora.

The archipelago is composed of 19 islands and covers an area of 6,221 square kilometres (2,401 sq mi) and has a tropical climate. It's largest city is Colheitas, located on Santo Ambrósio island and the capital is São João das Ilhas (commonly referred as São João), located on the island of São João.

The Andorinhões was settled in 1435 by the Order of the Holy Cross which proclaimed the islands sovereign in 1487, and named it Terra Soberana da Santa Cruz.

Etymology

The name for the Andorinhões comes from the swift, the heraldic animal of the nation, also known as the martlet. Previously, the term Andorinhas was used, which is for the actual national animal, the swallow and was changed to the actual term with the introduction of a new constitution in 1992.

History

Main article: History of the Andorinhões

Settlement of the islands (1412-1790)

In 1412, the Order of the Holy Cross, an order founded as mercenaries to hire with the goal of protecting pilgrims on their journeys to holy sites on Urth, hired Maurício de Corvos to lead an expedition to explore some parts of the world and to establish a permanent outpost for the activities of the Order. The expedition led to the discovery of the islands of Santa Maria and São Vicente.

Order of the Holy Cross establishments

The first settlement was Santa Cruz, on the island of Santa Maria, established in 1435.

Sovereign Land of the Holy Cross

The Order of the Holy Cross proclaimed the islands to be sovereign and independent in 1487. The proclamation of sovereignty fast-tracked other settlements and many islands acquisitions. The islands of Espírito and Ordem were settled in 1493 and 1501 respectively in a way to assert the sovereignty of the Order in the region.

The Order remained independent from the newly formed government of the Sovereign Land but still retained a powerful role within the administration, serving as the de facto army of the Sovereign Land. They privately settled the islands of Esperança, Trindade and Santa Fé.

By 1549, following some internal controversies, the government of the Sovereign Land severed many official ties with the Order and left the island of Ordem to be the sole private possession of the organisation, taking control of the other islands. The Sovereign Land of the Holy Cross continued the expansionist agenda that had begun under the Order and had settled the islands of São Fernando, São Afonso, Céu, Sagrada Família and São Domingos by 1629.

The Sovereign Land finally acquired the island of Ordem in 1752, ending the private territorial possession of the Order in the archipelago.

With such a massive expansion and still little population, the government had grown considerably and had trouble exercising its rule. The government levied new taxes, especially on the recently acquired islands which angered the newly established populations there, feeling that the more populous islands be the one to provide for the services.

Republicanism (1790-1960)

With the population angered with the government, a small group of merchants, philosophical thinkers, and some nobles started to meet with the goal to find solutions on the issues with the government. Meetings started on the island of Santa Maria and spread through the islands. At first, the solution put forward was to negotiate with the government and to reduce the level of taxes by spreading it more evenly through the years. This proposal was rejected by the government. In 1800, the first Republican groups started to meet and the proposal to overthrow the government and establish a republic grew. By 1801, most of the meetings were happening on the island of Santa Ana, which became a hotspot for Republicanism in the Andorinhões.

Lúpulo Revolution

In 1802, a group of revolutionaries proclaimed the Republic of the Martlet and established the Provisional Government of the Republic of Martlet.

Provisional Government of the Martlet

The Provisional Government was proclaimed in São João das Ilhas, which was renamed Lúpulo and proclaimed the capital of the new Republic. This declaration was rejected by the government which was still established in Santa Cruz.

Some islands had received the news of the new government and while most islands decided to remain loyal to the Sovereign Land's government, the island of São Fernando and São Domingos were among the first to switch sides officially in favour of the republicans. The first recorded battle of the revolution was the naval battle in Baía dos Santos which was won by the Sovereign Land's forces.

Republic of Martlet

In 1804, the Sovereign Land's government officially capitulated in Espírito Santo. The Provisional Government was disbanded and the official name of the newly-formed republic was changed to the Republic of Martlet.

The Republic was faced with many challenges, having to rebuild some of the villages and settlements which had been destroyed during the revolution. Mostly on the island of Santo Ambrósio which saw a lot of fighting due to its strategic position.

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Andorinhões

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Andorinhões

A proportional representation of the Andorinhões' exports

A proportional representation of the Andorinhões' imports

The islands have few natural resources, and their imports exceed exports. According to the government, the value of exports in 2020 was $5,268 billion while estimated imports were $10,769 billion. The GDP in 2020 was an estimated $16,850 billion. The GDP per capita was $12,814.

The Andorinhões is in a situation of a trade deficit especially in the transportation, mineral products and machines sectors. The country is still able to have a trade surplus in some sectors mostly the wood products, animal products, precious metals and foodstuffs sectors.

Shipping

The Andorinhões plays a role in the international shipping industry as a flag of convenience for commercial vessels. Cargo vessels are also built in the Andorinhões and is accounting for approximately 8% of all exports.

Unlike some flag countries, there is no requirement that a Andorinhense flag vessel be owned by a Andorinhense individual or corporation.

Fishing

The Andorinhões has a major fishing industry and the commercial ports of the Andorinhões are some of busiest fish transshipment ports in the world. There are a lot of fish processing centres in the Andorinhões and many exports fish to a number of countries. Fishing license fees, provide noteworthy income for the government. Fishing is also one of the largest exports of the Andorinhões accounting for approximately, 16% of all exports.

Agriculture

Agricultural production is concentrated on small and some medium farms. The most important commercial crops is raw sugar followed by coffee, copra, tobacco, cocoa beans, wheat, vanilla and spices. The Andorinhões is also processing a lot of its own agricultural products in industries such as hard liquor, raw sugar, cocoa beans, coconut oil and palm oil. The Andorinhões is also exporting fresh water.

Tourism

Tourism in the Andorinhões is a crucial economic activity. At least 10 percent of the working population are employed in this sector. The country offers a range of tourist accommodations from luxury hotels to modest self-catering establishments.

Shopping districts are popular, with ample duty-free shopping.

Energy

The Andorinhões still rely heavily on diesel fuel for vehicles, power generators, and ships and is trying to diversify its energy sources. The country has been establishing solar power plants in the country and is experimenting with coconut oil as alternative to diesel fuel. Because of its dependency on diesel fuel, refined petroleum is accounting for 12,3% of all imports.

Wood

The country is lacking major natural resources but makes up for it by exporting rough wood and fuel wood, which is accounting for 13% of all exports.

Industry

Due to its size, the country does not have a lot of industries but is still able to have sizeable exports of some high technologies such as computers and broadcasting equipments, some chemical products such as packaged medicaments and pesticides and has a small textile industry. Although in many of these sectors, the imports far exceeds the exports.

Financial sector

The Andorinhões is considered a tax haven and international financial center. Many registered institutions offer a wide range of offshore banking, investment, legal, accounting, and insurance and trust company services.

Culture

Symbols

Flag

Main article: Flag of the Andorinhões

Coat of Arms

Main article: Coat of Arms of the Andorinhões