Port Run


 * Not to be confused with the principality of Port Run within the colony. For the principality, see Port Run, Port Run.

Port Run, officially The Royal Watersauga Crown Colony of Port Run (Japanese Hiragana: ポート一; Japanese Romanization: Pōto Ichi; Traditional Chinese: 第一港), (September 2015 population 214,671) is a dependent territory and a crown colony of the Province of Watersauga. Located in southcentral Nicholasland, the colony is completely enclaved, or surrounded, by the Japanese-speaking autonomous Cosmoplay Region. It is one of the most culturally diverse, and fastest growing administrative division of Nicholasland.

Having been a colony of France and Britain, as well as a protectorate state under the former City of Watersauga, the city-state later absorbed Port Run as its crown colony in 1949, and remains governance of the territory today.

With a small area of 256-km², Port Run continues to maintain a self distinct identity and culture from the neighbouring Cosmoplay Region. Historically and traditionally tied with Cosmoplay Region, Cosmoplay proposes an irredentist claim over the colony, and seeks for its return. However, in the latest referendum of 2009, the majority (85.7%) of the colony's residents wishes to stay as a colony within the City of Watersauga. Some (8.9%) wishes to be independent from any other autonomous territory within the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas. This tenses up the Watersaugan-Cosmoplayer relations.

Port Run is Nicholasland's leading manufacturing centre, with the manufacturing sector being the largest employer of the colony. Goods produced here, includes but not limited to oil, gas, wood products, plastic products, automobiles, high-tech products used in aviation, transportation, and consumer technologies, are shipped domestically and worldwide, factoring up to 31% of the colony's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Different from its governing autonomous country, Port Run's official languages are Cantonese, English, and Japanese. Port Run has received international criticism for its linguicide policy, which was put in place since 1915, has led to resentment across the globe. The government of Watersauga has publicly apologized for such act in 2001, following by the removal of the policy in 2003. Japanese has been reinstated as one of the colony's official language in 2004. The population who use Japanese as their primary language has dropped from 91.5% in 1903 to 8.2% in 2003. The figure has since rebounded after the policy has been abolished, and an increasing need to trade with the neighbouring Cosmoplay Region.

Etymology
Port Run was first known as the Settlement of Nadayishide when first settled by the Japanese in 1453, meaning the Port of Commerce. In the 1800s, when the British landed in the territory and began branding the area as an important regional industrial centre, they named the settlement Port One. Through the years and referral through the Japanese population, the name translated to "Port Run". This has become the official name of the territory when the Watersaugans took over the territory in 1916.

Pre-colonization (1453 - 1602)
Nomadic settlements have been recorded historically, however no permanent population has been recorded until a Japanese farmer Nakisaki Nadayishide established a market in the area in 1453. In the First Kingdom of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas, the market was then incorporated as a town, named "Nadayishide" for the establishing farmer, and was under the administration of Cosmoplay Region in 1531.

Saint-Martin-sur-la-nouvelle-Seine (1602 - 1831)
After the Multi-cultural revolution in 1602, the area was ceded to France, and became a French colony under the name "Saint-Martin-sur-la-nouvelle-Seine", where "La Nouvelle Seine" (French for the new Seine River) refers to the modern-day Cosmoplay River. A small farming village was established in the modern Jonquière area. A parish was established in the area, and was home to some 300 French immigrants. The Saint-Martin Cathedral (French: La Cathédrale de Saint-Martin) was built in 1733 during the French administration period.

British Port One (1832 - 1898)
In the 1830s, the Anti-Foreign Devil Rebellion has caused the French to lose control of the area, and after brief control by the Second Kingdom of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas, the British has gained control of the area in 1832 by annexing to its existing colony of British Watersauga. Under British rule, the British would like to develop a second free port and an entrepôt of the British Empire, apart from Old Watersauga, and thus began rapidly industrializing the area, and establishing a seaport on the Cosmoplay River, naming it Port One (a Port Two existed further downstream near the mouth of the Cosmoplay River). Within a decade, the area has became an important industrial centre.

In 1898, the British granted British Watersauga home-rule, leading to a cession of Watersauga back to the Second Kingdom of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas, and the former British Watersauga formed the current City-State of Watersauga, while Port Run was returned to Cosmoplay Region, ending the 66-years rule of Port Run.

Watersauga Protectorate State (1916 - 1949)
In 1910, Imperial Japan began acquiring the neighbouring Cosmoplay Region. Port Run was not affected with the initial acquisition, but in 1913, the central government of Cosmoplay collapsed with Cosmoplay (except Port Run) being occupied entirely by the Japanese in the third acquisition. In 1914, the King announced to dissolve the Cosmoplay Region government, and all remaining inhabited lands not ceded to Imperial Japan would be annexed to the City of Watersauga. On 1 January, 1916, Port Run and the neighbouring Ku Sze Yiu Bay, for a total of 407 km² was annexed to the City of Watersauga as a protectorate state, after the signage of the Bou Diu Treaty, 1915.

In the Second Collapse of the Kingdom, Port Run, being a part of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas, was also succumbed to Imperial Japan between 1937 to 1945. After Japan's surrender, the City of Watersauga continues to exercise governance in Port Run, as the Region of Cosmoplay government was not re-established. This led to Watersauga to continue governing Port Run. Port Run was designated as an annexed town in 1945.

Modern: Royal Watersauga Crown Colony (1949 - )
Port Run was re-designated as a crown colony beginning 1 January, 1949. With the Port Run Colonization Act, 1949, the Japanese language was banned and many colonization laws are put into place. Upon the creation of the colony, the formerly annexed town was splitted into numerous principalities. These principalities are equivalent in power to municipalities in City of Watersauga.

In 1951, the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas National Transitional Council was established, and the Cosmoplay Region government was reincarnated. However, the council has ruled that existing administrative divisions were to stay the way it is, until the kingdom is re-established.

Under the governance of the City of Watersauga, the colony continued to grow rapidly as a free port, becoming an important centre of financial trading and manufacturing. The economy of the colony expanded rapidly. Numerous infrastructure projects, including the Port Run Satellite Cities Project, were launched to cater the growing population. Rapid urbanization occurred in major population centres of the colony.

In the eve of the re-establishment of the kingdom on 2 April, 1993, the City of Watersauga feared that the new King will re-assign administrative divisions in the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas, subsequently making Watersauga to lose Port Run from its territories, the colonial government began to offer a higher autonomy and home rule to Port Run beginning in June 1992. The colonial government had also ceded 37% (151 km²) of the initial colony's area back to the Region of Cosmoplay as a sign of friendship in January 1993, reducing the area of the colony to its current size of 256 km², losing control to Ku Sze Yiu Bay since. However, Cosmoplay continues to pose a strong and firm attitude in claims of Port Run as part of its territory. The colonial government further lifted many strict colonial laws in 2001 - 2003, including the Japanese linguicide policy, and reinstating Japanese language education in schools and as an official language of the colony.

The Port Run Territory Problem (Traditional Chinese: 第一港地區問題) was not solved until the King ordered a referendum in 2009. In the Port Run Referendum, 2009, overwhelming 85.7% wishes to stay within the City-State of Watersauga as a crown colony, provided that home rule continues to be enforced; 8.9% wishes to return to Cosmoplay Region; while the remaining 5.4% were voids, no response, or wishes to become an independent autonomous country within the kingdom. Though Port Run Territory Problem has not completely solved, as Cosmoplay still poses a claim to Port Run, and Watersauga poses a claim to Ku Sze Yiu Bay.

Today, Port Run continues to serve as a national, or even international manufacturing and shipping centre, though the recent trend in the colony's economy is focusing on high tech manufacturing developments, and an increase in the financial sector.

Government and Politics
Port Run features a colonial government, which is represented in the national level in Ottawa - Gatineau. Under the Basic Law of Port Run, Port Run has all autonomy over all its internal affairs with the exception of military and foreign relationships, which are governed by higher levels of government.

The colonial government acts as a census metropolitan area government equivalent in elsewhere of the Imaginary Land of Nicholas. Under this colonial government are principality councils, which directly governs the local principality, and offers principality-level service, such as maintenance of principality roads, water supply, etc. Other services, such as garbage disposal, and colonial highway, are provided directly by the colonial government.

The colonial government receives a certain funding by the national government to maintain service in the colony.

A variant of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas Passport (Watersauga variant) is being issued to Port Run residents holding a Port Run Permanent Resident Identification Card (PRPRIC).

The current governor of the colony is Davis Milverton, a new governor replacing Bill Seymore, whom resigned in 2013. As Davis Milverton became the new governor, he introduced many new policies and infrastructure projects, including the Port Run Antiqua Project, the enactments of the Port Run Colonial Country Park Act, and the urban renewal projects.

Geography


The colony covers 256 squared kilometers, 16 km on each side of the colony, forming a square shape. However, the colony sets up a military defended zone and border patrolling. The colony only opens less than 249 squared km of area to the general public.

The landscape of the colony is relatively flat, with minimum elevation being 14 m, and maximum 29 m.

The Cosmoplay River flows through the colony, and is the economic lifeline of the colony. The colony features a seaport on the river, which ships manufactured product worldwide through the river. The river is also a source of freshwater.

Flora
It is also noted that the colony has minimal flora. There are practically no trees within the colony due to extensive logging in the 1800s after the occupation of the British, and the wood was shipped back to Britain for manufacturing and construction purposes. Today, most of the trees are artificially planted through the Port Run Colonial Country Parks system and the Colony Beautification Department. Some of the trees have started to grow back in the northwest area of the colony, just north of Victoria Town. The area is currently protected. As well, much of the colony's land has been developed into farmlands and urban uses.

Seismic Activity
Despite the colony is not located on a fault line, there had been records of seismic activities in the last two hundred years. In the last 200 years, three earthquakes have occurred, both with epicentres south of South State. The earthquakes range from 3.5 to 5.1 on the moment magnitude scale. None or minimal damage had been reported for all of the earthquakes.

Border
The Watersauga - Cosmoplay border is strictly enforced, with restricted vehicles and passengers movements across border. All vehicles and passengers who desire to cross the border must do so through the designated staffed border crossings (Port of Entry, POE), where custom laws are enforced.

The current 12 border crossings are listed as follows:
 * North Port Run
 * Victoria Town
 * Ma Ling Ha Chau
 * Airport
 * Bo Diu Leh West
 * Bo Diu Leh East
 * Terry Fox / Dunlops
 * Madawaska
 * Madawaska Diversion
 * Quinte Expressway
 * Powerhouse
 * Terry Fox

Closed Area
There is also, as aforementioned, a fenced off closed area of the colony, totalling of area up to 12 squared kilometers, 9 of which are territories around Port Run's borders. Typically this tract of land is undeveloped, and used for military purposes and border patrolling. However, aboriginals who have resided inside this tract of land before Watersauga's governance of Port Run may continue to reside in the area, but a closed area permit is required to enter into the community. The closed area permit must be presented upon entering the closed area, but does not apply for those who are accessing the closed area to cross the border. The largest community in the closed area is Wanikit, which houses over 4,000 residents. The Mai Po Special Industrial Area (SIA) is also in the closed area.

There are 2 closed area control points:
 * Wanikit
 * Powerhouse

In addition, there is a 3 squared-kilometre closed area within the colony that does not serve as a border boundary purpose. This closed area is the Governor Administrative Region, where unauthorized persons are not allowed to enter. Persons who wish to enter must first obtain a closed area permit, and be screened at the Governor's Control Point.

Another closed area that is not formally defined is within Port Run International Airport.

It has been proposed that a governing authority named the Port Run Closed Area Authority (PRCAA) to administer all matters within the closed area. This authority is scheduled to be created in 2013, and will have equivalent power as a principality government.

Climate
Port Run, situated just south of Ku Sze Yiu Bay, has a modified humid continental climate, experiencing brief cold winters with snowfalls, and a relatively longer humid summers with thundershowers and in a rare occasion, tropical storms. In the winter, lake effect snow generated from Ku Sze Yiu Bay is very common, usually contributing to most of the snowfall in winter.

Time Zone
Despite located in an area where geographically it should be UTC +13, Port Run observes Port Run Standard Time (UTC + 12½) to distinguish itself from Mainland Cosmoplay.

In the summer, daylight time applies, and the clock is adjusted one hour ahead. The time zone observed during the summer months (April to November) is the Port Run Daylight Saving Time (DST), which is UTC + 13½.

Economy
The majority of the job source in the colony is the manufacturing industries, and produces the most domestic product. The Watersauga Military also supply job sources to the colony.

Since Port Run is a colony of the City of Watersauga, it uses Watersauga Dollars (WSD) as its primary currency. However, due to its close proximity with the Region of Cosmoplay, Cosmoplay Yen (CPY) also circulates within the colony. Recently, a hot debate across the colony is to whether create the colony's own currency, namely the Port Run Dollar (PRD).

The Cosmobank Composite Index offers trading of local stocks in the local office in Port Run. The local office is located in Capitol City, and serves as a major trade platform for the colony.

In the September 2012 census, there has been recorded a total of 19,500 commercial jobs and 98,800 industrial jobs in the colony, making the total job supply 118,300, much higher than the total workforce of 95,000. The abundance in jobs has attracted immigrants to migrate into the colony, as well as cross-border commuters from Mainland Cosmoplay.

The special status of Port Run and its prosperity from global trade has attracted businesses from far and wide to invest in the colony, and setting up headquarters and manufacturing plants. To strengthen the economic ties with Mainland Cosmoplay, Port Run has signed the Port Run - Mainland Cosmoplay Closer Economic Partnership Agreement and Memorandum, 2013 (Traditional Chinese: 第一港與天宇大陸更緊密經貿關係備忘錄, often abbreviated "CEPAM") in January 2013. Under one of the points of the memorandum, Port Run will construct two industrial areas for trade between Cosmoplay and Port Run, exclusively for Cosmoplay's businesses employing Port Run's population. In particular, Mai Po Special Industrial Area (SIA). This industrial area is well under construction, and has been reportedly a huge success from Port Run Daily in April 2013. Since then, over 80% of the proposed land in Mai Po has been constructed and operated by Cosmoplay companies.

Demography
The colony features a very diverse population. As of September 2013, more than half (58%) of the population originate from residents of Mainland Watersauga, 19% of the population originate from the indigenous descents of the colony. The colony is home to 214,671 people over 256 squared kilometers of land as of the census released in late August 2015 (named "September 2015 Census", however). Most residents live within the capital, Capitol City.

Port Run is known for a rapidly growing population body, having tripled from a population of near 62,000 in 1990 to over 214,000 in 2015. This is due to a relaxed immigration policy introduced jointly by the kingdom government and the city-state government in 2003. To monitor the rapid growth of population of the colony, beginning in 2011, the colony conducts its own census every year in September, in addition to the kingdom's census conducted every 5 or 10 years. The population growth has slowed somewhat in the recent years due to a stricter immigration policy against Mainland Chinese and certain middle eastern countries. Nevertheless, the colony is currently maintaining near 5-8% per annum population growth in the recent decade.

The November 2015 population clock puts the colony's estimated projection to be 220,000.

Ethnic Groups and Languages
The official languages of the colony is initially set to be Cantonese and English, which are de facto, as Port Run is a colony of Watersauga, whose official languages are Cantonese and English. With the abolishment of the Linguicide Act in 2003, Japanese was added to the list of official languages as de jure.

According to the recent census in 2013, the major ethnic groups feature mother tongue languages including Cantonese (31.7%), English (45.5%), Japanese (9.6%), French (8.9%), Mandarin (2.9%), Korean (0.2%), and other or mixed population (1.2%). There is a decline in European language percentage due to the influx of Asian-language immigrants.

The ethnic groups are as followings: Chinese (39.8%), White (35.4%), Japanese (13.9%), Korean (0.3%), mixed or other races (10.6%).

In the census, the nationalities breakdown feature Watersauga Citizen (89.1%), Cosmoplay Citizen (8.9%), Other Imaginary Land of Nicholas citizens (1.3%), and other nationalities (0.7%).

Administrative Divisions
Port Run is divided into 28 principalities. Each principality has an equivalent power of a municipality as elsewhere in the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas, where the principalities are eligible to collect taxes and offer municipal services, such as garbage collection and snow removal. In the recent years, more principalities are created due to the Port Run Satellite Cities Project.


 * Population may have changed significantly since due to rapid expansions of some of the principalities between 2012 and now.

Education
Port Run is renowned for a number of post-secondary institutes, including one community college located in Capitol City, two polytechnic universities (Port Run Polytechnic University in Science Park and Queens Polytechnic University in Queens), and a public research university campus (University of Watersauga, Port Run campus in South State).

The education system of the colony largely follows that of the City of Watersauga, where schoolchildren are offered 15 years of free education, as follows:
 * Kindergarten: Infant kindergarten (age 3-4, 幼班, IK), Junior Kindergarten (age 4-5, 低班, JK), Senior Kindergarten (age 5-6, 高班, SK)
 * Primary School: Primary 1 through 6 (ages 6 - 12)
 * Secondary School: Form 1 through 6 (ages 12 - 18).

The Port Run Secondary School Diploma Examination (第一港中學文憑試, PRSSDE) is a public examination compulsory for all Form 6 students, in which the results determine the student's eligibility in post-secondary education in Port Run or the City of Watersauga and certify their completion of secondary education. The DPE is aligned with a similar public examination offered in the City of Watersauga.

Other Colonial Services
Other colonial services, such as education and healthcare, are provided by the City of Watersauga. The colony follows the operating structure of such services as in the City of Watersauga.

The National Weather Service for Watersauga (NWSW), in conjunction with the National Meteorology Bureau of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas (NMBILN) provides weather forecasts and climatological archives for the colony.

Culture
Port Run features a multicultural society. Unique from its neighbour, the Region of Cosmoplay (where it is mostly unicultural), Port Run blends many cultures together. From the native inhabitants' Japanese culture, other foreign culture such as the Chinese and the European culture is blended. It is not unusual to see daily speeches (whether it is in Cantonese, English, or Japanese) mixed with words or phrases borrowed from other languages.

Sport
While Port Run is a crown colony of the City of Watersauga, the colony features its own sport teams at a national level to compete in international level, such as Olympics. The colonial sport teams represent Port Run in the following sport: hockey, soccer, golf, badminton, LaCrosse, football, and rugby. In 2004, to commemorate the Port Run Colonial Team winning the first medal at an international level for the first time, the Colonial League Stadium was built. It was torn down in 2009, while being relocated to a new location, scheduled to be opened by August 2010.

In the Olympic games, Port Run enters the games separately and independently as "Watersaugan Port Run".

Highways
Due to the extraordinarily long commute time within the colony, the colony offers metropolitan-level style of public transport, all funded via the City of Watersauga. All roads in the colony are paved, including rural roads. There is a total of 1,093 km of roadway in the colony, maintained by the Transportation Department of Port Run (TD), a subsidiary of Roads Watersauga.

Train
With the congestion on all of the colonial highway, and provided that it is not deemed cost-efficient to build monorails or subways through rural area, various train lines are built to help escort commuters. There are three train lines, which mostly follow the path of colonial highways. Commuter rail service is operated by Trains Port Run, which operates commuter trains to and from Capitol City on its 122 km of rail. Inter-city services are provided by Nicholasland National Railway (NNR), which connects the colony to other major cities in the Kingdom, including the Region of Cosmoplay. For such service, passengers must first go through custom in designated train station before boarding.

Bus
The Capitol City Transit Commission (CCTC) operates municipal bus service across Capitol City. In addition, some of these bus services service Port Run and South State. The buses provide link to other forms of rapid transit and connect commuters to work within town. To date, buses are the most popular way of commuting around town.

The Port Run Airport Shuttle also operate within Capitol City, connecting residents to the Port Run International Airport.

In 2010, the Governor of Port Run announces an 1.67 million Watersauga Dollar (WSD) plan on installing busways in various parts of the colony. Most of these busways will be located in Capitol City with transit priority signals and dedicated sheltered bus stations along the busways.

Subway Rapid Transit
Despite with a population of only 120,000, the colony features subways lines in the densely populated areas in Capitol City, which serves St. Maria Avenue, one of the busiest city roads in Capitol City, and a city ring line, which forms a circular pattern around the downtown core of Capitol City and also connects to Port Run across the Cosmoplay River. Opened in 2009, over 10,000 passengers are carried everyday. The system is operated by the Port Run Rapid Transit Railway (RTR).

Formerly confined within the densely populated Capitol City, the system began extending its services to the city's suburb at South State, with the launch of new line to serve the University of Watersauga Port Run Campus.

Air
The colony provides air access globally through Port Run International Airport. Located in the Airport Administrative Region, the airport offers multiple daily flights to major cities in the City of Watersauga, as well as daily flights to Canopy Hills International Airport of the Region of Cosmoplay. There are also regular, if not, daily flights to other international destinations.