Oregonia

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Oregonia
Crown Dependency of Austenasia
A satellite view of the park of which Oregonia was a part
A satellite view of the park of which Oregonia was a part
Flag of Oregonia
Established30 June 2014
Government
 • Governing CommissionerHM King Adam I
Area
 • Total0 km2 (0 sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-8

Oregonia was a Crown Dependency of the Empire of Austenasia situated in North America. Oregonia was made a Crown Dependency of Austenasia on 30 June 2014 by an Act of Parliament, and dissolved on 10 February 2020.

The Emperor's power was exercised on his behalf by HM King Adam I, the founder of Oregonia, who was appointed its Governing Commissioner on the day of Oregonia's annexation, and also designed its flag. Oregonia bordered Überstadt and the United States of America.

History

The land comprising Oregonia lay within the traditional gathering and fishing grounds of the Coast Salish peoples. From 1775 the surrounding land - now known as the State of Washington - saw activity from the Spanish, British and Russian Empires, as well as the fledgling USA, until 1818 when the British and Americans agreed to "joint occupancy" of the land under the Anglo-American Convention of that year. Britain ceded all claims to the land in 1846, and it was incorporated into the USA as the state of Washington in 1899.

The thick forested land which comprised Oregonia had been obtained by the Puget Mill Company in 1862, which used it for logging until the start of the twentieth century. It was logged and replanted during or around the Second World War, and construction on Mountlake Terrace - which surrounded Oregonia - began in 1949. Mountlake Terrace was incorporated as a city in 1954, and the land comprising Oregonia became part of a public park, today called Veterans Memorial Park.

Following the suggestion of the government of the Kingdom of Überstadt to establish a Crown Dependency near the Kingdom, the Heischierland and Oregonia Act 2014 was passed in the Austenasian Parliament on 30 June 2014. King Adam I of Überstadt was appointed Governing Commissioner of Oregonia upon its establishment.

Oregonia had a strong potential to benefit the Austenasian economy by providing both a source of commercial interaction with Überstadt and resources for domestic sale or export, including within the Saint Josephsburg Economic Pact. Shipment of resources took place in August 2014, with a piece of cotton fabric coloured with the Austenasian Star with Oregonian dye being the first item to be shipped, sent to Wrythe on 8 August; it remains displayed in the Imperial Residence to this day. Due to the prohibitive cost of international shipping, however, no further shipments to Austenasia took place.

In July 2017 the Governing Commissioner announced the start of a program of ecosystem restoration in Oregonia. Work took place in March the following year to remove an invasive species of ivy from trees in the crown dependency.

Oregonia was dissolved by an Act of Parliament on 10 February 2020 by the request of King Adam, primarily due to logistical difficulties he faced in continuing to administer it, coupled with obstacles to having a continuing Uberstadti security commitment by Edmount's Finger.

Geography and climate

Oregonia lay within the Edmount's Finger Valley in the eastern Puget Sound lowlands, west of Lake Ballinger. The intermittent stream named Edmount's Finger by Überstadti explorers flows through this valley during times of moderate to heavy precipitation. Oregonia lay on a moderate slope with a slightly hilly character, with its lowest point lying within the bed of Edmount's Finger. It is wooded, and its soil becomes lightly sandy in the low-lying areas near the stream. The earth is fairly rich, however, but is afflicted by rockiness (owing to stone deposits from prehistoric glaciers) and high acidity.

Oregonia was in the shape of a right triangle. It was entered from the United States by a non-established trail forking northward from the main trail through Veterans Memorial Park along the east-west axis. The upper interior was mostly clear, with trees on the borders and slopes. The northern boundary met the southern one of the Überstadti colony Creekbed. Edmount's Finger flowed through the narrow western part of Oregonia nearing one of the triangle's vertices. The triangle’s hypotenuse ran south-easterly from the north-western vertex.

Oregonia had a temperate marine climate. The warmest month was August, with an average high of 25 °C, and the coolest was December, with an average high of 8 °C. Extreme temperatures were mitigated by nearby bodies of water, although summers have become increasingly hot in the last fifteen years over the local area. The wettest month is November, averaging 167mm of precipitation; the driest is July, averaging 18mm.

Economy

Oregonia was rich in natural resources, making it a valuable means of contributing towards Austenasian trade. The most valuable natural resource within Oregonia was timber, but the exploitation of this - as well as of water and minerals - was prohibited by the Governing Commissioner for reasons of environmental preservation. There were, however, several extractable resources that could have proven profitable. The sori (spore-producing nodules) on the leaves of sword ferns could be harvested for use as a treatment for nettle stings, as has been done by Überstadt in Creekbed Colony. Oregon grape (often known as "blood berries" amongst the Carshalton Nations) could be harvested for use as food or as a red textile dye, and its bark may be used to create a yellow dye. Naturally-occurring charcoal at the surface of the ground is known to occur in the valley, and may have existed in the dependency as well, and could be used to create ink. Some invasive plants may have proven useful, producing berries or being used in dyes upon their removal.