Victoria Land

State of Victoria Land

Flag
Location of Victoria Land (red) in the Federated States of Antarctica.

Nicknames: The Sea State
Capital	Darwin
Largest City	McMurdo City

Official languages	English

Demonym	Victorian

Religion	Atheism

Government
– Provisional Governor	Kyle Seddon
– Estimated Representation	25 Senators (2 at-large, 23 apportioned)

Established	January 25, 12009

Area
– Claimed	1,341 sq mi (2,158 km²) (Slightly smaller than French Polynesia) Rank 5th
– Total	~600,000 sq mi (~1,500,000 km²) Rank 6th

Population
– Citizens	0
– Residence	TBA
– Potential	500,000

Time zone	(UTC +10 to +12)

Postal code	VL, AA-VL

Victoria Land is a proposed state belonging to the Federated States of Antarctica. The proposed site is located on two small ice-free areas in the Transantarctic range along the coast of the Ross Sea. Its proximity to the two largest research facilities in the Antarctic region would create a hub for tourism and transportation of supplies. Since any unoccupied area south of the 60th parallel is a potential site for future Federation settlements, all potential future enclaves located between 142.5° and 180° East longitude and north of 82.5° South latitude would be part of the state.

Geography

Victoria Land consists of two small enclaves: The region surrounding McMurdo City and the region surrounding Darwin and Terra Nova. The McMurdo City area is on a small island and peninsula on the Ross Sea at the base of Mount Melbourne. Darwin and Terra Nova are in an ice-free valley about 120 miles southwest of Ross Island.

Administratively, the state is divided into five boroughs: Victoria, Hampton, Melbourne, Darwin, and Ross. Each borough is governed by a mayor and an Assembly, usually elected every three years, though that can vary according to borough charter. Although the federal constitution allows the state to have unorganized boroughs, there are no such divisions within Victoria Land. Each borough contains several incorporated cities, which generally consist of single massive building structures that function as communes. The state capital is located in Darwin, which will share a metropolitan area with the nation's capital city of Terra Nova. The largest city in the state is McMurdo City, which is also the largest proposed city in the Federated States.

Climate

McMurdo City

The moderating influence of the ocean prevents McMurdo City from experiencing temperatures below -20 °F on a regular basis. Precipitation falls regularly, but almost always as snow. Because of the persistent sea ice surrounding the city, shipping is only possible during the summer months. From April through October, sea ports will be closed for the winter. In the months of May, June, and July, the sun never rises. In the months of November, December, and January, the sun never sets. Skies are overcast and dreary much of the time. The McMurdo City area is one of the windiest places on Earth and blizzards happen regularly.

Darwin-Terra Nova area

Although technically coastal, the Darwin area is located on the shore of the Ross Ice Shelf and is 250 miles from the nearest body of liquid water. Therefore, it is effectively landlocked. Temperatures are quite hostile, almost never reaching 32 °F and regularly below -20 °F in winter. Precipitation (always in the form of snow) is infrequent. However, extreme winds and blizzards are common. From Mid-April through Late August, the sun never rises. From Mid-October through Late February, the sun never sets.

Flora and Fauna

Orcas, Emperor and Adelie Penguins, and seals are common in the McMurdo City area. Very little (if any) animal life exists in the Darwin area. In both areas, vegetation is limited to lichens.

Government

Like all other Federation states, Victoria Land will be governed as a socialist republic, with a very strong element of participatory democracy. There will be three branches of government: The executive branch headed by the Governor, the legislative branch consisting of a 60-member unicameral House of Representatives, and the judicial branch consisting of the Victoria Land State Supreme Court and lower courts.

Elections are held every first Sunday in March, to coincide with Federal Elections. They are officially non-partisan and do not provide for primaries. All citizens age 16 or over who have been a state resident for at least 30 days are eligible to vote.

Economy

The Victoria Land State Corporation will be the dominant business in the state. However, Victoria Land will be more capitalistic than other states. It will be analogous to capitalist Hong Kong in an otherwise socialist People's Republic of China. McMurdo City will include a financial district, a world trade center, and the McMurdo Stock Exchange.

Transportation

Air

McMurdo Intercontinental Airport (MDX) will be one of three intercontinental airports in the Federated States (the other being Magellan Intercontinental and A.B. Dobrowolski International in Oazisgrad). As such, all air traffic originating from Asia and Oceania will enter the country through McMurdo City.

Sea

The Port of McMurdo will only be open during the summer months.

Land

Gasoline vehicles will be a rarity, as they will be used mainly for commercial and industrial use. Most commuting between communities throughout the state will be by elevator, monorail, train, and bicycle. Communities will be designed in such a way that one can travel throughout the city without ever being exposed to the harsh outdoor environment.

Ice

An ice highway that traverses the continental interior is planned.

Cities and Towns

List of proposed settlements in Victoria Land:

Balleny Municipality
Balleny*

Darwin Municipality
Darwin*

Hampton Borough

Melbourne Borough, Ross Borough, Victoria Borough
McMurdo City*

(*) indicates borough seat

Federated States of Antarctica

People

David Powell (President) | Devon Moore (Vice-President/EA Governor) | Kyle Seddon (VL Governor) | Aaron Mantell (AM Governor) | Matt Anderson (Homeland Security Minister)

States

Cities