Atlantsia

Atlantsia (Arabic: الاتلانتسيا al-Atlantsya), officially the Emirate of Atlantsia, is a nation in the Southern Arabian Penninsula and a member state of the Alliance of Independent Nations. Its sole land border is with Oman, and it shares a seaborder with Acijnstan. Atlantsia has a land area of 92,099 sq miles (238,535 km²), and a seaborder of 1089 miles (1,753 km). It is the 6th largest nation in the Arabian Peninsula by land mass and the 5th largest by population.

Atlantsia is governed by a hereditary emir. It's capital is Masel, which is also the second biggest city. Atlantsia has long-standing military and political ties with the United Kingdom, although it maintains an independent foreign policy.

There are three major cities in Atlantsia, Badi al Zaman, Masel, and Trauadina, which together form 95.3% of its overall population.

Etymology
From Ancient Greek Ἀτλαντίς (Atlantis). In the early 15th Century, there were countless myths and tales about a hidden desert civilization. Located towards the Southern End of the Arabian Peninsula, the proposed civilization was not only technologically advanced, but also extremely intelligent and powerful. The city was known as "Atlantis of the Sands", but was never found. Merchants began referring to the area the small towns and settlements were created upon as "Atlantsia".

Early History
The earliest known settlement in Atlantsia was in the 10th century A.D. It was a small bazaar filled town, named Raha ("peaceful"), that was thought to have been a trading center for spices and silk. It is assumed the town deteriorated as a result of weather erosion and a lack of civilization due to the harsh weather conditions of the Arabian Desert.

In 1512, the Portuguese expanded into the Indian Ocean, following Vasco da Gama's route of exploration. The Portuguese controlled the area for over a century, in which they conquered the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula. The Portuguese were interested in arabian spices, salt, kola, textiles, fish, and grain. They were actively engaged in the Arab slave trade, being one of the key clients to the industry. In return for Portuguese copperware tools, wine, and horses, and later arms and ammunition, they received gold and ivory from Atlantsian mines.

British Reign
During the 16th century, the entire territory of the nation gradually came under the direct influence of the European colonial empires, with the British eventually getting the upper hand. The region was known to the British as the "Pirate Coast", as raiders based there harassed the shipping industry despite both European and Arab navies patrolling the area from the 17th century into the 19th. British suppression of piracy meant that merchant ships could operate in relative security. However, the British prohibition of the slave trade meant an important source of income was lost to many merchants.

The Oil Era
In 1954, survey teams reported oil fields centered near the southwestern region of Atlantsia. Further exploration lead to the discovery of an estimated 53 billion barrels of crude oil alongside over 7.6 trillion cubic meteres of natural gas reserves. When oil and natural gas exports commenced in 1956, large corporations such emerged, and the country's economy boomed.



Oil profits went towards creating transportation networks, improving housing, and the construction of civi structures. By 1963, Oil and gas accounted for more than 45% of GDP; roughly 70% of export earnings, and 65% of government revenues. In 1964, Atlantsia joined Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Jordan in the creation of the Trans-Arabian Pipeline (Tapline), which became an important global factor in the trade of petroleum and natural gas until 2002, when it was shut down by the Saudi oil company, Aramco.

Independence
The British initially sought out Atlantsia as an intermediary vantage point en route to their colonial interests in India; although, the discovery of petroleum and other hydrocarbons in the early 20th century would re-invigorate their interest. However, in 1966, Britain realized it could no longer afford to govern the fast-growing nation. Although an attempt was made to persuade Britain to continue to defend Atlantsia, it was rejected, and Atlantsia recieved independence in November 1 1971, after Qatar and Bahrain. It joined the UN later that year.

Government and Politics
Atlantsia has an unelected, emirate government. The position of emir is hereditary. To safely restrain the emir's powers, there are three branches regulated under a system of checks and balances. The Emir is the primary leader of the Executive Branch. He appoints one Prime Minister and 15 cabinet ministers at the beginning of his reign ad again every 4 years. Together, the Prime Minister and the cabinet ministers form the Council of Ministers.

The Legislative Branch consists of one elected Speaker, and a National Assembly of Representatives (NAR), 10 for each of the five regions of Atlantsia.


 * 1) Anwar
 * 2) Majdi
 * 3) Umarah
 * 4) Wahid
 * 5) Yasir

The regions are further divided into 30 counties which serve as third-level administrative.

The Judicial Branch consists of a single Federal Court. Justices are appointed by the NAR, and serve for 25 years.

Geography


Atlantsia is situated at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula bordering Oman and Yemen. Atlantsia shares The Diyan Gulf with Acijnstan. The southern region of Atlantsia forms The Ghanim Peninsula, which extends into The Gulf of Aden. The northern regions of Atlantsia are barren desert. Here there are millions of extensive crescent-shaped sand dunes. The soil is not desirably arable here, however can be very fertile for short durations of time during Atlantsia's annual monsoon season, which lasts from July until late September.



Agriculture here is very diverse. Dominating crops include mangoes, bananas, coconuts, sorghum, and cotton. Temperatures are excessively high during the day, but fall drastically during nightfall. The vast desert that forms Atlantsia is strewn with oases. Many perennial streams can be found in the higher elevation areas near The Dahab Mountain Range, however, only a few reach the Arabian Sea as a result of very high evaporation in the Atlantsian Desert.

Economy
Atlantsia has one of the fastest growing middle eastern economies, averaging growth of 17.91% in 2011. The main drivers of this rapid growth are attributed to ongoing increases in the production of oil, liquefied natural gas, petrochemicals, and related industries. Atlantsia is one of the biggest exporters of oil in the world, exporting $232.6 million worth of crude oil to the United States alone in 2010. Since the rapid growth of the country began due to the rise in oil prices, the standard of living has also exponentially increased. Atlantsia boasts the third highest GDP per capita in the Arab World as well as the 6th highest Human Devlopment Index.



Aside from crude oil, Atlantsia also has proven natural gas reserves of nearly 17 trillion cubic meters, 5th in the world according to The World Factbook, after Qatar, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Russia. Although it enjoys oil and gas as the driving stimulant of it's springing economy, Atlantsia is diversifying investment of its economy into sectors such as real estate, infrastructure, agriculture, and industry. However, the main recipient of investment is the tourism sector. Atlantsia was the second most visited middle eastern nation in 2011, recieving 9.52 million tourists. Atlantsia's three major cities, Badi al Zaman, Trauadina, and the capital city, Masel, combined make up 97.4% of Atlantsia's tourism industry.

Atlantsia's economy, particularly that of Masel, was badly hit by the financial crisis of 2007–2010. In 2009, the country's economy shrank by 4.24%, but Atlantsia's overseas investments are expected to support its full economic recovery. However, concern remains about the property sector. Property prices in Atlantsia fell dramatically when OneParadise, the government construction company, sought to delay a debt payment. The ability to service debt remains a problem.

Due to the growing demand for tourist accomadation, and the decreasing reliance on the oil and gas industry, land value is rapidly increasing, and large scale projects, such as the Coral Stadium are well underway. A subsequent result of the rocketing land value is the rising desirability for commercial businesses to set up offices in Atlantsia. Over 450 major international corporations have started trading centers and/or office towers in Atlantsia, 37 of which have moved headquarters into Atlantsia, and 23 of which were first started in Atlantsia itself.

The Atlantsian Financial Centre (AFC) provides financial institutions with world-class services in investment, margin and no-interest loans, and capital support. These platforms are situated in an economy founded on the development of its hydrocarbons resources, specifically its exportation of petroleum. It has been created with a long term perspective to support the development of Atlantsia and the wider region, develop local and regional markets, and strengthen the links between the energy based economies and global financial markets.

Apart from Atlantsia itself, which needs to raise capital to finance projects of more than $123 billion, the AFC also provides a conduit for financial institutions to access nearly $1.0 trillion of investments which stretch across the GCC (Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) as a whole over the next decade. Commercial ties between the United States and Atlantsia have been expanding at a rapid pace over the last five years, with trade volumes growing by more than 335%, from $719 million in 2003 to $2.9 billion in 2009. Over the same period, U.S. exports increased by 521% to $2.4 billion, making the United States the largest import partner for Atlantsia. US companies look to play key role in the $55 billion dollars that Atlantsia will invest in roads, infrastructure development, housing and real estate, health/medical and sanitation projects in the next decade.

More than 150 factories operate at the Al-Jeykh complex in Masel, which includes a deep-water port and a free trade zone for manufacturing and distribution in which all goods for re-export or transshipment enjoy a 100% duty exemption. A major power plant with associated water desalination units, an oil refinery, an aluminium smelter, and a steel fabrication unit are prominent facilities in the complex. The complex is currently undergoing expansion, with sections of land set aside for different sectors of industry.

Transportation
Masel International Augusta International