Marquette

Marquette officially The Republic of Marquette (French: République de Marquette) is a Parliamentary Republic microstate, bordered by the United States to the south and east, and Canada to the west and north.The country was recently accepted into AIN as an associate member.

The official languages are English and French with 68% of the population English speaking and 30% French speaking.

Marquette has a total area of 650 square miles (1046 square kilometers); and a population of 2.6 million as of last year's census, however 90% of the population is centered in the area known as the Quad Cities, a large and expansive metro area near Lake Canada. The largest city is New Chatham which also serves as the capital, coincidentally New Chatham lies within the Quad Cities Metro Area.

History
Until 2010 Marquette was part of the United States and Canada, however citizens in the area had always felt they had a seperate identity from the US and Canada. In June of 2009 an Independence Council was formed to meet with federal politicians of both countries. After much deliberation on March 5, 2010 the US granted independence to the Quad Cities region, and also annexed 550 square miles of land around the Quad Cities. Canada soon followed and annexed another 100 square miles to the country. One condition of both countries was the right of free shipping through the Marquette controlled portion of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Canada until 2050.

After independence was gained the new country set itself in motion, naming itself Marquette after a French explorer who first explored the area around Ste. Frederic. City Councils worked together to form a federal government, and soon Prime Minister Louie Marc Boudreau was elected after 5 years as Mayor of the city of Ste. Frederic.

Government
Marquette is considered to be a Parliamentary Republic. Currently Parliament is split equally between the two main parties in the country with 25 seats held by the MCP (Marquette Conservative Party) and the other 25 seats held by members of the MNLP (Marquette National Liberal Party), making up the total of 50 seats. Although other parties are allowed in government no representatives from other parties were elected nationally. The Prime Minister oversees the Executive branch which includes Parliament and signs new laws into action. The Prime Minister also acts the main dignitary, representing the country on tours and at international summits.

The Marquette Supreme Court handles all apeals from district courts, and acts as a check and balnce to the Executive branch of government, also making sure Parliament doesn't cross its boundries. The Supreme Court has a total of 10 judges that are appointed by the Prime Minister and serve a term for 5 years.

The Citizens rights are protected by the Marquette Doctrine that was signed by government officials at the time of independence. It guarentees the rights that each citizen has. The Doctrine also defines the limits of some branches of the Federal Government, and the basic laws of the country. The first ammendment to the Doctrine was made in February 2012 when Parliament passed the Illegal Pet and Domestic Animal Act.

The Government is divided into different departments that are responsible for daily affairs of various things. These Departments include: Department of Defense and Foreign Affairs, Department of Commerce, Department of Environmental and Energy, Monetary and Economic Department, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Health and Education.

Military
Marquette despite being a small country does maintain a small military presence, mostly for its national security. However, Marquette Military forces are currently deployed in some international conflicts. Collectively all Marquette Military Branches are known as the Marquette Forces.

Upon turning 18 all males are required to register in case of a draft. The Army currently has 40,000 personnel, not including the 1,500 deployed forces internationally. The standard infantry unit is equipped with an M-16 Rifle, and close combat pistol. The Marquette Army is administered by the the Department of Defense, and the General Adam Kent is the current Head of the Generals Staff who is in charge of the Department of Defense. a total of 1,200 tanks and support vehicles are maintained by the Marquette Army at all times, and are manufactured spefically in Marquette, currently the M1 Predator Tank is in use.



The army has 3 main bases within the country, these include Fort Deballivier in Ste. Marie, Fort Capital in Vista River, and Fort Merrifield in Rorherstown. Marquette also hopes to work with the Cattalan government to establsh a base within the country. Marquette's Army is also responsible for overseeing sea based operations. Marquette currently has no Navy, however the country does have a fleet of two Frigate Class ships purchased from Canada. The Army Sea Command is responsible for coordinating the actions of these ships, and the 1,200 members that make up thier crew. Both ships are based out of the Raskin Military Docks.



The Marquette Air Force is responsible for all Air based operation. The Air Force currently maintains a force of 6,500 fighter jets, and 100 Chinook, and M-28 Helicopters. Curently 10,000 pilots and support personnel keep the Air Force operational and ready to defend any ground forces.