San Andreas Republic

The San Andreas Republic is a sovereign island state located in the Pacific Ocean. The island has a rounded population of 4,020,000 as of the 2012 census, of whom over 4 million live in the capital and sole city, Los Santos. There are several small towns as well on the island.



History
From 1891 til 2010, the island was part of the United States, however a referendum took place in 2008 on independence. Of 3.5 million registered voters, over 3.1 million voted in favour of independence. 300,000 voters voted to remain in the United States and the rest didn't vote. Independence was achieved on 1st January 2010. Independence leader Micheal De Santa became the first president, with his close friend and associate Franklin Clinton as Prime Minister. General Trevor Phillips, a former military pilot and associate of both De Santa and Clinton, became Chief of the General Staff, effectively head of the military. The three are effectively dictators, however, and hold all power. Before it was an American State, it was colonised by Spain in the 1580's and seized by the United Kingdom in 1806 before becoming an American State in 1891.

Politics
San Andreas is effectively under a dictatorship. President De Santa, Prime Minister Clinton and military chief General Trevor Phillips hold absolute power. Political parties are banned and there is even no legislature (parliament). Any citizen can request a new law or repeal of an old law, but all three dictators must agree to it, as they are the only ones with legislative power. President De Santa is mostly responsible for external affairs of the republic and is legally commander in chief of the military. Clinton is mostly responsible for the internal affairs of San Andreas, whilst Phillips is responsible for the defence of the island. A 6 strong council of ministers is chaired by the PM. These include the Foreign Minister, Finance Minister, Law and Justice Minister, Health Minister, Transport Minister and the Energy and Environment Minister. The PM is effectively the Internal Minister and Phillips is effectively the Defence Minister.

Foreign Relations The island is a member of the United Nations and is recognised by almost all member states. It only recognises one China and one Korea, however. It has relations with the People's Republic of China and South Korea. It has an embassy in just 12 countries, however- Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, France and Germany. Some other countries may have a consulate. All of the above nations have an embassy or consulate in San Andreas.

Law
San Andreas law is based on a mixture of three legal systems. English Common Law, Spanish Law and American Law, as all three of these nations have held sovereignty over the island throughout history. The judiciary is not independent, and must rule in favour of the dictators if necessary. There are five courts in total- the Supreme court of San Andreas, which has both civil anc criminal roles, the Lower Civil Court, the High Civil Court, the Magistrate's court and the High Court, the latter two dealing with minor and major crimes, respectively. Judges must be trained lawyers. Like in England/United Kingdom, there are two types of criminal Lawyer- a solicitor represents clients for minor offences, and a barrister represents clients for major offences. There is one type of Civil Lawyer, called a Civil Representative. The death penalty is permitted for Murder, Treason, Terrorism, Kidnapping and Rape, but in the latter cases it must result in death of the victim. Execution is by firing squad, as the official position of the government is that 'facing death in the face, as by shooting, is more honourable and noble.' Convicts can ask for an alternative execution method of lethal injection, but most tend not to.

Security
There are several law enforcement bodies on the island: The San Andreas Highway Patrol is responsible for policing the highways of the island, and has powers throughout the nation. The Los Santos Sheriff's Office is responsible for policing both political divisions of San Andreas (Los Santos and Blaine County). The San Andreas Park Rangers police the national parks on the island, and the San Andreas Department of Corrections has prison officers with police powers. The Los Santos Police Department is responsible for policing the city of Los Santos. Altogether, there are around 15,000 police officers on the island, and President De Santa is looking at creating a single San Andreas Police Force. Apart from correctional officers, all policemen are armed with pistols and can carry other weapons like shotguns and even sniper rifles for specially trained officers. Only prison officers with little or no prisoner contact can carry a sidearm. A paramilitary force is active, called the National Office for Security Enforcement. This is independent of the police and only responds to high risk situations, such as terrorism. San Andreas maintains a military force, called the San Andreas Military Forces. These include an Army of 22,000 personnel and a navy with 7,500 personnel. Both the army and navy have significant air power, and so an independent air force is not needed. The San Andreas Air Force is, therefore, not a standing organisation and is made up of army and navy aircraft and personnel and is only active when needed. The army's equipment includes over 200 tanks, in addition to an air corps with 250 helicopters, ranging from small attack helicopters known as Buzzards to large, heavy lift tandem rotor helicopters called a Cargobob. Also, the army has 125 fighter jets and 24 large transport planes, called Titans. The navy has 12 frigates, 4 submarines, 35 patrol boats and 22 other vessels, including auxiliaries. Frogger and Maverick helicopters are used by the navy, plus a small number of Cargobobs.

Settlements
The main settlement on the island is Los Santos, the capital and by far the largest city, with 4 million people. A total of 20,000 people live elswehere. There are three other main towns. Sandy Shores, with a population of around 3,010, and Grapeseed, an agricultural town with around 1,000 residents, are situated to the south-east of the Alamo Sea, a large lake in the centre of the island. Paleto Bay, on the north of the island, has around 4,000 residents and serves mainly as a truck stop and industial town. Some small villages with a handful of people each are dotted around the island.

Political divisions
The island is split into two counties. Blaine county is to the north, and contains the towns of Sandy Shores, Paleto Bay and Grapeseed. Los Santos County, including the city of Los Santos, is to the south of the island.

Transport
There is an extensive bus and tram service in Los Santos. A regular bus route goes from Los Santos to Paleto Bay but this takes a long time. The main train line is only for freight, not passengers. An underground tram system serves Los Santos, which goes overground as well. There are four airports in San Andreas. Los Santos international is the main gateway with the world, and has flights to most nations in the Americas and Caribbean. There are also flights to Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. A regional airport serves Blaine County, but this is in disuse and now usually serves as a hub for amateur pilots and flight schools, with a flight to Los Santos once a day. Grapeseed contains a small air field but is unsuitable for all except light aircraft, and Fort Zanudo contains a military air base. The Port of Los Santos can house several container ships, but a large part is now restricted as a naval base. There is a heliport in Los Santos, opposite a marina, both of which are used by the rich and famous.

Demographics
A census in 2012 gave the exact population as 4,020,449. 2,011,113 were men and the rest women. The census showed a very low birth rate, with just 12,000 people under 15 years of age. The life expectancy is said to be 78.3 years for men and 81.1 years for women. The main religion was Christianity, with over 3.5 million answering as Christian. Small Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist communities also exist. Only 10,000 respondents said they had no religion, though most stated they weren't very religious/not practicing.

Wealth and economy
In Los Santos, particularly the affluent Vinewood and Rockford Hills districts, many residents are wealthy, and often employ their own housekeepers and gardeners. Some more run down districts, like Davis, are more poor but still wealthier than Blaine County. Tourism and the Film Industry contribute most to the island's economy.