Plumas

Plumas is a province in the northwestern region of Sierra. Plumas is the 8th largest and 12th most populous of the 23 provinces of Sierra. The province's capital is Ukiah while the largest city is New Rotterdam. It is ranked 5th in the order of admission into the Kingdom, being admitted on November 28, 1858, the inaugural day of the Kingdom of Sierra. It is the only second-level administrative region in the Kingdom to have as one of its official languages.

Plumas shares borders with Shasta to the north, Washumko and Reno to the east, San Francisco and Tahoe to the south, and the to the west. Although Plumas is officially part of the Pacific Northwest region, it is sometimes considered a part of the Styxie and was historically a constituent state in the Second California Republic during the Sierran Civil War. Geographically diverse and expansive, the province is divided into three main regions: Western Plumas, Central Plumas, and Eastern Plumas. Western Plumas is primarily hilly with minor topographic variations within the. Central Plumas lies within the northern end of the transnational and is flat at sea level, and suitable for farming. Eastern Plumas is dominated by the with steadily rising elevations eastward, reaching over 14,000 feet in some parts.

Numerous indigenous tribes originally inhabited Plumas before the first Dutch settlers arrived in the mid-17th century to establish New Holland. Although Plumas was under de jure control of Spain, the Dutch administered a colonial autonomous government in present-day New Rotterdam, who eschewed Spanish detection by maintaining secrecy of its existence until 1820 when the newly independent nation of Mexico sent an expedition towards the Dutch colony, and revealed its location. After the Netherlands relinquished control over New Holland to Mexico, the Dutch colonists were permitted to continue living on the land as Mexican citizens. During the Mexican-American War, many New Hollanders participated in the Bear Flag Revolt, and helped the Anglo-Americans in toppling the Mexican government. Plumas became a state in California after the war ended in 1848. On November 27, 1858, Plumas became a province of Sierra.

Plumas features variable geography and landscapes, with two major mountain ranges straddling either side of the province in a northwest-southeast orientation (the and ), and the  running in between the slopes of these two ranges. Coastal Plumas is studded with low to mid-rolling grassy hills, while Central Plumas' elevation dips to flat, fertile farmland at sea-level, before giving way to deciduous and coniferous forests that cover the steadily rising levels of the Sierra Nevada in Eastern Plumas.

Agriculture, mining, fishing, forestry, chemicals, and tourism are major industries in Plumas. The province also has a rich history in shipbuilding and manufacturing, and these industries continue to play an important, albeit reduced role in the economy. It is the leading producer of, s, s, s, , , and s in the country, and one of the highest producers of these aforementioned crops in the world. Annually, Plumas receives over 9 million unique visitors, mostly from Sierrans in other PSAs, who visit Rotterdam,, , the Town of Juno, and.

Etymology
The name Plumas derives from the Spanish name for, El Rio de las Plumas (The River of the Feathers). The river is a major waterway that runs through most of the province, and was given its name by, , and their company of men when they explored eastern Plumas in 1836 along. When they happened upon one of Sacramento River's tributaries, there was a bed of feathers covering one particular spot near the river. Usage of the name "Plumas" became immensely popular among both English and Spanish-speaking people in the area, and was the name chosen by the California National Legislature when it admitted Plumas as a state. When Plumas was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sierra, it was officially known as the Province of Plumas.

Another commonly used name to refer to Plumas is New Holland to reflect the province's long history of the Dutch who were the first Europeans to inhabit the region, and who has maintained a rich, thriving community in the present-day. New Holland was the name for the Dutch colony established along the Pacific in present-day New Rotterdam, and itself a reference to, a region in the. The official Dutch translation for Plumas is New Holland (Nieuw Holland), although both Nieuw Holland and Plumas are used interchangeably with no clear preference among Sierran Dutch speakers.

Geography
With an area of 22,307 sq mi (59,215 km km$2$), Plumas is slightly larger than and the. It is the eighth largest province in Sierra, and the 10th largest PSA in the Kingdom. Plumas shares borders with five other provinces: Shasta (north), Washumko (east), Reno (east), Tahoe (south), and San Francisco (south). It and Shasta form the Sierran Pacific Northwest, although the province is often culturally and politically grouped alongside the Styxie, a region which includes its southern neighbors.

Topography
The province's topography is mainly divided into three regions: the, , and.

The coastal section of the province is mostly hilly, though few areas exceeding 8,000 ft in elevation. The, alongside the , , and help define the Northern Coastal Ranges that run parallel to the Pacific Ocean. Much of the coast lies within the Coastal Range Physiographic Province, and features various valleys in-between ranges including and, both renowned areas for wine-making. Immediately east of the Coastal Ranges lies the Sacramento Valley. The valley is the northernmost extension of the nationwide-long Central Valley. Situated in the center of the province, Sacramento Valley is an extremely fertile region of grassland and arable soil nestled between the surrounding mountain ranges. Unlike the western and eastern regions of Plumas, central Plumas is almost entirely flat, with few exceptions including the (referred to as the "world's smallest mountain range"). Water derives from both sides of the valley, and feeds into the and its. Eastern Plumas contains the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountain ranges, as well as portions of the to the far east. The is moderately varied, although the region as a whole is topologically more consistent than the coastal region. The Sierras were created and formed by continuous and historical glacial movement.

Climate
Like much of Sierra's Californian region, Plumas' climate is generally (: Csa), although in higher elevations, the climate is milder with a. Summers are characterized by high daytime temperatures and little to no precipitation, while winters are milder and wetter, with foggy mornings. Due to the cooling effect of the along the Pacific Ocean, coastal Plumas is significantly cooler than the central inland year-round, and has stabler, consistent temperature gradients.

Overall, Plumas receives some of the highest levels of precipitation in federal Sierra, with some areas averaging rainfalls as high as 28 inches a year. Generally speaking, as temperature cool by increasing elevation, the amount of precipitation in the province increases. A noticeable exists east of the Coastal Ranges within Central Plumas, with the region experiencing wetter conditions as one moves eastward due to the Sierra Nevada. Snowfall does occur, but is generally restricted to high-elevations with altitudes of 7,000 feet and up, with the majority of the province's snowfall occurring in the Sierra Nevada in the east. Certain areas can receive up to 10 feet of snow per year. Snow in the Sierra Nevada is the primary source (aside from subterranean ) and provider for water in Plumas, and the entire country, contributing as much as 70% of the province's water needs. The area, known as the Sierra National Water Project, is crucial to agriculture and other industries, and is carefully supervised by the Plumas Central Water Authority. When occur, retentive measures are laid down in place to limit natural water loss and human consumption.

Flora
Plumas is home to hundreds of species of plants, some of which are unique only to the region. The province is divided into several distinct, and are dependent on location, altitude, and climate. The flora in Plumas are one of the most environmentally sensitive in the Kingdom, and are threatened by, , , and.

Plumas' lower-lying forests within the transition zone include species such as the redwood (') and the giant sequoia ('). Other native trees found in Plumas include the tanbark oak ('), pepperwood ('), sugar pine ('), madrona ('), and the Douglas fir (). The forest floors are home to ferns and flowering plants such as the swordfern ('), barrenwort ('),, , the , , , and.

On higher elevations, the colder climate can sustain specieis including the Jeffrey pine ('), the red fir ('), the foxtail pine ('), the lodgepole pine ('), the sculpted puffball ('), the western redbud ('), and the dwarf. The alpine mountains are also covered with a variety of wildflowers ranging from the Sierra primrose ('), yellow columbine ('), the yarrow ('), blue elderberry, buttercups ('), and the alpine shooting star ().

Fauna
There are many species of terrestrial and marine animals in Plumas, reflecting the biological diversity and richness of the province. Covering a large area of territory, Plumas covers several biotic zones including, subalpine, and alpine. In the province's transition and Canadian zones, there are, , , , , , , , , several species of snakes and , , , , , and.

Early history
Numerous Native Sierran tribal groups inhabited the area in what is now known as Plumas. Among the groups which existed within the province's modern boundaries were the, , and. It is widely believed, based on archeological findings, that the earliest peoples first arrived and settled in Plumas between 8000 and 5000 BC. The first settlers demonstrated some command in tool-making and art, as evidenced by s found throughout the province.

Government and politics
As defined by the Constitution of Plumas, the government of Plumas has three branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The executive branch consists of several popularly elected offices and appointed officials, with the Governor as the chief executive and head of the government. The Queen is represented in Plumas by Her Majesty's Lord Superintendent, a viceregal noble, who serves as the nominal head of state. Legislative functions are handled by two bodies: the Plumas Provincial Assembly and the Plumas Central Water Authority. The former is responsible for creating and passing general legislation, while the latter is responsible for establishing regulations and oversight over the province's waterways and bodies of water, as well as providing meteorology evaluations, and flood prevention services. The judiciary is composed of the Supreme Court of Plumas and its inferior courts.