Montecara

Montecara, is a British overseas territory in southeastern South America. It lies between Argentina and Uruguay at the mouth of the Uruguay River. It is a city-state, home to 1.7 million people in an area of 256 square kilometers—the smallest country in South America.

Montecara is notable for its liberal social policies. Same-sex marriage is legal, health care and education are free and universal, and the country's all-geothermal power industry is government-owned.

History
The land which would come to be Montecara was first settled by the Charrúa, a small tribe which had been driven south from their original homeland by the Guaraní.

The first Europeans to arrive on the site was a party of emigrants from Genoa who established a settlement at the southwestern tip of present-day Jamestown. They established their own city-state by allying with local Indians and trading with neighboring Spanish settlements. Montecara was able to maintain its separate identity from the rest of Spanish America thanks to its ties to the powerful Genoese republic and to the strength of the fort on Isola di Cara, which guarded the estuary on which the town was established.

Control of the settlement was given to the United Kingdom at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The British have continued to administer the colony ever since.

Politics
Politics in Montecara takes place in the framework of a democratic parliamentary system. Suffrage is universal and compulsory beginning at age 16.

Parliament
The Parliament of Montecara is a unicameral body composed of 61 members elected from a combination of single-member districts and party lists based on proportional representation. The Prime Minister is elected by a majority vote of Parliament from among its members. Parliament meets in its building on Parliament Square in Westminster.

Since independence, Parliament has been dominated by the Social Democrats and the United Left, parties which often work in coalition. The Liberal Party and the Christian Democrats are usually the largest parties in opposition. Far-right extremist parties are illegal.

Judiciary
The judicial system is based on English common law. The Supreme Court of Montecara is the ultimate court of appeal and can rule on the constitutionality of laws. Laws that are found unconstitutional are invalidated. The Supreme Court consists of five judges nominated by the Prime Minister and confirmed by majority vote of Parliament. They are entitled to serve until the mandatory retirement age of 70, after which they may retain senior status but are no longer active members of the court. The Supreme Court sits at its building on Parliament Square in Westminster.

Compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction is accepted.

Foreign Relations
Montecara participates in the following international organizations:

Food and Agriculture Organization, G-77, Inter-American Development Bank, International Atomic Energy Agency, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Criminal Court, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, International Hydrographic Organization, International Labor Organization, International Maritime Organization, Interpol, International Olympic Committee, International Organization for Migration, Inter-Parliamentary Union, International Organization for Standardization, International Telecommunication Union, International Trade Union Confederation, Latin American Economic System, Mercosur, Non-Aligned Movement, Organization of American States, Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Permanent Court of Arbitration, Rio Group, United Nations, Union of South American Nations, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, World Tourism Organization, Universal Postal Union, World Customs Organization, World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization

Montecara is party to the following treaties:

Environment: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

Military
Montecara maintains an Army, a Navy, and a Coast Guard.

The Army consists of a regiment-sized combat unit equipped with modern weapons, including jet fighter/bombers, attack helicopters, and tanks.

The Navy is undergoing procurement and is planned to include at least one destroyer and a submarine.

The Coast Guard is responsible for maritime customs enforcement duties and search and rescue operations. It maintains helicopters and small watercraft.

Climate
Warm, with few extremes and no sub-freezing temperatures.

Economy
Natural resources include geothermal power, arable land, and fresh water.

Transport
Montecara maintains a modern system of transport, encompassing a network of roads, mass transit, airports and seaports, freight rail, and ferries.

All roads in Montecara are paved. There are often tolls between population centers, with proceeds collected by the government. The Montecarian government has set a goal of moving away from car-based transportation and reducing automobile mode share to at most third place, behind walking and public transit. This effort has been successful in several major areas within the city-state. The Montecara Numbered Route System, a network of mostly dual-carriageway roads that connects to Uruguay and Argentina and goes through most dense areas within the country, serves as the trunk route. There are no motorways.

The mass-transit system densely covers all built-up areas in the country, and includes a heavy-rail network, Metro, buses, and trams.

There are three international airports in Montecara.

Montecara is home to several large seaport facilities, including major ones at Georgetown and Freeport.

Religion
The religious makeup of Montecara reflects its history as a British colony, and is also notable for being the most secular of any country in the Americas. A plurality—45%—of Montecarians are affiliated with the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America. The country is coterminous with the Anglican Diocese of Montecara. About 38% are either atheists or agnostics, which with Uruguay's figure of 17.2% and Argentina's figure of 11.3% makes the Southern Cone one of the world's most secular regions along with most of Europe, former Communist countries, and East Asia.

Descendants of the country's Genoese inhabitants and immigrants from neighboring countries and their offspring account for most of the 9.7% of Montecarians who are Catholic. Other Christians include various Protestant groups along with small Orthodox communities.

The remaining 1.2% of Montecarians follow diverse religions, with small numbers of Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Jews.