Nautilus

Nautilus, known formally as the Kingdom of Nautilus, is a city-state in Avalon, often grouped into the geopolitical region of Gaullica. It is located on a small peninsula at the north of Chantecoq, which it borders to the west. It also shares a maritime border to the north with Llanwyn by the Strait of Nautilus.

The entire country is located on a small flat plain that borders the ocean with an oceanic climate. Due to its size, the state is largely dependent on imports from neighbouring Chantecoq, Llanwyn and former coloniser Eden.

Nautilus is considered to be a highly developed nation with a thriving economy in the service industry, with around 14,773,269 residents making the city-state a high-density mega-city. Around a third of the country's income is sourced from the tourism industry, along with fishing, pharmaceuticals and other service industries to make up the remainder of the economy. Although having no true 'capital city' due to its size, the de facto capital district, Nauta, can be found along the eastern coast of the country.

Etymology
Nautilus' name is inspired by the shells first collected by its exiled Edish founder, and first king, along the bay of Nauta. Upon gaining independence, the nautilus shell is said to represent the country's independence, history and former status as a colony to Eden as well as celebrating its traditional fishing lifestyle prior to independence.

History
The Kingdom of Nautilus, formerly a colony of Eden, was established by Edish settlers on January 31, 1888. Its original status among the Edish Empire was to serve as a strategic trading port along the Strait of Nautilus to contend with Llanwyn. The first major trading dockyards were located in modern-day Nauta district in the Bay of Nauta as well as in the borough of Izola to the north, exporting mainly fish and crops prior to its urbanisation offset by its independence.

Cristos Terris' Exile to Nautilus
On May 29, 1899, Cristos Terris was exiled from mainland Eden for plotting against the Edish government. His exile was to last for an eternity in Nautilus as he was instructed to oversee the trade deals established between the colony and the empire's competitor, Llanwyn. Despite his plot against the Edish government, he was highly regarded among Nautilites working in the small peninsula as he established trade unions and promoted anti-Edish colonisation and freedom among residents.

Establishment of Monarchy in Nautilus
Four years after the beginning of his eternal exile to Nautilus, in an act of independence and hostility towards Eden, Nautilite residents formally recognised Terris' status as the inaugural King of Nautilus on March 1, 1903. As such, the peninsula began a golden age of art and architectural innovation to honour the new monarch with unique 'spiral' designed buildings to resemble the nautilus shell. This architectural style stood out from the buildings of Eden, and inspired the historic Nautilus New Palace. The name 'New' continues to be used to refer to the original building and its position in contrast to the Edish Empire. It is conveniently located close to the Nauta Dockyard at the northern tip of the Bay of Nauta.

Status of Semi-Autonomy and Appeal for Independence
The Edish Empire, in recognition of the growing population and independence of Nautilus gained semi-autonomy without request on November 30, 1914. Although generally regarded as a step towards independence by most Nautilites, historians recognise the political strategy to pacify growing pleas for independence from the empire. As such, protests began at the dawn of the 1920s in a renewed demand for independence, formalised in an Appeal for Independence on August 16, 1925. Following this appeal, a year-long negotiation period took place, with Judgement Day taking place the same day in 1926.

Judgement Day and Independence
Following a year of negotiation with the Edish Empire, the Kingdom of Nautilus gained independence on August 16, 1926 under the prerequisite that the monarchy act simply as a 'figurehead' for the nation given Terris' criminal record in Eden. Terris reluctantly accepted this condition and within one year of independence, the Nauti monarchy was to step down with the creation of a formal constitution.

Constitution and Parliament Formation
On January 1, 1927, the Kingdom of Nautilus established its first parliament, with the first general election taking place on the very same day. The constitution recognises the monarchy's absolute power over parliament which acts to serve the monarchy and the country. It consists of a Royal House of monarchical advisories and a Common House of elected members of the parliament. Each house has equal power in the creation of policy. General elections have since followed once every 5 years, the latest taking place on January 1, 2017 and the next to be scheduled on January 1, 2022. The Kingdom of Nautilus continues to harbour amicable relations with Eden.

Geography
Given its location on a small flat plain peninsula, urbanisation has been effortless in the city-state, now being 98% urbanised. Few parks exist to preserve the natural landscape of the peninsula, popular among Nautilus' high tourist base. Other notable landmarks include the Royal Promenade, Nautilus New Palace, Exolesco Arcade and Loris Rolling Hills.

Transport
Due to its small land area, the majority of Nauti residents are a very short walk from a metro station. The Nautilus Metro System (NMS) is a government-owned underground railway system that serves all 29 boroughs of the city with 13 metro lines. Additionally, residents of Nauta and Exolesco boroughs benefit from the presence of a localised tram network, known as Nautram, which services the major metro stations as well as less touristic areas of the two boroughs. It is said that the presence of Nautram and NMS in Exolesco is largely the cause of its massive population, rivalling Nauta itself. The city is also well-connected by its two ports at Nauta and Izola, which run regular passenger and cargo ships to and from Llanwyn, Eden, Chantecoq and Lúnasagh.

Additionally, Nautilus benefits from its recently upgraded road network, with the construction of the Byway, a four-lane motorway spanning from Chantecoq, through to Nautilus Gate in the borough of Dacius, and directly to Nauta. Aside from the Byway, the city is connected by a small number of A-Roads circling the capital district and serving the metro-hubs in the boroughs of Ashnis, Auryn, Elos, Genesisverti, Iona, Izola, Leonora, Naomi, Nimbus, Quorvos & Nell, Pileus, Rosario, Tathos, Terrakis, Valion and Wilowos.

Plans to expand the A-Road network have been superseded by a flux in funding for N-Roads servicing the greater Nauta-Exolesco metropolis exclusively due to recent concerns of traffic buildup.

Demographics
Nautilus is divided by 5 districts: North, East, South, West and the Capital district. These districts all contain 7 boroughs, except for the Capital district containing only one, making for a total of 29 boroughs. Generally, the population of Nautilus is highly diversified in all boroughs, but largely collect towards the coast and major metro-hubs including Nauta, Exolesco, Izola and Elos.