Saint Claire Island

Saint Claire Island is an autonomous region and overseas territory of Meriad which operates as a. It is governed from the small capital city of Saint Claire. The island is situated in the Tartaric Ocean, and is roughly equidistant from Nerotysia and Meriad.

Saint Claire Island is home to AFB Saint Claire, a small Aerial Forces airbase, and NAVSTA Stormhaven, a Meriadni Royal Navy station, and is an important port for Meriadni icebreaking and maritime police forces. The population of roughly 8,000 are primarily fishermen, shepherds, or work as part of the island's tourism and petroleum industries. Tourism is one of the island's largest sources of income, as it attracts large numbers of tourists each year to view its untouched mountain peaks and near-pristine rock shores. Shepherding is another large source of the island's yearly income, and Clairian wool is highly prized for it's soft texture and low availability.

During the Second Endwar, Saint Claire Island was home to a single Royal Navy submarine, which operated from a submarine pen built into the side of a mountain on the south of the island.

Politics and Government
Saint Claire Island operates under a system of parliamentary republic where democratically elected council members select a governor from a field of potential candidates.

Government
While it operates formally in session, Saint Claire's legislative branch is not a very high-profile entity. Due to the small number of issues that need to be discussed, the legislative body of Saint Claire Island, the Saint Claire Council, only meets twice a year, from March 3rd to April 22nd and from September 3rd to October 22nd. It may, however, be called to order by either the head of the executive branch or by a simple majority vote within the council in the event of a crisis or a need for debate. The Council is composed of twelve different representatives, one from each major settlement, with two from both Saint Claire and Stormhaven, as well as two representatives for non-major settlements. Representatives elected to the Council serve for a period of two years. The Saint Claire Council is tasked with creating legislation governing taxation, financial policy, relations with tourists, residents, and mainland Meriad, creating new laws, regulations and tariffs, and overseeing and appointing the Governor of the island, who is elected during the Council's Spring Session.

Unlike most legislative bodies, the Saint Claire Council requires a two thirds majority vote to pass any law, resolution, or appointment. This ensures that the body accurately represents the will of the people. Also in contradiction with generally held standards, the people being represented by a certain individual may call for a vote of no confidence, which may be passed by a three quarters majority. Such a vote has never been called.

The executive branch of the Clairian government is headed by the Governor. Governors are chosen in a two-thirds majority vote by the Saint Claire Council. Elected governors serve a term of one year, after which they can be re-elected. Gubernatorial appointments are made at the beginning of the Saint Claire Council's Spring Session. There is no term limit for any candidate, primarily due to the small population of the island and the relatively stable political climate. Campaigning is severely frowned upon, although not prohibited. It is usually unnecessary due to the largest ever field of candidates being a total four.

The judicial branch of the Clairian council is composed of four judges, all appointed from a field of applicants by the Governor, usually at the end of April or the beginning of May. These judges arbitrate any and all disputes that are brought to court, from lawsuits to murder trials. One of these judges is the designated Transportation Judge, and deals with all matters pertaining to transportation, be it marine, terrestrial, or aeronautic. In the event of a major dispute beyond the scope of the island, judicial jurisdiction is passed to the Appellate Court of Meriad, at which point the case in question is handled in Járnfjördur, Meriad.

Military
As an autonomous territory of Meriad, Saint Claire Island does not exercise its own foreign or military policy, but yields jurisdiction to the Meriadni government. As a result, while there are military facilities on the island, it has no formal armed forces, and Clairians wishing to enlist do so in the Meriadni Armed Forces. While a militia does exist, it is very small and is used entirely for domestic purposes such as disaster response.

Saint Claire Island is home to three military establishments, all of which are maintained and funded by the Armed Forces of Meriad. Naval Station Stormhaven is a Royal Navy installation, which is the homeport of a single icebreaker and irregular port of call of Royal Navy surface vessels. The naval station also contains an underground submarine pen constructed during the Second Endwar, which is used for training and occasionally houses a Royal Navy submarine. The Aerial Forces also maintain an airfield in the interior of the island, which is seasonal home to a small fighter wing.

Geography
Saint Claire Island has a land area of 265 square miles (686 km2) and a coastline estimated at 40 miles (64 km). The island is predominantly mountainous and hilly, with deep valleys creating isolated ecosystems in the interior of the island. Due to it's geographic distance from any other mainland and the usually high winds, trees have been prevented from taking a foothold on the island's rocky crags. This lack of large plants, in conduction with the exceptionally fertile volcanic soil, allows grass to thrive.

Climate
Due to the volcanic nature of the soil, moisture is absorbed and evaporates very easily amid the sheltered mountain valleys and peaks. Cloud banks thus form when the weather is moderate and when wind speeds are relatively low. These clouds regulate the temperature of the island's interior extremely well, as well as serving to nourish the plants that live amid the rocks.

The climate of the island is cold, windy and humid maritime. Rainfall is common roughly half of the year, averaging around 22 inches in Saint Claire, and sporadic light snowfall occurs throughout the winter months, and occasionally throughout the fall and late summer. The temperature is generally between 64.0 and 36.0 °F in Saint Claire, but can vary to 47 °F early in the year and 36 °F in July and early August. Strong westerly winds and cloudy skies are common along the coast, although the interior of the island is usually sheltered from the wind. Numerous storms are recorded each month, but conditions are usually calm.

Economy
Economic development was advanced by ship resupplying, tourism, and sheep farming for high-quality wool. During the 1980s, although synthetic fibres and ranch underinvestment hurt the sheep-farming sector, the government established a major revenue stream with the establishment of an exclusive economic zone and the sale of fishing licenses to parties wishing to commercially fish within this zone.

The private sector of the economy accounts for most of Saint Claire Island's gross domestic product, with the fishing industry alone contributing between 30% and 40% of annual GDP; agriculture also contributes significantly to GDP and employs about a tenth of the population. Tourism, part of the service economy, has been spurred by increased interest in Tartaric exploration. Tourists, mostly cruise ship passengers, are attracted by the archipelago's wildlife and environment, as well as activities such as fishing and wreck diving; the majority are based in accommodation found in Saint Claire. The island's major exports include petroleum, wool, fish and squid; its main imports include fuel, building materials, food items, and clothing.

Saint Claire's economy is dominated by petroleum exports from the Baker oil field and seafood exports, although wool exports and tourism are also major industries. While the oil extraction sector employs only a small portion of the population, the petroleum extraction taxes and licensing fees make the petroleum industry the island's largest domestic source of income. The island itself has no facilities for processing crude oil or natural gas, but instead exports the unprocessed petroleum to refineries in Meriad.

The island holds exclusive drilling rights for almost the entirety of the Baker oil field, which the island straddles, and encompasses highly profitable fisheries in its exclusive economic zone.