Sarena

Sarena 사르나
Autonomous Province
Sarena Southern Maritimes
Sarena in dark green, Haesan in light green
Country	Haesan
Southern Maritimes established	1092
Independence granted	11 August 1968
Namju Accords	2 April 1991
Capital and largest city	Altina
Official languages	English, Haean, Sarenan
Religion	47.3% Celestialism 22.9% No religion 15.7% Protestantism 7.8% Catholicism 3.1% Minjian/Neo-Minjian 3.3% Other
Demonym(s)	Sarene
Government
• Prime Minister	Ha Won Sok (Sarene Democracy Party)
• Governor	Cristina Morelli (Free Democrats)
Legislature	Parliament of Sarena
National Assembly
• Chamber of the Commonwealth	2/100
• Chamber of Deputies	3/400
Area
• Total	12,877 km2 (4,972 sq mi)
Population
• 2015 census	908,412 (17th)
Time zone	UTC+6:30 (Haesan Maritime Time)
Postal	SM
ISO 3166	HAE-SM
Website	sarena.sr.gov

Sarena (Haean: 사르나, IPA: sɑrənɑ), also spelled Sareuna, is an autonomous province of Haesan officially listed as the Southern Maritimes. The province, independent from 1968 to 1991, runs its own legislature and is granted extensive political autonomy. Sarena maintains a unique political and cultural identity from the rest of Haesan, heavily affected by Valahandian, Maximusian, and Costenan influences throughout its history, and the relative isolation of its population centers has led to a strong, independent identity and tradition of self-reliance. Although nominally a province of Haesan, Sarenes often consider Sarena as a nation, and with the consent of the Haesanite government, the province is still granted permission to compete as a country in some international competitions and vary rarely may serve in some international organizations.

History

Sarena was not a defined region until the Dominion of United Haesan designated a governorship of the "southeastern islands of the proximate maritime region" in 1092. That edict first joined all but the two northernmost Albarine islands of Haesan into a singular political entity. Ruled as a region for the ongoing centuries, Sarena was relatively stable and isolated from affairs in Suyang, and oftentimes one of the more prosperous provinces due to its strong trade links and inherent natural advantages in the fishing and agricultural industries. In the 16th century, Sarena was the first gateway to Haesan for explorers from Liberalia and western Hesperida. With the permission of the Haesanite governate, the Costenans were the first foreigners to establish a trading port in the region, at Maravilla in 1549. Dutch explorers also established an extensive network in the region in the late 17th century, eventually using ports at Nieuw Tiel and Constantia to connect their outposts in the region, especially linking ports like Deventer on the eastern coast of Haesan to their holdings along the Xianhai Gulf on the Laeralian coast. In 1710, Valahandia made overtures to colonize the Sarene Islands, but was ultimately dissuaded by increased Haesanite military presence.

However, in the 18th century, the French and Opthelians began to rapidly colonize the region, and although the French had an advantage due to the forward scouting work of Gabriel Nicolas de Albarine among others, the Opthelians quickly seized territory along Haesan's southern coast, including the capture of the French Sarene maritime outposts of Île Chancel and Port Duquesnay. The Albarine Sea and Sarene Islands saw much of the brunt of the fighting during the early phase of the War of Haesanite Succession, and it was during this violent period that the first idea of a Sarena independent from Haesan first began to emerge. The Sarene Charter was drafted in Altina in 1789 to call for a free and independent Sarena, but due to insufficient communication across provinces and a forceful Opthelian response, the movement was quelled.

During Opthelian rule, Sarena remained less developed than other provinces as colonial Opthelians focused more heavily on the islands' agricultural production. As a result, Sarenes were some of the first to adopt Seo Ji-min's message of a free Haesan for all during the independence movement, and was the first province to be abandoned by Opthelian authorities as Haesan became independent. Sarenes maintained their independent mindset in the new democratic era, and when Haesan descended into military dictatorship during the April Coup, Sarena was once again a major center of resistance. Although brutally repressed by the authoritarian regime, during the Great War, Haesan's hold on the islands slipped, and at the war's conclusion Sarene advocates called on the Maximusian government to grant the islands an independence referendum. In 1968, the Maximusians acceded, and after a landslide vote, the Republic of Sarena was founded.

Although the Republic was stable politically, it struggled economically to rebuild from the wreckage of the Great War. Because a large proportion of the economy was agricultural, much of the nation remained poor, and efforts to build up the national tourism industry were only a moderate success. A collapse of the Sarene dollar in 1990 proved to be the death knell for the nation, and as Haesan was democratized and rapidly developing, in 1991 the islands rejoined Haesan with the signing of the Namju Accords, which allowed for Sarena to maintain large amounts of autonomy and some forms of national representation along with debt relief in exchange for reunification.

Geography and Climate

Sarena is composed of 7 islands and 5 islets on the border between the Albarine Sea and the Promethean Sea. Most of the islands are relatively flat, with little elevation change, with the exception of the largest, Subyeol, on which lies the dormant volcano of Hwaminsan with a summit of 1,040 metres (3,410 ft). The Southern Grouping of three islands and Subyeol has a Mediterranean with a hot summer climate, or Koppen Csb. The Northern Grouping are classified as Mediterranean Csa, as those islands have slightly cooler summers, similar to the rest of the Haesanite mainland.

Economy

The port of Constantia; tourism to seaside ports and resorts is the main driver of the Sarene economy

Revenues from tourism comprise over 60% of the Sarene economy. The islands have a large hospitality sector, with many resorts, as well as restaurants and other amenities catering to tourists. Agriculture remains an outsized portion of Sarene's economy as well, with around 30% of Sarenes still employed in agriculture, largely in sugarcane farming and refining. There is little heavy industry in the province, although it remains a hub for logistics, as a major refueling site for vessels traversing the Albarine and Promethean seas. Altina International Airport is the third largest airport by passenger volume in Haesan. Sarena generates much of its energy from solar power, about 31%, but imports the vast majority of the rest from the Haesanite mainland.

Government

Sarena is a province of Haesan and is subject to all of the laws of the Haesanite national government. Sarenes have full suffrage and are Haesanite citizens, although passports issued in the Southern Maritimes may indicate the Sarene nationality if so desired, but it is considered functionally and legally equivalent to a Haesanite passport. The Southern Maritimes are awarded 3 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and 2 seats in the Chamber of the Commonwealth in Haesan's National Assembly.

In addition to a provincial governor appointed by the president, Sarena also elects a parliament which can raise provincial funds and manage provincial policy. This parliament has a moderate amount of authority, but extensive autonomy to act independently from the Haesanite government. While it cannot manage foreign policy, Parliament has been highly effective in managing economic subsidies favorable to the tourism industry, aggressively promoting marine and environmental conservation, and in reducing noise and light pollution. The leader of the governing coalition in Parliament is the Prime Minister of Sarena.

Culture

Sarene rum is major export of the province and is sought the world over

Sarena has a unique culture due to the myriad of influences that have acted upon the islands over the years. While often directly traced back to Haesanite customs, Sarene traditions are often adapted due their isolated environment. An example of this is in traditional clothing, where silk garments are often substituted for embroidered woven cloth ones on holidays like Seollal. Culinary traditions also vary, with Sarene cuisine relying more heavily on seafood and citrus than its mainland counterpart. Sweets are also very important in Sarene culture, and are often made from scratch in most households to celebrate important occassions. Alcohol has an outsize influence in Sarena, and Parliament has legislated more relaxed regulations on alcohol use including a lowered drinking age of 16. Rum and flavored liquors are staple exports of Sarena, and Sarene spirits are sought out across the IDU. Sarena, like much of Haesan, has a strong sporting culture, particularly in cricket and association football where it competes on the international stage. Sailing and watersports are also popular pastimes. Sarena is covered by two major media markets, Jeonyu and Anmi-Yeocheon, and typical Haesanite entertainment content like Hae-pop, music television, and Haesanite dramas are also extremely popular in the province.