Banco Grande

Banco Grande Province Propinsi Bank Besai Grand Bank Province
Province
Flag
Nickname(s):  The Friendly Province
Country	Slokais Islands
Establishment	01 January 1894
Capital and largest city	Las Pinas
Ethnic groups	45% Mescaldo 17% Ren 11.5% Costenos 10.8% Indigenous 5.4 Afro Slokasians 4.6% Damensara 4.3% Blancos 2.9% Kaijanese 2.1% Haesanite 1% Other 0.5% Andharian
Demonym(s)	Bancoan
Government
• Governor	Joaquin Lin (National Alliance)
• Speaker of the Kayoah-Ko Assembly	Robert "Bubba" Marquez
• Upper house	Banco Grande Senate
• Lower house	Banco Grande Assembly
National representation
• Slokaisian Legislature	15/643
Population
• 2025 census	1,575,512 (17th)
Postal	BG

Banco Grande is a province in Slokais Islands, home to 1,575,512 people. With a capital city at Las Pinas, Banco Grande is a relatively small province with much of the province being made of wetlands. The province is known for its traditional culture such as food, folk music, and art. However, the largest industries are fishing and palm oil production, which occur in the vast Malunam Wetlands, as well as lithium mining. While located on San Fernando Island, the province has more cultural ties with Acaida and Pindai due to history.

Etymology

Banco Grande is named for the region's geography, which is relatively flat and juts out from the rest of San Fernando Island. The name was chosen in the 1565 by Servando Villanueva, when writing to the San Fernando Colony to describe his recently built Church. However after 1830, Grand Bank was used to describe the region and was used as the name of the province until 1941, when the name was translated back into Spanish.

History

The Maluhang people were the first people's of what would become Banco Grande, with archeological evidence suggesting settlement around 10,000 year's ago. Regardless settlements lacked permanence beyond several generations due to changing flood waters and terrain. It wouldn't be until the 500s when the city of Caodiang would emerge as the first city-state of the region due to it's location on a relatively stable and flat area. The city itself was soon a part of the greater Kamjanian state, which would introduce written language. In the 900s, Banco Grande would become crucial in the Great War of the Faith as various leaders in Caodiang kicked out the small Minjian population and would be a major supporter of the Animist Forces. As a result the Zhong Clan began a guerrilla conflict around the year 1009 to take control of the city and separate the Kamjanian forces in the south from the Jagahara forces to the north. Eventually the region would come under Minjian control in 1025 in what would be a major turning point of the war.

Compared to other regions under the control of the Pindai State, there would be continued defiance, especially from the Maluhang who built floating communities in the marshland to avoid capture. Over various centuries there would be outbursts of conflict, especially as Pindai authorities began to build levees and turn marshland into farmland, disrupting hunting patterns. In 1564, Servando Villanueva built a small church on an island he named Banco Grande. Eventually this would become the city of Las Piñas as Costeno and Mesitzo settlements began to appear mainly harvesting rice and hunting small game. The Maluhang would align themselves with Costeno for protection against the Pindai authorities. By 1725, Pindai held just the city of Caodiang due to various land transfers. Las Piñas would become a major port city, especially for Costeno as Pindai held control over a number of other ports in the region. Palm oil also began to become a major industry with its heavy usage in cooking. Upon the transfer of control to Sanctaria, Las Pinas as it now became known was a key naval base due to its geographic position.

Demographics

Damensara

Beginning in the 1600s, enslaved people from Neria began to arrive in San Fernando and Las Piñas. Most enslaved people worked in the rice and sugarcane industry in Banco Grande, although a number worked as personal servants to wealthy Costenos and Mestizos. Over time, enslaved people escaped into the swamps to avoid detection living in either informal communities or with existing indigenous people's. These groups became known as the Damensara and over the decades intermarried with indigenous people creating a new ethnic group. The Damensara also practiced a hybrid religion that combined Nerian spiritual customs with Christianity. There was initially some pressure for colonial authorities to re-enslave the Damensara, although there were no large-scale efforts by the colonial government. An end to slavery in Banco Grande in 1790 as well as the end of the slave trade, led to many Nearanos in San Fernando migrating to Damensara communities.