Gibson (Joan of What?)

State of Gibson
[[File:|125px|border||Flag of Gibson]] [[File:|85px||Coat of arms of Gibson]] Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s):
Motto(s): Pax Nos Defendit (Latin) Peace Protects Us
Official language(s)	English
Demonym	Gibsonian
Capital (and largest city)	Geraldton
Area	Ranked 7th
– Total	472,336 km2
Population	Ranked 17th
– Total	1.35 million
– Density	2.86
Admission to Federation	14 October 1906 (15th)
Governor	Riley Oswald
Premier	Francis Hanna (N)
Deputy Premier	Skyler Zhang (N)
Legislature	Parliament of Gibson
– Upper house	Legislative Council of Gibson
– Lower house	Legislative Assembly of Gibson
Senators	Claire Moore (L) Murray Watt (L) James McGrath (N) Barry O'Sullivan (N)
House delegation	List
Time zone	Western Standard Time (UTC +8)
Abbreviations	GB
Internet TLD	.gb
Website	www.gb.gov

Gibson is a state in Southwestern Cygnia. It is bordered by Carolina to the southwest, Auralia to the southeast and east, Gascoyne and Pilbara to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the west. Gibson is the 7th largest by land area and 5th least populous of the 21 Cygnian states.

Gibson was established when the citizens of the city of Geraldton and its surrounds voted to form a new state. The territory seceded from Carolina on 14 August 1906, and was admitted into the Federation as a state two months later on 14 October. During the short time it was not a state, Gibson was known as the Territory of Gibson. After the elections to the newly formed Parliament of Gibson, the first Gibsonite government ratified the Constitution on 12 October, and Gibson's request to join the Federation was approved by the Imperial Congress on the 13th.

Geraldton is the state capital and its largest city. Its licence plates carry the state motto, "Pax Nos Defendit" (Peace Protects Us).

History

The Wadjuk people inhabited the area before European settlement. British explorers visited western Australia in 1650, and subsequently the colony of Perth was founded further south; the claim also encompassed all of what would later be Gibson, though no major settlements were established in the area. The first permanent settlement was created many decades later, in 1687, when the settlement of Geraldton was proclaimed as an extension of the Colony of Carolina, and Gibson became one of the three regions of Carolina, the other two being the Perth Region and Darling Region.

By 1820 the inhabitants of Geraldton and its surrounding areas had begun to identify themselves more as people of the Gibson region, rather than of the Carolinian state. Geraldton had developed into a thriving hub of commerce and activity, and many Gibsonites sought independence from a state government they saw as being too far south to manage their affairs. Calls for a referendum on secession were answered in 1823 when the Parliament of Carolina in Perth granted them a secession referendum. The vote was held on 6 August, which is today celebrated in Gibson as Gibson Day.

The people of Gibson overwhelmingly voted for their own state, and the Carolinian state government granted them independence from Carolina. Gibson thus became the Territory of Gibson. The Imperial government in Northam officially recognised the new Territory on 8 August at the request of the Carolinian Parliament, and thereafter elections were swiftly held to create Gibson's first government. Walter Keeling was appointed as head of the newly formed Gibson branch of the Protectionist Party, and the Protectionists gained a majority in both houses of Gibson's new legislature, the Parliament of Gibson.

On 12 October, Parliament voted to ratify the Imperial Constitution, and sent a request to join the Federation. Congress approved this request, and on the 14th Gibson was officially admitted to the Federation. Gibson is the 15th state to enter the Federation, and the tenth to ratify the Constitution after the original six states in 1784.