Las Bahías (Differently)

Democratic Republic of Las Bahías República Democrática de Las Bahías (Spanish) Miyalk rom ŋorra Las Bahías-wu (Yolngu) Pikarra ngarrka warlu-Las Bahías (Wakaya) República Democrática do As Baías (Portugese) Ngawa ampirikini Las Bahías (Tiwi) Timeline: Differently
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Las Bahías (Differently)
Capital (and largest city)		Puerto del Sol
Official languages		Spanish
Other languages		Various Aboriginal languages
Official in certain provinces		Yolngu, Wakaya, Mara, Tiwi, Portugese, Kukatj, Yunawa
Ethnic groups		65.1% Bahian -42.5% Mestizo -20.9% Aborigen ancestry -5.5% African -4.4% White -1.8% other 17.4% Aboriginal 10.2% Timor (Portugese-speaking Bahians) 6.1% Australite (all races) 1.2% other
Religion		95.1% Christianity -81.2% Roman Catholicism -7.5% Protestantism -6.2% Orthodox Christianity -0.2% other Christian 4.9% other/none
Demonym(s)		Bahían
Government		Unitary parliamentary republic
-	President	Daniel Alfredo Bonfils
-	Prime Minister	Marianna Díaz
Independence from Spain
-	Declared	4 February 1802
-	Empire	17 June 1836
-	Republic	1 November 1898
-	Bahían Civil War	1990–2001
Area
-	Total	1,135,704 km2  438,498 sq mi
Population
-	Estimate	14,389,887 (88th)
GDP (nominal)		estimate
-	Total	$86,713,459,062
-	Per capita	$6,026
Currency		Bahían Escudo
Drives on the		right

Las Bahías, officially the Democratic Republic of Las Bahías (Spanish: República Democrática de Las Bahías), is a nation in the northern portion of the Australian continent, bathed by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria on the north. It is bordered by Melanesia to the east, Aṉangu to the South, and Swania to the west. With a surface area of 1,135,704 square kilometers, it is Oceania's fourth-largest country, ranking 31st globally. Its population of 14.4 million inhabitants makes it the fifth most populous country in Oceania and the 69th-most populous country worldwide.

The nation received its name (meaning "the bays" in Spanish) from early Spanish explorers who mistook the Gulf of Felipe and the surrounding landmass as bays and thus gave the name Las Bahías. Alongside the Philippines, Las Bahías acted as Spain's main naval and trading hub in the Pacific Ocean and remained valuable to Spain until the nation gained independence in 1898.

Throughout the 20th century and early 21st century, Las Bahías experienced a series of wars and conflicts which greatly hindered the nation's development and isolated it from the international community and the other Australian nations. With the end of the Second Civil War and the formation of proper democratic institutions in 2009, Las Bahías has slowly been joining the international community. Las Bahías has been a member of the Australian Council since 2014, PANTO since 2012, and the Australian Economic Community since 2019.

History

Pre Colonial period

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, several indigenous groups who spoke Pama–Nyungan languages lived in what would become Las Bahías, with many of them concentrated on the northern shore of the Australian continent, in what would eventually be known as the Gulf of Felipe.

Early exploration and Spanish conquest

The region of present-day Las Bahías was discovered by Byzantine explorer Eutropius Lascaris in 1601, when he circumnavigated the Australian continent. Byzantine settlement on the Australian continent and efforts to "Romanize" and convert the Aboriginal populations to Orthodox Christianity is what prompted the Spanish monarchy under Philip III to order an expeditionary force from the Spanish Philippines to arrive in Australia and counter the Orthodox Christian influence.

The Spanish port of Puerto del Sol was established on June 17th, 1610, marking the beginning of Spanish colonial rule on the Australian continent. Tension remained high between the Byzantine and Spanish Empires as memories of the Great Schism and the ongoing Spanish inquisition put both sides at odds on the newly discovered continent. Throughout the 1600s, Orthodox missionaries would clash with the Spanish settlers before borders were properly formalized in the late 1600s in the Treaty of Theodora between the Spanish, Dutch, and Byzantines.

During the period before the Treaty of Theodora, it is estimated roughly around 120 Byzantine and Spanish settlers were killed in border skirmishes. Meanwhile, Spanish relations with the Dutch remained tense but not as openly hostile, though this would be broken with several Dutch ambushes in 1605, 1607, and 1610.

Spanish colonial rule (1610–1802)

After securing lands in Las Bahías in 1610, the Spanish crown merged the Spanish possessions in the Philippines with Las Bahías to form the unified administration of the Spanish East Indies, with the capital being based out of the city of Manila. A racial caste system formed in the Spanish East Indies in a similar way to the colonies in Latin America, with pure blooded Spaniards being at the top and the Aboriginals at the bottom. This system defined the structure of the Spanish East Indies throughout the 17th century, though later immigration would weaken it.

Bahian state (1802-1836)

The uprising in the Mystras Australis popularised the independence movements in the rest of Oceania. The nationalism grew by the end of 18th century, people wanted equality and a more democratic government. The uprising started in 1802 and ended the same year. Las Bahias since it's independence established a much healthier relationship with Aboriginals.

The battle for San Pedro

The Australite control over north Australia have been declining ever since the Spanish arrival. By 1778 the Australites controlled only Agios Petros and it's surroundings. Agios Petros (San Pedro) was (and still is) and important port and cultural, economical and educational center in Oceania, Bahian general Alejandro Ajabakan said it is the cultural capital of Australia. The city was always a mix between the Spanish, Greek and Aboriginal cultural influence.

Republic of Las Bahías (1898–1955)

Spanish-Confederacy War and Bahían War for Independence

Manuel Luis Hernandez, Generalissimo of Las Bahías (1898–1924)

The successes of the Philippine Revolution of 1896 and the Spanish defeat in the Spanish-Confederacy War inspired Spanish-Bahían general Manuel Luis Hernandez to rally the colonial aristocracy and Bahían middle class to support a revolution against the empire, believing that the Spanish and Bahian Empires were coming to an end and revolution was the only way to prevent Britain or France from seizing the now weakened Las Bahías. Hernandez gained overwhelming support from the Bahían people and the Bahían War of Independence only lasted three months, with a total of just 20 casualties. The Republic of Las Bahías was proclaimed on November 1st, 1898 and by 1900 the nation had gained recognition from several nations.

Manuel Luis Hernandez styled himself as "Generalissimo of Las Bahías" rather than President, which alienated many of the liberal members of the revolution whom Hernandez had purged. These purges continued throughout the 1890s and early 1900s and would become known as the Reign of Terror in Bahían history.

Reign of Manuel Luis Hernandez (1898–1924)

Upon ascending to power, Generalissimo Hernandez began to centralize his rule around the military and around his inner circle while purging opposition, including many revolutionaries, who fought alongside him to secure independence. Hernandez also spent most of the nation's economy on building a massive military. By 1910, Las Bahías had the largest military on the Australian continent, surpassing even established military powers like Swania and Mystras Australis.

The large Bahías was never used for military combat during this time, but rather as a mechanism to suppress dissent within Las Bahías. British arms manufacturers such as the Birmingham Small Arms Company made large profits selling weapons to the expanding Bahían military. As a result, the United Kingdom became one of Las Bahías' earliest allies, with Las Bahías providing 2,100 volunteers to British Swania during the Great War on the front against Mystras Australis.

The reign of Manuel Luis Hernandez came to an end on October 12th, 1924, after he died of a stroke. This created a power struggle within the Republic's government over who would replace him as Generalissimo.

Reign of Guillermo Burgos (1925–1947)

Guillermo Burgos emerged victorious in the power struggle to become Hernandez's successor, seizing power in January 1925. Burgos was very much aligned with the authoritarian militarist ideology of Hernandez, but did make some meaningful reforms such as allowing for municipal governments to be democratically elected, even as the central government remained firmly under his control.

Burgos was more protectionist than Hernandez and ordered several tariffs against British industries, which functionally controlled the Bahían economy at the time. This strained relations between both nations and eventually culminated in Burgos being ousted in a coup on May 19th, 1947. His successor, Emmanuel Lopez, restored the friendly attitude towards British interests, leading many historians to speculate there was British involvement in the coup.

Presidency of Emmanuel Lopez (1949–1955)

Shortly after Burgos' deposition, the government of Las Bahías entered a two-year long internal power struggle between the authoritarian hardline faction and the reformist factions. With the backing of the British, the reformists ultimately won the conflict. The position of Generalissimo would be abolished in favor of the office of Presidency. As a result, Emmanuel Lopez was sworn in as the first President of Las Bahías on June 12th, 1949.

Lopez attempted to make many reforms to the country's government in order to establish a liberal democracy, though many historians note that these reforms were often blocked by competing government factions and came too late to save the government's reputation. By 1954, a communist revolution had already broken out in response to the government being reliant on British corporations and years of political repression under the Republic. The military, weakened by internal fighting and corruption, was quickly outnumbered by the revolutionary militias and President Lopez fled to Malaysia on June 16th, 1955.

A Bahían revolutionary overlooking Puerto Del Sol shortly after the city's capture by the Workers Front (1955)

Proletarian State of Las Bahías (1955–1975)

Revolution and Formation

Flag of the Proletarian State of Las Bahías (1955 - 1975)

Due to decades of income inequality and political instability under the Republic, Urban labor unions would become more openly radical and insurgent against the government. While the labor unions were largely limited to the city where industrial capital was present, the labor movement soon began to spread towards rural farmers and peasants. By the 1930s, the Bahían Workers Front would become a major underground resistance to the Bahían Government and Generalissimo Burgos commanded the intelligence agencies to actively target the workers front. But with the weakening of the government and failed political reformations, liberal reformists had lost legitimacy in the eyes of the Bahían public and the Workers Front became an active military insurgency by 1955.

On July 1st, 1955, representatives from the Bahían Workers Front and other socialist militias and unions would meet in the city of Puerto Del Sol to discuss the formation of a proper socialist government. There was infighting among the factions present at the convention, mostly between the Marxist-Leninists alligned with the Soviet Union and the market socialists and Marxist-Bernsteinist factions present at the convention. With the backing of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, the Marxist-Leninist faction ultimately gained a majority in the convention and the Proletarian State of Las Bahías was formed as a unitary Marxist-Leninist State.

The anarchist women of the Puerto del Sol Commune (pictured, 1955) proved pivotal in securing enough manpower for the commune to hold as long as it did.

Rise of Ignacio Morillo and Puerto del Sol commune and purges

With Marxist-Leninism becoming the official doctrine of the Workers Front and the government, Ignacio Morillo, leader of the Bahían Marxist-Leninists, would be propelled to the position of Secretary General of Las Bahías in 1955. Morillo was considered a Stalinist and began the process of heavily aligning Las Bahías with the Soviet Union. This would anger many of the rival socialist factions within the Workers Front, leading to an anarcho-communist uprising in Puerto Del Sol which would eventually become known as the Puerto Del Sol Commune.

The anarchists, in a loose coalition with Marxist-Bernsteinists, Market Socialist, and antigovernmental forces would stage their uprising in the industrial southside of the city, seizing many factories and military and police installations in the area. By November of 1955, the revolutionaries had solidified their control over the southern part of the city with many pro-government forces defecting to the side of the revolution. Morillo declared the communards to be "counter-revolutionary traitors" and "social fascists", ordering large scale mobilization of the Bahían military to put down the revolution. After a full scale invasion of southern Puerto del Sol, the commune would officially be crushed on February 18th, 1956.

After the defeat of the Puerto del Sol Commune, Morillo would begin a series of government-sponsored purges against participants in the commune and antigovernmental forces at large. This would result in the establishment of a prison-camp system inspired by the Soviet Union under Stalin. The purges lasted from 1956 until Morillo's death in 1970. It was estimated around 200,000 people fell victim to the prison-camp system, with much of the manual labor being used to support the three-year plan and other infrastructure efforts.

Three-year plan and economic development

Starting from 1956 until 1960, the government of Las Bahías began an ambitious project of industrialization and modernization known as the "three year plan" with the intention of mirroring the success seen in the Soviet Union's Five Year Plan. During the three year plan, industrial hubs were built in the Bahían cities of Puerto del Sol, Blarez, and Nueva Madrid. During this time, the navy of Las Bahías also experienced rapid growth and modernization, growing from 4 battleships in 1940 to 23 battleships by 1970, this was done to combat the other naval powers on the Australian continent including Swania to the west and Melanesia to the east which proved to be successful during several border skirmishes with Swania, in which the Bahían navy captured 5 Swanian sailors off the coast off the Gulf of Felipe.

During this time, Las Bahías would also be able to form an alliance with the Aṉangu Nation which had also begun to align itself with the Soviet Union.

Swanian Border Crisis and decline

Throughout the late 1950s to early 1970s, Las Bahías would be in a state of constant border skirmishes with the neighboring nation of Swania. Despite initial successes in the border skirmishes from 1957 to 1970, the death of Ignacio Morillo in 1970 would cripple the military hierarchy of Las Bahías . This was largely due to military consolidation around Morillo which occurred during many of the initial purges throughout the 1950s.

Post-Soviet Instability, Civil War, Swanian Invasion (1975 - 1991)

Though the death of Morillo harmed the Bahían government, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1975 would further worsen the conditions in Las Bahías. The fall of the Soviet Union meant that Las Bahías had lost its largest supplier of arms, leaving the already crippled Bahían military command in an even more vulnerable position. Protests erupted all acros the nation in 1989 demanding reform, but Secretary General Maximiliano Sainz called these protests "capitalist cosmopolitan agitators" and their demands went ignored. A weakened Bahían military and political instability would result in the Bahían Civil War breaking out on March 19th, 1990 after a civilian militia successfully stormed the Ignacio Morillo Military Outlet in the city of Blarez. After popular protests and demonstrations overwhelmed law enforcement in Puerto del Sol, soldiers and some generals began defecting to the side of the protestors.

The Prolertarian State of Las Bahías would come to an end on May 17th, 1991 after a joint Swanian-rebel army would capture Puerto del Sol. Despite the fall of Puerto del Sol and scattering of the communist government, an organized resistance would form with loyalists

Swanian soldiers firing upon socialist rebels on the outskirts of Nueva Madrid (1996)

Bahían Civil War, post Invasion (1991 - 2001)

After the end of the Bahían Civil War, remnants of the socialist Bahían military would form an organized resistance under the leadership of general Juan Magrina would capture the rural provinces near the border with the Aṉangu Nation whose small military, even with New Hollander support, was unable to prevent socialist forces from crossing between southern Las Bahías and Aṉangu territory. As a result, the provisional government and the Democratic Republican government would both struggle in pinpointing resistance leadership and ending the war. Eventually, with support from the Australian Council, the Aṉangu were able to get joint New Hollander, Melanesian, Australite, and Swanian troops to prevent border crossing and crack down on the socialist militias. The Pacific Ocean Nations Treaty Organization also voted to intervene in the conflict, however their involvement was limited to military and civilian aid after objections were raised by non-PONTO members of the Australian Council of potential intervention.

On June 18th, 1999; socialist resistance leader Juan Magrina would be captured on the Aṉangu-Bahían border. With Magrina's capture, the war would officially come to an end as the socialist resistance was unable to reunify. The last major socialist stronghold would fall on May 30th, 2001, officially ending the Bahían Civil War. The war itself was one of the bloodiest conflicts on the Australian continent and an estimated 600,000 Bahíans would be displaced, with many of them fleeing to Swania or Melanesia. Some landmines that were placed during the war still remain active, especially in the countryside. One mine went off and killed 4 tourists in 2012 on the outskirts of Puerto del Sol. Following the incident, the Bahían Ministry of Tourism officially issued a travel warning to tourists seeking to visit areas of the country outside of Puerto del Sol.

Christopher Manzanedo, 1st Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Las Bahías. President of the Provisional State of Las Bahías.

Interim government (1991–1995)

With supervision by the Swanian government and member states of the Australian Council, a provisional government would be established in Las Bahías. The government would be recognized by the Australian Council and League of Nations as the Provisional State of Las Bahías. Despite not having elections on a national level due to the then-ongoing civil war, the provisional government pledged itself on paving the road for Bahían democratization. The President of the provisional government was Christopher Manzanedo who was appointed by the Australian Council in 1991 and served until the provisional government would end in 1995. Manzanedo would then be elected as the 1st official Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Las Bahías in 1995.

Democratic Republic of Las Bahías (1995–present)

Anti-corruption protests in Puerto del Sol (2003)

The Democratic Republic of Las Bahías would officially come into existence on November 1st, 1995; Bahían Independence Day. Provisional President Christopher Manzanedo would be elected as Prime Minister on November 10th, 1995 in the nation's first democratic elections. However, observers from the League of Nations and Australian Council would criticize the elections for having low turnout and holding the elections as the Bahían Civil War was still ongoing. Corruption would be a serious issue within Las Bahías throughout the 90s and 2000s, with corruption running rampant within the national government, the judiciary, and municipal governments. Bribery and nepotism were widespread. In one instance, Prime Minister Manzanedo's son, Juan Manzanedo, was appointed as ambassador to the United States in 2003. Corruption within Las Bahías would prevent the nation from joining PONTO and the Australian Council.

While corruption continued throughout the 2000s, it wasn't until the election of Esteban Iglesias in 2006 that the Bahían government would begin to actively fight against the corruption. Iglesias was a self-described populist who led a grassroots campaign against Prime Minister Manzanedo. Iglesias' Party for Reform would defeat Manzanedo's Bahían Solution Party in a landslide victory, winning 118 of the 150 seats in parliament. Iglesias' government would begin passing a series of anti-corruption reforms, such as banning bribery among government officials in 2007, passing anti-nepotism laws in 2008, and establishing set elections to occur every 4 years. These reforms helped improve Las Bahías' image on the world stage, with Las Bahías eventually joining PONTO in 2012, the Australian Council in 2014, and the Australian Economic Community in 2019.

Marianna Díaz, current Prime Minister of Las Bahías since 2019

Politics

Las Bahías is a Parliamentary republic, with power vested in the Prime Minister as head of government. The President acts as the head of state and is elected by the Parliament every 5 years. While the Prime Minister handles legislation and judicial appointments, the President acts as the chief diplomat and is often the one who conducts visits to other nations on behalf of the Bahían government. The current Prime Minister of Las Bahías is Marianna Díaz and the current President is Daniel Alfredo Bonfils.

The Parliament of Las Bahías has set elections every 4 years, this was intially passed in order to limit the Prime Minister's power over calling snap elections. Every 4 years, all 150 seats within parliament go up for election.

Demographics

Age pyramid of Las Bahias in 2021

General

In 2021 the age structure was:

• 0 to 14 - 40.8%
• 15 to 65 - 55.5%
• over 65 - 3.7%

The median age was 19.2 and the fertility rate was 3.67.

Provinces

Map of the provinces of Las Bahias

Name	Capital	Population
Corinas Amarillas	Vista Hermosa	1,084,578
Costa Australiana	Nueva Madrid	2,108,337
Desierto Rojo	Cristo el Más Sabio	861,262
Mara	Blarez	1,658,058
Nalu	Kunus	593,184
Puerto de Sol	Puerto de Sol	1,613,415
Pupini	Fortaleza del Guerrero	1,552,207
San Francisco	Delgado	1,235,056
San Pedro	San Pedro	2,230,235
Yurruni Gudanji Autonomous Province	K'urpa-Wil	1,453,178

See also

• Bahían Civil War
• Spain
• Mystras Australis
• Australia
• New Holland
• Jamesland
• Swania
• Melanesia
• French Australia