United Republic of the Great Lakes

The United Republic of the Great Lakes, also known as the Great Lakes, is a virtually landlocked nation in North America centered around the Great Lakes between former America and Canada. The nation spans 8 former US states, two former Canadian provinces, and the former Canadian territory of Nunavut. The capital is currently Ottawa, though another capital is being planned and built on Lake St. Clair. A high-speed rail system, in accordance with the American Rail Connection, is being built to service major cities and connect the nation.

The Great Lakes is governed by a federal constitutional republic. The president serves as the commander in chief and head of state, while the prime minister serves as the head of government. The legislature, modeled after the former US and Canadian legislatures, is bicameral, and has 4 major parties and several smaller ones. The Supreme Court has 7 justices, which uphold the Constitution that was created by the Detroit Convention of 2017.

History
The United Republic of the Great Lakes was formed on October 7th, 2017, from the short-lived Americanadian Republic and the Midwestern Republic. The Conference of Lansing, held on August 17th, paved the way for the union. The union became official on October 7th with the full and final ratification of the new constitution as a result of the Detroit Convention.

The Great Lakes originally held Pennsylvania, but it was given to Kalamaria, a close ally, in return for Kentucky. This deprived the Great Lakes of its main seaport, but gave them the large airports in Louisville, Lexington, and Covington. Nunavut was peacefully annexed on 1 July 2020 to harness the natural resources and to build a regular rail connection to the region to improve infrastructure. Kalamaria traded territory once again, wanting Kentucky and giving Iowa. The deal was accepted to increase the ability for the Great Lakes to export food.

In late July 2020, President Mike DeWine was shot by an unknown gunman while leaving the National Capital Building. He is expected to recover, but Vice President Robert McDonally assumed temporary control. The incident was a part of the international terrorist attacks that have been occurring since July 16th. The economy saw a 10% decrease before trading was forcefully cut for the day to avoid further losses, coinciding with a global economic crisis.

North Dakota was acquired during the crisis for 250 billion ITD from the NVR on 21 July 2020.

Government and Politics
The Great Lakes is a federal constitutional republic governed by a president and prime minister, who serve as head of state and head of government, respectively. The legislature is bicameral, with a Senate and Representative Assembly. There are 4 major parties in the legislature, and several smaller parties. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the nation and upholds the Constitution.

Elections occur every 2 years, with the next elections due to happen on September 5th, 2020. COVID-19 has not caused any delays or changes as proper procedures will be followed, though the turnout is expected to be low.

The politics of the nation is not as polarized or divisive as its precedents, though the American Conservatives and the Socialists are still bitter toward each other. Illinois is constantly trying to be independent, but have not been able to gain enough support for any part of the federal government to support it.

Demographics
The Great Lakes has a population of 70,482,642 (2019 census). Of these, 72.8% are Caucasian, 20.3% are Black, 4.7% are Hispanic/Latino, 1.5% are mixed-ethnicity, and the rest are of other ethnicities. The official languages are English and French, though Spanish is a recognized language among the significant Hispanic and immigrant population. There are 1.3 million documented immigrants, the vast majority from the Western US, Deep South, and Latin America. There was a major change in demographics due to the collapse of the US and Canada, giving the Great Lakes overall a drop in population.

There are 35,258,320 males and 35,224,322 females, giving a ratio of 1.0015 males per female (The LGBT+ census question requested that the respondent pick a standard gender closest to theirs). There are 14,683,884 households, with an average family size of 4.8. The census counted all LGBT+ respondents as one demographic and provided no data on their genders. 1,862,790 people identified as a gender other than male or female.

Urban Areas
The top ten largest urban areas are as follows:


 * Chicago - 10.2 million
 * Toronto - 7.6 million
 * Detroit - 5.5 million
 * Minneapolis-St.Paul - 3.9 million
 * Cleveland-Akron-Canton - 3.5 million
 * Indianapolis - 2.7 million
 * Columbus - 2.5 million
 * Cincinnati - 2.4 million
 * Milwaukee - 2.1 million
 * Ottawa-Gatineau - 1.5 million

Geography
The Great Lakes Region is the defining area of the eponymous nation. The Great Lakes include Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Winnipeg, Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Ontario. There are few hills throughout much of the north of the Great Lakes, though Kentucky, Ohio, and parts of most states and provinces have hills and mountains. The Ohio, Mississippi, Ottawa, Pigeon, St. Lawrence, Fox, St. Clair, and other large rivers flow throughout much of the nation, providing fertile fields and acting as major waterways for the virtually landlocked nation.

Administrative divisions
There are 8 states, two provinces, and one territory. The territory is displayed on the flag as a star, as it has equal rights as the states do. Provinces have parliaments and are appointed a viceroy by the Queen of the United Kingdom, with are part of the United Kingdom's embassy to the Great Lakes. They also have more autonomy than the states do. Illinois is also given a higher amount of autonomy as the state is culturally and politically different than the rest of the country.

Military
The Great Lakes Military is diversified and well-trained, and is commanded by the Presidential Military Affairs Committee, which is headed by the president and commander in chief, currently Mike DeWine. The military draws from the US's system of military, with an Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. The parts of the United States Space Force that ended up being a part of the Great Lakes constitute the Great Lakes Air Force's Strategic Space Command and the Great Lakes Aviation and Spaceflight Administration.

The military's budget is GLD$52,000,000,000. There are 600,000 personnel enlisted in the armed forces, including 350,000 in the army, 175,000 in the air force, 25,000 in the navy (mostly coast guard), and 50,000 in the marines.

The navy operates a number of ships. The navy is mostly confined to the Hudson Bay, but a canal is being planned that will connect the Hudson Bay with the Great Lakes and the Atlantic.


 * GLNS Ohio (Nuclear Submarine)
 * GLNS Lexington (Destroyer)
 * GLNS Ontario (Cruiser)
 * GLNS Abraham Lincoln (Battleship)
 * GLNS Lifeguard (Hospital Ship)
 * GLNS Detroit (Destroyer)
 * GLNS Chicago (Submarine)
 * GLNS Mackinac (Helicopter Carrier converted to hold 6 F-35)
 * and 22 Coast Guard cutters

Transport
The American Rail Connection runs through the Great Lakes and connects many of the major cities. There are three major lines:


 * Capital Express - Ottawa-Milwaukee
 * Bemidji Rail Line - Winnipeg-Milwaukee
 * Buckeye Express - Louisville-Cleveland

The rail projects are expected to be completed in 2030.

The Great Lakes also has a national flag carrier, Superior Airways, which is the conglomeration of Air Wisconsin, Air Canada, and a number of smaller regional airlines.

The previous highways and freeways of the US and Canada are merged to form the Great Lakes Expressway System. There are spur highways to various cities off the major highways, including a planned two-lane highway to Iqaluit from Winnipeg. The corresponding undersea tunnel will be the longest tunnel in the world as well as the only paved section of the whole highway.

Utilities
Electric power is provided by the following companies:


 * American Electric Power
 * Canadian Electric Corporation

Internet, phone, and cable services are provided by the following companies:


 * Spectrum
 * AT&T
 * Comcast
 * Verizon
 * T-Mobile
 * Bell Telecom

Approximately 87% of the population has access to the internet, with 61% having internet connection speeds greater than 10 Mbps.

In municipalities, water and sewage utilities are commonly subsidized and provided by the state or provincial government, with some exceptions:


 * Chicago Metropolitan Area uses Chicago Waste and Water Corp.
 * Toronto proper uses Toronto City Water Services.
 * Minneapolis, St. Paul, and some surrounding suburbs use Twin Cities Water, Sewage, and Waste Management, Inc. (also known as WSW)