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Background:
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During the late 1930's and early 1940's, while the world was embroiled in WWII, a supervillain named Il Sovrano used his new Volcano Bomb technology to create an artificial island in the Gulf of Mexico. In the summer of 1946, he kidnapped several of the world's finest artists, scientists and athletes and began plans for the destruction of the rest of the world. Liberty Squad defeated him on August 30th, 1946 and the island was claimed by the US and ratified as a Commonwealth on October 8th, 1946.
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Location:
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Gulf of Mexico, roughly equidistant to Florida, Mexico, and Cuba.
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Geographic coordinates:
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25 88 N, 85 95 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total: 1546 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 597 sq miles; 510.6 sq miles, Main island; 79 sq miles, Isle Noir: 58.2 sq miles
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Area - comparative:
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approximately the same size as Oahu, Hawaii
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Land boundaries:
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total: 0 km
border countries: None
note: None
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Coastline:
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sq miles of coastline: Main Island: 123.5 miles; Isle Noir: 45.2miles
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Climate:
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tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation, except for metahuman activity
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains, with coastal plain belt in center, barrier island to the east; mountain precipitous to gulf on west coast; black sand beaches along barrier island, singular arctic tundra downtown Gulf City
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Gulf of Mexico 0 m
highest point: Fortress Mountain 4616 m (15,000 feet)
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Natural resources:
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coffee, fish, geothermal energy, potential for mineral resources
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Land use:
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arable land: 4%
other: 59.35% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 7.61%
permanent pastures:
26%
forests and woodland:
0.5%
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Irrigated land:
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390 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts; hurricanes (averages about one hurricane every other year); volcanic activity; seismic disturbances;dimensional disturbances;metahuman activity
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Environment - current issues:
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common volcanic disturbances; occasional drought causing water shortages; some deadlands of volcanic rock
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: US agreements
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Geography - note:
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important location in the Gulf of Mexico, strategically; many small rivers and high eastern mountain ensure land is decently watered; south coast relatively dry; artificially created and irrigated coastal plain belt in central valley
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Population:
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852,943 (July 2002 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 23.73%
15-64 years: 65.72%
65 years and over: 9.75%
Immortal/unknown age: 0.8%
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Population growth rate:
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0.54% (2002 est.)
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Birth rate:
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25.26 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Death rate:
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17.78 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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+12.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: .92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: .93 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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9.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth for normals:
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total population: 75.76 years
female: 80.48 years (2002 est.)
male: 71.28 years
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Total fertility rate:
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2.9 children born/woman (2002 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% (1999 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Olympian(s)
adjective: Olympian
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Ethnic groups:
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Mixed Race 45.5%, White (European Origin) 15%, White (Latino/Hispanic Origin) 15%, black 9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian 0.4%, and Other 10.9%
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| Ratio of Meta Types: |
Mutant 41.3%, Mutate 25%, Enhanced 23.5%, Other 10.2%
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| Ratio of Meta to Non-Meta: |
20 meta/1000 people, (US average 10/1000)
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Religions:
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45% Roman Catholic; all other world religions are represented on the island.
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Languages:
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English (Official), Spanish, Portuguese, French
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
male: 90%
female: 88% (1995 est.)
total population: 89%
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People - note:
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illicit immigration is a continuing problem; refugees and criminals enter the island from the northeast port;metahuman activity costs millions of dollars in damages annually
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Commonwealth of Olympus Island
conventional short form: Olympus Island
local short form: OI
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Government type:
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commonwealth
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Capital:
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Gulf City
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Administrative divisions:
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none (commonwealth associated with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 municipalities at the second order; Gulf City, Green Valley, Liberty Corners and Isle Noir.
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Independence:
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none (commonwealth associated with the US)
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National holiday:
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US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Island Day, August 30th (1946);Olympus Day, October 8 (1946)
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Constitution:
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ratified 8 October 1946; approved by US Congress 10 October 1946; effective 15 October 1946
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Legal system:
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based on US Legal System, with variants for metahuman laws.
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal - Drinking age: 18 - Driving: 16
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
head of government:
Governor Enrique Martinez Stewart (since January 2001)
cabinet:
appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature
elections:
US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004)
election results:
Enrique Martinez Stewart (PDP) elected governor; percent of vote - 48.8%
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (2 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (4 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections:
Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held November 2004)
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court; Superior Courts; Municipal Courts (justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Republican Party, Democrat Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, Socialist Party, Party For Independence
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Political pressure groups:
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Independencia del Isla Olympion, World Warriors (Environmental Extemists), Paranet
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International organization participation:
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Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO (associate)
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (commonwealth associated with the US)
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (commonwealth associated with the US)
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Flag description:
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White flag with 2 red triangles (with a white star inside each) over 4 blue stripes, symbolizing the two mountains, the 4 cities, and the colors as connection to the US.
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Economy - overview:
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Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Island businesses since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Coffee production is the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 1999. Prospects for 2003 are clouded by a probable slowing down in both the construction and tourist sectors and by increasing crime rates; estimated growth will be 4%.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $3 billion (2002 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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2.8% (2002 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $10,300 (2002 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 35%
industry: 15%
services: 50%
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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5.7% (2002 est.)
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Labor force:
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NA
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 33%, industry 10%, services 57% (2002)
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Unemployment rate:
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9.5% (2001 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $5.9 billion
expenditures: $8.6 billion (2000 est.)
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Industries:
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pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products, superhard safety products; tourism, biotechnology, metatechnology
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% (2001 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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6.76 billion kWh (2000)
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Electricity - production by source:
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geothermal:
97.45%
hydro:
1.55%
nuclear:
0%
other:
1% (1999)
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Electricity - consumption:
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5.587 billion kWh (2000)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2000)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2000)
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas, tobacco, citrus, rice, beans; livestock products
note: most agricultural products grown on the island have reddish properties to them
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Exports:
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$5 billion (2002 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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coffee, pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, fish, rum, beverage concentrates, citrus, superhard materials
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Exports - partners:
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US 88%
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Imports:
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$2 billion c.i.f. (2001 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals, natural building material (timber, granite, stone)
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Imports - partners:
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US 64.8%, Spain 12.7%, France 6.5%, Canada 5.7%, China 5.3%, Italy 5.0% (2001)
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Debt - external:
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NA
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA
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Currency:
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US dollar (USD)
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Currency code:
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USD
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Exchange rates:
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the US dollar is used
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Fiscal year:
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1 July - 30 June
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Railways:
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total: 4,807 km
total: 36 km
narrow gauge: 36 km 1.000-m gauge, rural, narrow-gauge system for hauling agricultural products; passenger service subway |
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Highways:
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total: 33 km
paved: 30 km
unpaved: 5 km (1997)
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Waterways:
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3 rivers, none traversable.
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Ports and harbors:
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Port Elizabeth, Port Liberty
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Merchant marine:
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total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,187 GRT/63,416 DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 6, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3 (2002 est.)
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Airports:
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2 (2001)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 0
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This page was last updated on 12 June 2003
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