Ardisphere Portal
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The Ardispheric Federation, (Castellanese La Federación Ardesférica; Gohangukian 화구체연합 [hwa-gu-che-yeon-hap]; Cambric Yr Ardesffêr), also called informally "The Ardisphere" (Castellanese "El Ardesfera"; Gohangukian "화국" [hwa-guk, hanja "火國"]) is a nation located on the Gwynian subcontinent on the northern part of the continent of Archanta. Its capital is Villa Constitución, while other major cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants include Cerro y Casa, Jeongto, El Cabo, Ciudad Trece Templos, Ciudad Quiroga, Caracol, Torre de Ladrillo, Dos Lagos, Ynys Dieithriaid, Altazor, Comala and Lagartópolis (Témisa تَمِسا).
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Featured Person
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 Ionescu addressing the AN in 1990, when she was still foreign minister. |
Soledad Ionescu (born 1953, Orașul Aleatoriu, DS) was the 35th prime minister of the Ardisphere, serving most of president Dante Benengeli's second term as his cabinet chief, from 1991 until 1995. She had been his foreign minister up to 1991, but when the previous prime minister resigned in order to pursue elected office, Ionescu was chosen to replace him. She went on to serve briefly as Ardisphere's ambassador to the Assembly of Nations, and in 1996 she was elected to be the 6th Chief Secretary of that body, serving the single customary term until 2002.
As foreign minister, she was highly respected both within the Ardispherian government as well as the international community, proving both effective and the consummate diplomat. Her period as prime minister was less successful - it was only time she stepped away from her diplomatic career into the wider fray of politics, and she was not adept in the more rough-and-tumble of domestic politics.
Her term at the AN was marked by the ongoing crises in Commonia, as well as several other world events that tested the AN's capacity for humanitarian work, but by all accounts she met the challenges well.
Since ending her term, she took a post at the Universidad Nacional in the international relations department, but mostly she serves in various think-tanks. She has also remained active on various single-purpose diplomatic appointments and mediating missions.
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Featured Article
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| Justo Espantoso is an Ardispherian folk tradition associated with the fall harvest (which, being the southern hemisphere, occurs in late March or early April each year). As the straw is gathered in the fields after harvest, numerous scarecrows (espantapájaros) are erected in the fields, which are often elaborately dressed or decorated by children over a period of weeks. Then on the night of the second full moon after the harvest, the scarecrows are all lit on fire and allowed to burn. The custom is symbolically associated with a kind of purging or emptying out of the detritus of the summer months, and an effort to ensure a good growing season the following year.
The name derives from a real-life individual (see Justo Picard) who went by the nom-de-guerre Justo Espantoso in the mid-18th century in the Lower Hierro Valley region (modern day Ciudad Quiroga, DS), in the Ardisphere. Leading a group of bandits and highwaymen, Justo Espantoso had a custom of burning the scarecrows in the fields in an effort to terrorize the local inhabitants and let them know he was in the area and would be demanding tribute. He was a fearsome figure with a notorious habit for unnecessary cruelty, and even today the figure of Justo Espantoso is summoned to terrify children in late-night campfire tales. The custom itself, however, is probably based on a much older Altazorian tradition that was adopted by the original Ingerish, Karolian and Castellanese colonists when they first settled the region.
There is a small town and train stop called Justo Espantoso (on the Ferrocarriles Orientales RUTA 24), in the area southwest of Ciudad Quiroga where Picard and his men supposedly made their final stand against the colonial constabulary in the 1760s. Each year, the town holds its Justo Espantoso festival, including a nighttime parade and many burning scarecrows. The town has developed the theme into a significant, year-round tourist draw, with over 200,000 visitors annually. Recently, an "Espantoso"-themed water park (called Reino Acuático Muy Espantoso) has opened near the town, mixing metaphors with some unrelated pirate-themes, but nevertheless proving a huge commercial success.
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Transport Map
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| Find your way through the capital region with this interactive transport map.
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| RUTA-VC/Multimap
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Featured Place
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| {{#MultiMaps-broken: center = -24.2155,123.8584 | height = 500px | zoom = 14 | maxzoom = 19 | minzoom = 14 }}
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| Josusí is an independent city in the Ardispherian federal subject of Distrito Federal. It is a medium-sized suburb of the capital, Villa Constitución, DF, and is notable for being the center of the Ardispherian television and film industry. Consequently, the city is considered quite glamorous and the name of the city, along with its several nicknames such as Villa Lagucho or Woody Hall, is used as kind of shorthand to refer to the Ardispherian culture industry.
Josusí's current population is about 47,000 inhabitants, in a land area of 10.16 km2.
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