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Description

The Argyre Republic, also known as European Mars or just simply Argyre, is an extraplanetary holding of the European Federal Union on Mars. Most of the country is located in the southern hemisphere of Mars, south of the Margaritifer Floodplains and along the Uzboi River Valley, with an additional territory in the Amenthes Fossae area of the Isidis Basin, to the northeast of Argyre’s main territory. With a population of approximately 900,000, Argyrians make up approximately 16.7% of Mars' population as the second-most-populated polity on the Red Planet. The capital of the Argyre Republic is New Rome, however the largest city is Uzboi City, home to 95,000 residents. The largest ethnic groups in Argyre are Germans (22.9%), Italians (17.5%), and French (15.4%), though with substantial English, Spanish, Dutch, Scandinavian and Polish populations.

Europe's history of Martian exploration stretches back to the first years of the 21st century. The European Union sent their first interplanetary mission, the Martian Express, in 2005. It was quickly followed up in 2009 with the EuroMars+ mission, which carried the first European surface rover to another planet, as well as established the first Martian sample-return in conjunction with the United States. During the Ares Program, European citizens made up approximately one-in-five astronauts across the ten Ares missions, three of whom were crewmembers on Ares 1. When the time came for permanent colonization, the European Union provided many of the logistical modules for Tharsistown, and in 2045 began work on its own civilian base, Schiaparelli Colony.

After the signing of the Ares Concordat, which allowed for civilian mass-colonization of Mars and the planet's terraforming, the European Union began in earnest to facilitate the growth of not just a series of small civilian colonies, but a large and cohesive unit. Passed in 2056, the Euromartian Governance Act (EMGA) stated that once a series of requirements were reached for the European Union's Martian colonies (population, self-sufficiency, potential economic output), then the European Parliament had ten years to transfer some administrative authority to the colonies for self-governance. After recovering from high unemployment and financial strife during the Martian Depression, the European colonies (which had by now begun to pick up the collective name of “Argyre”) exploded in population growth along with the rest of Mars. By 2094, all requirements set by the EMGA had been reached when Argyre's population surpassed 700,000. However political strife on Earth, along with increased caution in Martian affairs following the Fossil Crisis, delayed action on this front on the part of the European government.

The events north of Argyre, in the American-born United States of Tharsis, forced the EU's hand. Revolution nearly broke out in Tharsis over a lack of political representation in the 2090s, prompting the Martian Colonial Administration Act of 2098, to forestall further unrest. Back on Earth, European leaders were concerned about mounting tension in Argyre, inspired by the change in neighboring Tharsis, and wished to be ahead of the curve, to whatever extent that they could. In 2105, an official referendum on Argyre's political future resulted in 71.2% of the population voting in favor of a semi-independent republic, leading to the New Rome Conference of 2106, a meeting between local colonial authorities and members of the European federal government in order to create a functional system of governance for the colonies. After more than a year of discussion and negotiation, the Conference agreed to a parliamentary system headed by both a Prime Minister and Colonial Viceroy, the latter of whom would represent the interests of the European Union in the new “Argyre Republic”. After the passing of a final referendum to approve the constitution, the Argyre Republic was officially founded on August 9, 2108, as the second self-governing polity to be founded on Mars.
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Updated 2/20/2021 - New map & description. Original versions of both can be found here . Thank you to NK-Ryzov for proofreading & editing assistance.

Description

The Argyre Republic, also known as European Mars or just simply Argyre, is an extraplanetary holding of the European Federal Union on Mars. Most of the country is located in the southern hemisphere of Mars, south of the Margaritifer Floodplains and along the Uzboi River Valley, with an additional territory in the Amenthes Fossae area of the Isidis Basin, to the northeast of Argyre’s main territory. With a population of approximately 900,000, Argyrians make up approximately 16.7% of Mars' population as the second-most-populated polity on the Red Planet. The capital of the Argyre Republic is New Rome, however the largest city is Uzboi City, home to 95,000 residents. The largest ethnic groups in Argyre are Germans (22.9%), Italians (17.5%), and French (15.4%), though with substantial English, Spanish, Dutch, Scandinavian and Polish populations.

Europe's history of Martian exploration stretches back to the first years of the 21st century. The European Union sent their first interplanetary mission, the Martian Express, in 2005. It was quickly followed up in 2009 with the EuroMars+ mission, which carried the first European surface rover to another planet, as well as established the first Martian sample-return in conjunction with the United States. During the Ares Program, European citizens made up approximately one-in-five astronauts across the ten Ares missions, three of whom were crewmembers on Ares 1. When the time came for permanent colonization, the European Union provided many of the logistical modules for Tharsistown, and in 2045 began work on its own civilian base, Schiaparelli Colony.

After the signing of the Ares Concordat, which allowed for civilian mass-colonization of Mars and the planet's terraforming, the European Union began in earnest to facilitate the growth of not just a series of small civilian colonies, but a large and cohesive unit. Passed in 2056, the Euromartian Governance Act (EMGA) stated that once a series of requirements were reached for the European Union's Martian colonies (population, self-sufficiency, potential economic output), then the European Parliament had ten years to transfer some administrative authority to the colonies for self-governance. After recovering from high unemployment and financial strife during the Martian Depression, the European colonies (which had by now begun to pick up the collective name of “Argyre”) exploded in population growth along with the rest of Mars. By 2094, all requirements set by the EMGA had been reached when Argyre's population surpassed 700,000. However political strife on Earth, along with increased caution in Martian affairs following the Fossil Crisis, delayed action on this front on the part of the European government.

The events north of Argyre, in the American-born United States of Tharsis, forced the EU's hand. Revolution nearly broke out in Tharsis over a lack of political representation in the 2090s, prompting the Martian Colonial Administration Act of 2098, to forestall further unrest. Back on Earth, European leaders were concerned about mounting tension in Argyre, inspired by the change in neighboring Tharsis, and wished to be ahead of the curve, to whatever extent that they could. In 2105, an official referendum on Argyre's political future resulted in 71.2% of the population voting in favor of a semi-independent republic, leading to the New Rome Conference of 2106, a meeting between local colonial authorities and members of the European federal government in order to create a functional system of governance for the colonies. After more than a year of discussion and negotiation, the Conference agreed to a parliamentary system headed by both a Prime Minister and Colonial Viceroy, the latter of whom would represent the interests of the European Union in the new “Argyre Republic”. After the passing of a final referendum to approve the constitution, the Argyre Republic was officially founded on August 9, 2108, as the second self-governing polity to be founded on Mars.
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Updated 2/20/2021 - New map & description. Original versions of both can be found here . Thank you to NK-Ryzov for proofreading & editing assistance.