Takalim

 

Takalim
Canton
Flag Shield
Etymology: Mount Takal
Nickname(s): The Limestone Canton (official), The Tech Canton, The Runner-Up Canton
Motto(s): Ελευθερία ή θάνατος Eleftheria i thanatos ("Freedom or death")
Anthem: As The River Flows
Map of Takalim in Kalșeri
Country	Kalșeri
Established	1783
Capital	Lennoxton
Counties	68
Government
• Body	Cantonal Assembly
• Governor	Greg Stephanidis (D)
• Lieutenant Governor	Bill Tibbit (D)
• Speaker of the Cantonal Assembly	Harry Jones (S)
• Senators	Mike Arnaud (D) Alan Higi (D) Iosefina Malsi (D) Brian Kristensen (S)
• Representatives	9 D, 6 S, 4 N, 4 L, 2 K, 1 G
Area
• Total	12,321.80 km2 (4,757.47 sq mi)
Area rank	2nd
Population (2019)
• Total	5,514,632
• Rank	3rd
• Density	447.6/km2 (1,159/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Takalese
Time zone	KST (UTC-3)
• Summer (DST)	(not observed) (UTC-3)
Postal code	8xxxx
Municipal code	Txxx
ISO 3166 code	KL-TK
Website	takalim.kl

Takalim (officially the Canton of Takalim; /təˈkælɪm/, Kalhan: [tɐˈkalɪm]) is one of the fourteen cantons of Kalșeri. It is the second-largest canton by area, the third-most populated canton and the eighth-most densely populated canton in the country.

The area was first settled by the Takalim tribe, who lived in the area surrounding Mount Takal, the highest point in Kalșeri, between the rivers Saiú and Lág. Soon after the establishment of the Kingdom of Lág in the eighth century AD, the territory developed its shipbuilding, woodworking and stonemasonry industries, thanks to the rich limestone deposits in the territory. Since the rise of the Internet, Takalim has become host to many information technology companies, forming the backbone of the Kalșerian information technology industry.

Takalim has developed a rivalry with Kalúen, due to their similar historical background and common strengths in the economy.

Name

The name Takalim is derived from Kalhan takhaliem, which means "mountain of the limestone place", owing to the abundance of limestone in the territory, as well as Mount Takal.

Geography

Four rivers flow within the borders of the canton: Saiú, Ganmel, Lág and Malnarón.

The Flanúr Flatland constitutes much of the eastern portion of the territory, whereas the western half is composed of hills. The highest point in the canton is Mount Takal, at about 1295 m (4249 ft) above sea level.

Takalim is in Raflá, the biggest of the islands constituting Kalșeri, which has a humid continental climate, more specifically the cool-summer subtype (Köppen classification Dfb).

Demography

Major cities

Of the 3,939,023 people living in Takalim in 2019, 52.7% live in the ten largest cities in terms of population.

City	Inhabitants	Metropolitan area
Lennoxton	1,333,072	Lennoxton
New Smyrna	218,793	Lennoxton
Jim's Hill	192,443	Lennoxton
Murphyville	188,892	Murphyville
O'Leary	186,603	Lennoxton
Cahill	180,144	Lennoxton
Babbidgeville	172,081	Lennoxton
Siena	167,699	Siena
Folkestone	150,961	Folkestone
Cuthbert	118,149	Lennoxton

Culture

Sports

Takalim is home to four hockey teams playing in the KIHC: the Lennoxton Phantoms, the Murphyville Demons, the Siena Legion and the Folkestone Bucks.

The teams from the canton playing in the 2021 Kalșerian Premier League are Olympia Takalim FC, the club with the second-highest number of titles in the country (nine since 1956), Lennoxton Eagles SC and Mars Falșak, who won the league in 1962. Other prominent teams include the All-Kalșerian Sports Club, Folkestone City, Uptown Lex and Murphyville Town.

Baseball, played in the All-Kalșerian Baseball League, is the third-most followed sports in Takalim, which is home to three teams: the Folkestone Lynxes, the Lennoxton Royals and the Takalim Mountaineers.

Media

Eldridge Broadcasting (EB), one of the major private broadcasters in Kalșeri, is headquartered in New Smyrna.

The five main newspapers operating in the canton are the Lennoxton Inquirer, the Lennoxton Gazette, the Lennoxton Republican, The Siena Courier and The Murphyville Bugle.

Infrastructure and transportation

Roads

Takalim is served by Highway 1, Highway 3 and Highway 8. Highway 15, a branch of Highway 1, constitutes half of the ring around Lennoxton.

The Takalim Department of Transportation is responsible for the maintenance of all non-federal roads in the canton, along with the individual counties, such as the Takalim Highway Network (THN).

Railways

KalRail, the national rail service, serves the cities of Lennoxton, Murphyville, Folkestone and Siena and their metropolitan areas, as well as smaller cities.

The Takalim Railway Corporation, doing business as TKTrak, focuses on areas not served well by the existing KalRail services.

Airports

The main airport that serves Takalim is the Lennoxton International Airport (IATA: LXT; ICAO: BALX), located in nearby Babbidgeville, which is also a hub for KalsAir.

Other airports include Siena–Schoneveld County and Northern Takalim International.

Government and politics

Overview

Takalim is a traditional swing canton, where Lennoxton's progressivism and the rural conservatism balance each other.

Executive

The head of state of Takalim is the Governor, who is elected directly by the people every four years along with a Lieutenant Governor, and appoints all the members of the cantonal cabinet. Prior to 2014, governors were restricted to a single seven-year term; this was subsequently changed to a limit of two four-year terms.

The current Governor of Takalim is Liberal Democrat Greg Stephanidis, who has served in this capacity since 2022. The current Lieutenant Governor is fellow Liberal Democrat Bill Tibitt.

Legislative

The unicameral Cantonal Assembly of Takalim is the legislative body of the canton. The canton is divided into 50 electoral constituencies, each represented by an assemblyman; the current Speaker of the Cantonal Assembly is Harry Jones (S). As of the latest legislative election, the 50 seats of the Assembly are thus divided:

• 23 Social Cooperationists;
• 22 Liberal Democrats;
• 7 Libertarians.

The supreme document of the canton is the Constitution of Takalim, ratified in 1799.

Judiciary

Takalim is divided into four judicial provinces: Folkestone, Lennoxton, Murphyville and Siena.

The Supreme Court of Takalim is the highest court in the canton.

Internal administration

Kalúen is divided into 68 counties, the most of any canton in Kalșeri. 32 of them are consolidated, meaning that the county and its seat share the government.

1. Addison (Curtsville)
2. Adlai (Stevens)
3. Babbidgeville (consolidated)
4. Bluemel (Ryderton)
5. Bonn (Skillington)
6. Bushrod (consolidated)
7. Cahill (consolidated)
8. Caldwell (consolidated)
9. Carnarvon (consolidated)
10. Clayton (Jamestown)
11. Corfu (consolidated)
12. Costello (Johnstown)
13. Cuthbert (consolidated)
14. Delano (Hatliston; consolidated)
15. Dover (Dodge City)
16. Eastriver (Erin)
17. Enteco (Mansfield; consolidated)
18. Euston (Wendy)
19. Faulkner (Williamston)
20. Folkestone (consolidated)
21. Forbes (Albertson)
22. Gaines (Middlesbrough)
23. Gannville (consolidated)
24. Harvey (Storey)
25. Heinzville (consolidated)
26. Hendriksen (Coyne)
27. Holyhead (Howardsville)
28. Hot Springs (consolidated)
29. Infantino (Jefftown; consolidated)
30. James (Morello; consolidated)
31. Jim's Hill (consolidated)
32. Kaminski (consolidated)
33. Kramer (Kramer)
34. Leahy (consolidated)
35. Lennoxton (consolidated)
36. Lewitzer (Richardson)
37. Longsbury (Donna)
38. Manning (Oldsbury)
39. Medici (Florence)
40. Meiji (Southampton; consolidated)
41. Merryweather (Silorsiville)
42. Meynell (Sherwin)
43. Mitchell (Mitchell)
44. Modena (consolidated)
45. Moffat (consolidated)
46. Monaco (consolidated)
47. Murphyville (consolidated)
48. Mute Jones (St. Cecilia)
49. New Smyrna (consolidated)
50. Northampton (Tillsbury)
51. Nye (Quaint)
52. O'Leary (consolidated)
53. Oxford (consolidated)
54. Ruddy (Gardentown)
55. Schaefer (Malone; consolidated)
56. Schoneveld (Bristol)
57. Schwerin (consolidated)
58. Sellers-Casey (Geller)
59. Shepherd's Bush (Alexandria)
60. Short (Dockerstown; consolidated)
61. Siena (consolidated)
62. Sorensen (Ames)
63. Stahl (Paulson)
64. Takasoo (consolidated)
65. Torales (consolidated)
66. Travis (Bernice)
67. Uxbridge (Werner)
68. Washburn (Ellie)

Education

The main university of the canton is the nonsectarian general-interest University of Takalim, which serves the cities of Lennoxton, Siena, Folkestone, Murphyville and Ames.

Several universities also operate in Takalim, such as Lexonian University, the Takalese Rural College System and the Takalim Polytechnic College.

Cantonal symbols

Flag

Flag of Takalim

The current flag, adopted in 1971, has an aspect ratio of 1:2 and is composed of a green-white-red horizontal tricolor, with a blue band bearing a yellow square at hoist side.

According to the cantonal constitution, the meaning of each element is thus explained:

• green: "the lush forests and bountiful farms";
• white: "the stride towards peaceful glory";
• red: the blood shed during the Kalșerian War of Independence and the Royalist riots;
• blue: the rivers and the Atlantic Ocean;
• yellow: limestone and Mount Takal.

Shield

Flag of Takalim

The shield is composed of a blue band that covers about half of the surface, with a golden Eye of Takalim, which is a stylistic rendition of the motto Ελευθερία ή θάνατος ("Freedom or death").

The bottom half of the shield is divided in two colors: gold and red, the traditional colors of Lennoxton.