States of Bajaría
Bajaría, as a federal constituent country within the Kingdom of Sierra, consists of five partly sovereign federated states (Spanish: Estados federales), including: Cancún, Mérida, Pacífico Norte, Pacífico Sur, and South Sonora. The states are classified as PSAs at the federal level. All of the states have their own executive governments, legislatures, judiciaries, constitutions, laws, officials, and law enforcement forces.
| Bajarian states | |
|---|---|
|
Also known as: Estados bajaríanos (es) | |
 | |
| Category | Federated state/PSA |
| Location | Bajaría |
| Created | March 6, 2021 |
| Number | 5 |
| Populations |
678,770 (Cancún) – 4,639,298 (South Sonora) |
| Areas |
2,920 km2 (1,127 sq mi) (Mérida) – 464,520 km2 (179,354 sq mi) (South Sonora) |
| Government | State government |
| Subdivisions | Municipalities, boroughs |
State governments share responsibility and powers with the national and federal governments. They possess executive authority over a broad range of public matters, but are limited on matters specifically reserved to either the national or federal governments. The states are subject to the judicial oversight and jurisdiction of the Bajarian legal system, including the Supreme Court of Bajaría.
With the exception of South Sonora, the states are the successors to the Sierran territories of El Norte, the predecessor to Bajaría, which in turn, was once part of Mexico. South Sonora was formed after it partitioned the region east of the Colorado River in Pacífico Norte, conforming with the historical boundaries of the former Mexican state of Sonora. Each state is headed by a viceregal representative, a Lord Superintendent, who represents the Crown-in-right of the respective state, and administered by a governor. Governors are elected from their state legislature and run governments based on their ability to maintain confidency and supply.
All of the Bajarian states are further divided into municipalities and boroughs. Municipalities are county-equivalents under Sierran federal law, while boroughs are roughly analogous to consolidated city-counties.
States
Geography
Bajaría is a country located on the North American mainland and consists of two regions: the Western States and the Eastern States. The Western States include Pacífico Norte, Pacífico Sur, and South Sonora, and constitute the majority of Bajaría's area and population. The Western States borders the Pacific Ocean and shares borders with Federal Sierra along the San Diego–Yuma and Gadsden lines, as well as Mexico and a small section with Brazoria. The Western States features the Baja California peninsula and Sonora, a region which lies to the west of the mountains running along the North American Cordillera, known locally as the Sierra Madre Occidental. This mountain range separates much of Bajaría's Western States from Mexico. The Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortés, separates much of the Baja California peninsula from Sonora. The Colorado River also separates the two regions where they connect by land. The Eastern States include two noncontiguous exclaves on the Yucatán Peninsula: Cancún and Mérida. Both states are situated by the Atlantic Ocean, with the former on the Riviera Maya, facing the Caribbean Sea, while the latter is situated on the northern part of the Yucatán Peninsula, facing the Continental Gulf. The Eastern States' only land borders are with Mexico, with both bordering the Mexican state of Yucatán.
Statistics
| Flag, name and postal abbreviation |
Cities | Admission | Population | Total area | Land area | Water area | Number of MPs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | Largest | mi2 | km2 | mi2 | km2 | mi2 | km2 | |||||
 Cancún
|
CN | City of Cancún | March 6, 2021 | 678,770
|
764 | 1,979 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | 3
| |
 Mérida
|
ME | City of Mérida | March 6, 2021 | 763,422
|
435 | 1,127 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | 3
| |
 Pacífico Norte
|
PN | Salsipuedes | Tijuana | March 6, 2021 | 3,332,455
|
27,590 | 71,458 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | 14
|
 Pacífico Sur
|
PS | La Paz | March 6, 2021 | 1,584,669
|
28,536 | 73,908 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | 5
| |
 South Sonora
|
PS | Hermosillo | March 6, 2021 | 4,639,298
|
69,249 | 179,354 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | 17
| |
History
With the exception of Hawaii, portions of Federal Sierra, and several Sierran overseas territories, virtually all of the Kingdom of Sierra, including Bajaría, were historically claimed by the Spanish Empire. Modern-day Bajaría was administered under the Viceroyalty of New Spain and the modern western states were located in the Spanish provinces of New Navarre (Nueva Navarra) and Las Californias, whereas the modern-day states of Mérida and Cancún were part of Yucatán. In 1804, Spain partitioned Las Californias into Alta California and Baja California. Following the Mexican War of Independence, Mexico gained control over Spain's former territories, and it preserved the division of the Californias, while it reorganized New Navarre into Estado de Occidente (Western State), also known as Sonora y Sinaloa. In 1830, due to internal conflict within Estado de Occidente, the state was divided two states: Sonora and Sinaloa.
During the Mexican–American War, the California Republic and its allies, the Republic of Texas and the United States occupied Mexican territories south of Alta California, including all of the modern-day Western States. Californian forces independently reached as far south as the Mexican states of Nayarit and Jalisco, and occupied the entirety of the Baja California peninsula. During peace negotiations, the Californian government desired to control all of its occupied territories, as far as the port city of Puerto Vallarta. Initial drafts proposed by Californian and American lawmakers had included the Mexican state of Sinaloa within the regions to be transferred to California, but concerns over political violence there and it being more densely populated ultimately led to California drawing its southernmost extent within the Mexican heartland to the Sonora–Sinaloa border, just north of Los Mochis.
Politics and government
Each state reserves the right to organize themselves in any way within the parameters of the Constitution of Bajaría and the Constitution of Sierra. States have their own written constitutions, elected officials, laws, courts, taxes, and public programs. They also have the authority to create legislation and adjudicate any matters of the law which are neither forbidden by nor reserved to the federal government.
Subdivisions
Municipalities
Municipalities are the second-level administrative divisions of Bajaría. Every state is subdivided into municipalities, which are treated as county-equivalents by the Royal Bureau of Census. Unlike Federal Sierra, no part of Bajaría is considered unincorporated area. Generally, municipalities have extensive local powers, analogous to consolidated city-counties in Federal Sierra. Each state may create laws which govern the specific powers and roles of municipalities, as well as the power to create, merge, split, or dissolve municipalities. Every municipality is led by a municipal president, who is supported by a municipal council. Each council is chaired by a chairperson and seated by a syndic and several trustees who are geographically based.
The municipality model was heavily influenced by the municipal system implemented nationwide in the neighboring country of Mexico. However, unlike their Mexican counterparts, Bajarian municipalities are generally larger and are not confined to individual conurbations.