Alcalina
| Alcalina | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Province of Cisplatina — | |||
| |||
 Location of Alcalina in the United Provinces | |||
| Country | United Provinces | ||
| Official Languages | English | ||
| Capital Largest city |
Salination San Miguel | ||
| Government | |||
| • Deputies |
List of Deputies
| ||
| Area Ranked ?th | |||
| • Total | 261,477 km2 (100,957 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2020)UTC−3 | |||
| • Total | 3,703,679 | ||
| • Density | Bad rounding here14/km2 (Bad rounding here37/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Alcaliner | ||
| Time zone | UTC−3 | ||
Alcalina is a province in the Midestern United Provinces and Gran Chaco. It borders Atacama to the west, Montarado to the north, Florisa to the west, Sanamira to the southeast, and Mendoza to the southwest. Alcalina is the Xth-most extensive, the XXnd-most populous and the Xth-least densely populated of the Cisplatine provinces. Nearly three-quarters of Alcalina's population resides within the Brine Trinagle which includes the San Miguel metropolitan area, the Salination–Fort Daniels metropolitan area and Zurich.
Alcalina is officially known as the "Salt Province" because of the economic importance of its salt flats. It is also known as the "Jungle of the North", in part because of the heavily forested foothills surrounding San Miguel and because of its monsoonal weather patterns. Abundant precipitation and variances in elevation allow for a multitude of varying climates and vegetation; justifying the province's title as "Garden of the Republic". The Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is the traditional symbol of the province and is the state flower.
In the eastern half of the province, the predominant climate is subtropical with a terrain similar to that of the Pampas; while the central half is dominated by semi-deserts and stepps. In the central regions surrounding the most populated centers of San Miguel and Zurich, valleys dominate the landscape which is considerably more temperate than the remainder of the province. The Andes and the Antofagasta de la Sierra, a volcanic field dominate the landscape in the province's western half. Nearly 76% of Alcalina's land is managed by the Department of the Interior.
Before European contact, the indigenous peoples of the Sanavirones, Diaguitas, Calchaquí and Tonocotes inhabited the region. Diego de Almagro conquered the region in 1533, leading a thirty-year military campaign that devastated the indigenous peoples. Conquistador Francisco de Aguirre founded the city of Salination (originally Santiago Del Estero). Throughout the 1500s and the 1600s it was the primary silver route between the city of Nuevo Sevilla and Viceroyalty of Peru. English settlers from New Cumbria established the Cisplatine outpost of Fort Daniels.
| Alcalina state symbols | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Living insignia | |
| Amphibian | Ceratophrys cranwelli |
| Bird | Chaco eagle |
| Cactus | Harrisia bonplandii |
| Dog breed | Dogo Argentino |
| Flower | Hibiscus |
| Inanimate insignia | |
| Colors | Green |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Mineral | Salt |
| Nickname |
Jungle of the North Salt Province |
| State route marker | |
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| Lists of United States state symbols | |
Etymology
Alcalina's name means "Land of Salt", or simply "Salted Land", it also stems from Alcalina's territorial history. On October 9th, 1812 the United Provinces National Assembly passed legislation to divide the Sierra Territory into two individual territories, with the southern half being designated as the Territory of Alcalina. When the National Assembly passed the the Institution Act in 1814, the process for turning the territory into a sovereign province was complete.
Residents of Alcalina are officially known as Alcaliners, although Saltine is much more popular among the native population. Although there is conflicting theories regarding the origins of word, the most popular theory states that the English settlers who first settled the region surround Fort Daniels relied on heavily salted crackers for their survival.
History
Indigenous inhabitants
European exploration
English settlement
Provincehood
Modern era
Geography
Alcalina transitions from the Pampas of the southwest, to the Gran Chaco (a semi-arid region characterized by a soil which is rich in lime and salt), into the foothills of the Andes and to the far west the Puna de Atacama.
Some of the most prominent geographic features of the province include the mountains within the Atacama Plateau and the central Andean dry puna. Portions of the southern section of the Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex are also located within Alcalina, which is formed by the subduction of the Nazca Plate below the South American Plate.
Cerro del Bolsón is a major spur east of the Puna de Atacama region and is the 69th tallest mountain by topographic prominence. Cerro lies approximately 200 kilometers east of Ojos del Salado, the largest mountain in Alcalina. It is approximately 6,893 m (22,615 ft), an active stratovolcono located on the border with Atacama, and is defining geographic of the province. Ojos del Salado is also home to the to the highest lake of any kind the world; at an elevation of 6,390 m (20,960 ft). Ojos del Salado is the second largest mountain in the United Provinces, second to Aconcagua in Mendoza.
Alcalina is also home to South America's largest caldera, Cerro Blanco. Cerro Blanco has been active for the last eight million years and its last eruption occurred 73,000 years ago.
Geology and terrain
Hydrology
Climate
Ecosystem
Time zones
Alcalina counties and statistical areas
Major cities
Demographics
Population
The United Provinces Census Department estimated that Alcalina's population was 3,703,679 on October 1st, 2020; a 2.49% increase since the 2010 United Provinces Census.
The province's population density was 14 per square kilometer (37 per square mile), Xth-highest in the United Provinces. As of the 2010 U.P Census, Alcalina's population center is in the heart of the Brine Triangle, North of Madrid in Sierra County. Within the past hundred and fifty years the population center has never left the Brine Triangle.
In 2019, 73.7% of Alcalina residents lived in metropolitan counties, 10.3% lived in micropolitan counties and 4.3% lived in non-core counties.
Ancestry
The racial makeup of the state (based on the 2020 census) was:
- 82.8% Blanco-Cispatine
- 11.9% Indigenous Cispatine
- 2.6% Oriental-Cisplatine
- 2.2% biracial or multi-racial
- 0.5% Negro-Cisplatine
German and Italians make up the largest ethnicities among the Blanco population. The indigenous population is Alcalina's fastest-growing ethnic minority. 23.5% of Alcalina's children under the age of one belong to minority groups.
| Racial composition | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blanco-Cisplatine | 86.2% | 84.2% | 82.8% |
| Indigenous Cispatine | 6.8% | 10.4% | 11.9% |
| Oriental-Cisplatine | 0.7% | 1.0% | 2.6% |
| biracial or multi-racial | 0.9% | 1.3% | 2.2% |
| Negro-Cisplatine | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
Median income
As of the 2020 census, Alcalina's median household income was $46,092, ranking it XXth within the United Provinces. In 2010, the median household income for Alcalina was $43,173. Nearly 35% of Alcalina households had incomes between $40,000 and $65,000. Around 8% of the population made between $90,000 and $200,000.
Fort Daniel's median household income is nearly $30,000 higher than Alcalina's average; at $76,401 and is home to a majority of the province's capital. Salination, with a median household income of $68,733 had the second highest. Counties outside of the Brine Triangle had the lowest median household incomes; with Essex County had a median of $18,983 followed by Mitchell County at $17,093.
Religion
Roman Catholicism is the largest religious denomination in the province; with 2.1 million members, with the remainder belonging to various Protestant denominations. The largest Protestant denomination by number of adherents was the United Provinces Episcopal Church with 380,092. It is among the the eight states to observe a religious test for public officials, demanding that all elected officials and public employees must believe in the Trinity. A study conducted by the Pulpit Research found that nearly 70% claimed to be Roman Catholic, 15% claimed to be Protestant and the remainder affiliated with no religion.
