History of Nova Rio

Nova Rio is a relatively new nation, as the people of the slums have risen up into their own nation, but the nation has already expanded and grown to amazing levels of infrastructure and land area.

Pre-Independance History
The concept of Nova Rio was born in the slums of Rio de Janiero sometime between 2001 and 2002, as crime rates in the Brazilian city soared, and the police did nothing to stop this. This was compounded by the growing divide between the righ and the poor in Brazil, leaving the poorest living in poverty-stricked "Favellas" while the rich flaunted their wealth in the city proper.

As gangs began to take control of the streets, a resistance organization of vigiliantes was formed in response to increased gang violence and the poor living conditions for the impovershed. This vigiliante group was called "Nova Rio", and included the eventual first President, Frederik Sanchez. The group of vigilantes cleared the gangs from a portion of the slums, called Favella Nova Aurora. They renamed this area Nova Rio on October 21st, 2002, a day still remembered as Founding Day in Nova Rio.

Independance Wars
Angered by continued lack of government support and continued hostility towards the vigiliantes by both the Brazilian police and local government, the Nova Rian council held a referendum on independance on January 1st, 2003. The returns of the referendum indicated a 82% support of a declaration of independance from the Rio de Janeiro state, and from the Republic of Brazil. A Declaration of Independance was written a few days later, and was released on January 15th, 2003, celebrated as Independance Day in Nova Rio.

This declaration of independance met immediate resistance from Brazilian authorities, who moved in federal police to put down the insurrection. However, brave Nova Rian resistance, which turned the slum into a fortified base in a matter of hours.

However, it was a deal with the devil that sealed Nova Rio's independance.

The interim president of Nova Rio, Frederik Sanchez, had focused on attracting corporate investment in the region for the last 10 years as a city official, and the leader of Nova Rio had managed to draw in millions in investments from the major corporations, heavily investing many of them. This led to their immediate disapproval of the Brazilian actions suppressing the newly-formed state. The corporations exerted their influence on the Brazilian government through corrupt officials and economic pressure, and Brazil recognized Nova Rio as an indepedant state on March 12th, 2003.

This deal had created an independant Nova Rio, but this deal with the devil would have repurcussions years into Nova Rio's future...

Early Organization and Government
The early Nova Rio state, which had a rapidly fluctuating economy and a weak central government, focused first on solidifing control over the tiny nation.

The Nova Rian Constitution was written in three months, and was ratified on June 22nd, 2003. This constitution established a federal government that would control the small nation, splitting the coutnry into four subsections. The Constitution also created a government based off the United States government, with the equivolent executive (President), legislative branch (Nova Rian Council), and judiciary branch (Supreme Court). This government worked quickly to eliminate pro-unification groups within Nova Rio, and established Nova Rian government control over the entire tiny coutnry.

The first elections for the executive and legislative branches were held on September 1st, 2003, and these elections saw Frederik Sanchez elected as President for his first four-year term. The legislative elections heavily favored a pro-businesses party, which campaigned on the promise of drawing in much more foreign investment to the tiny state.

Later History
The later history of Nova Rio was marked by an increased interest in the country by large corporations and the establishment of a powerful base of national corporations as well. These corporations insured that Nova Rio could survive on its own, removing the fear of a Brazilian embargo destroying the nation. In addition, Nova Rian exports became more and more numerous to other nations around the globe, insuring that Nova Rio had more than Brazil to rely upon.

These measures, in addition to a number of other nationalistic and pro-businesses measures created a tiny nation with significant economic ability, which was able to survive on the coast of Brazil.