The Land of Desera

[nedalezz]

Year Seven

Year Seven was a turbulent one in the short history of the new nation – the first sign of trouble appeared when the leader of Torani tribe, Anwar Torani, challenged and insulted the rest of the Desera Council, which led to a flare-up that almost spiraled out of control. The Torani tribe, which resided in the Borkan Mountains in northern Desera and were known as the fiercest fighters in the land, then announced that it would no longer report to the Desera Council, and that the Borkan Mountains were now an autonomous state within Desera. This, of course, did not sit well with the rest of the tribes, some of whom wanted immediate action and others who wanted the replicate what Anwar Torani had done. It had put the Royal President Sidebe Mallam in the tightest position of his seven year reign, telling his son, Prince Diallo Mallam, no matter what was decided, Desera "would lose."

Under the new threat from the Borkan Mountains, the Royal President secretly gave the green light to his son to begin stocking up the Deseran Armed Forces for an imminent invasion of the Borkan Mountains. The Royal President did this with a heavy heart and without the console of his council – he knew that the Desera Council's unity was now at its weakest and most fragile point, and only a show of power could win back the loyalty of the other tribal leaders. It was not his way; indeed, he detested the decision he had to take, but it had to be done, and he knew no one more fit for the job than his own militant son, Prince Diallo. As Year Seven drew to a close, the military was in preparation for its first test – to recapture the Borkan Mountains.

A typical village in the Borkan Mountains.

Back in Kafra, the local economy was really picking up, which led to the Desera Council's approval to construct a new headquarters for the Bank of Desera. The twelve story building was built across from the University of Kafra on Masjid Street, costing the Ministry of Finance E40 million upon completion. The old Bank of Desera building, which sat across from the House of Council, was still operational as a branch of the bank, but all the administrative offices were moved to the new building. Additionally, the Ministry of Finance was moved out of the House of Council and took over the last three floors of the new building, which was officially christened the Bank of Desera HQ Building. 

Kafra's population was 41,077 at the end of Year Seven, as growth continued to be extremely high. Most newcomers lived in the shanty towns that surrounded central Kafra, but there were some well-off families, mostly from western Africa and the Middle East region, who had immigrated to Desera and set up a home in the new nation. Unemployment, however, was beginning to become an issue the council had to tackle – a lot of the poor that were setting up homes in Kafra were finding it hard to get jobs. The industrial and commercial sectors, while growing, were not keeping up with the huge spike in population, while the federal government was not setting up enough projects to employ a large number of people. There was one project, however, that was started towards the end of the year that promised to employ quite a good amount of people – the new Kafra seaport project. Situated to the west of the city, the new seaport was going to cost the Deseran government almost E800 million in its entirety, and the contractors were a mix of foreign companies and local ones.

The Desera Council, amidst all the chaos that was going on inside of it, managed also to set up a new team which was tasked with exploring the natural resources of Desera, both known and unknown. It was called the Deseran Natural Resources Authority (DNRA), and their first mission, to begin in Year Eight, was to find out what other natural resources and minerals was available in Desera other than oil.

With the exception of the Borkan Mountains, the Desera Council was finding success in setting up its authority across the land, and that was making it easier to spread the welfare system and investment in other parts of the country. Small villages and settlements were popping up everywhere, and in an end of year meeting, the council informed the Ministry of Transportation that it had to do better in create road access all across Desera. Their budget would be increased, despite most of the surplus in the government coffers going to the new seaport project, but results were expected in a year's time, as well.

A shot from the corner of Masjid Street and Beach Road.

[art128]

Oh - So they did it.. And now they are going to get the army in the face...

The new bank headquarter looks great my friend. the corner of Masjid Street and Beach Road picture is really wonderful.

Looking forward to the new seaport.

[rooker1]

Very interesting stories, fantastic pics and all around great MD has landed Nedal and his MD in OSITM!!
I can't wait to see what's in store....



Congrats from The SC4D Staff!!

[Kergelen]

Congrats on the OSITM Nedal!
I like your style and the different style of the building you use because is a beautiful mix.
Also I love to see a natural growth MD.

[noahclem]

Congratulations on your OSITM 

Great work as always with the last update--the "typical village" picture is such a unique bit of MMPing and the city is developing very nicely! Can't wait to see what you have for us this month!

[vortext]

Congrats on being OSITM! 

Looking forward to year eight. 

[nedalezz]

This is a huge honour, and I wont let you guys down!

Year Eight's entry is under construction, and hopefully this will be a big month for Desera!

[RickD]

Congrats on OSITM, you deserve it. 

[wallasey]

Well done on this amazing accolade! Very much deserved!

[nedalezz]

The Damas Seaport

Desera has a new center for logistics – the brand new Damas Seaport, situated just a few miles west of the nation's capital city of Kafra. After three years of work and an investment of E1 billion, Desera is ready to become a player in the trade and logistics sectors, positioning itself as a prime investment center in the West African region thanks to its modern seaport. The city of Kafra, which already has an international airport that directly connects the country with several capitals both in Europe and in West Africa, has earned its reputation as a prime location in terms of opportunities and investment, and the Damas Seaport with further facilitate and back that claim!

With the future in mind, the Desera Council has built the port with a long term vision in mind, and the hopes are that the Damas Seaport will be able to handle Desera's import and export for years to come. However, it does not stop there – the council has also already drawn up blueprints for both a Phase Two and a Phase Three, which are expansion plans for when the time comes. The E1 billion investment will open up several doors for the country, and, as stated before, foreign investment is sure to be one of them. Just outside the port, the government has constructed a bunch of warehouses that can be rented daily or monthly, in order to help ease storage cost for both importers and exporters. With the Damas Seaport now fully operational, there has never been a better time to call Desera home for your business!

[art128]

Beautiful seaport there, Nedal!

I think its size is enough for the region's current needs. When time comes I hope plan two and three will be as great as the first.

Congrats on the OSITM as well.

[Ol.S / Benoit]

Looks really nice !
Your overviews are always impressive 

[noahclem]

Great seaport    And I agree with Benoit about your overviews!

[nedalezz]

noahclem: Thanks I actually tend to focus more on my overview shots because its like the final test for me when I create something in Simcity - How does it look with those farm zooms? Thats what I ask myself
Ol.S/Benoit: Thank you! Like I mentioned to noah, I do put importance on my overview shots!
art128: I agree with the size - I think it will be enough for a few years to come! But the Royal President is always accounting for the long term, and he has made sure that the adjacent lands have been put aside for any expansions that might happen in the future!

Year Eight

It happened suddenly and in the dead of night; the village of Tarini, deep in the Borkan Mountains and with a population of 4,530 and growing, was awakened by the sound of mortars exploding and helicopters approaching. Led by Prince Diallo Mallam, the Deseran Armed Forces moved against the Torani rebellion, causing heavy damage to the infrastructure of the village and sending the overmatched Torani rebels fleeing deeper in the mountains. Conquering the area was one thing, but defending and keeping hold of it was another thing entirely. The Torani tribe, known as the fiercest fighters throughout the history of Desera, began employing guerilla tactics, hitting the Deseran Armed Forces and running, chipping away at their enemy little by little. The leader of the tribe, Anwar Torani (who previously held a post in the Deseran Council), was reportedly injured in the initial attack, but had since been nursed back to health and was the main coordinator behind the hit and run tactics. Almost all of the Borkan Mountains was loyal to Anwar Torani, even though they remained under the watchful eye of the federal forces. They viewed the Deseran Armed Forces not as their own, but as an occupier, a foreign force that had invaded their land. As Year Eight drew to a close, the army was in control of most of the Borkan Mountains, but was struggling to inflict much damage on the new fugitive Torani rebels.

While Prince Diallo wanted an iron fist to control the Borkan Mountains, his father and Royal President Sidebe Mallam began implementing an initiative to win its loyalty another way. He instructed the Desera Council to set up several representative branches throughout the rugged area, with aim of distributing welfare, food, and free healthcare services to the people there. While many in the council disagreed with that method (it was, after all, money that would have went directly to their pockets), after witnessing the ruthlessness and efficiency of the Deseran Army led by Prince Diallo, there was no public discontent. The initiative, called the "We Are One" program, was implemented very late in Year Eight, and the full results would not be known for at least one year of testing.

Shots of the Borkan Mountains.

Back in Kafra, the major story of Year Eight was the completion of the new seaport, officially called the Damas Port, named after the area it was built in. The Damas Port was the largest project undertaken by the Desera Council, costing the government E1 billion upon completion. The Kafra Seaport, which had become much too small to handle the cargo that was coming into the country daily, was turned into a fishing port, although rumors abound that the council was planning on destroying it completely. The new port's effect on the commercial and industrial sectors of Kafra was expected to be big, with major growth predicted in them during Year Nine.

The Damas Seaport to the west of Kafra.

For the first time since its founding, Kafra's population growth rate slowed from the previous year, increasing to 49,411. The slowdown was mostly due to the fact that fewer nomadic families from Desera's rural areas found their way to the capital city during Year Eight, giving the Desera Council some relief and time to help invest in the city's infrastructure and catch up with its growth. The slums and shanty towns surrounding central Kafra showed almost no expansion – instead, the area north of the University of Kafra was developed from clay one story houses to more elegant and luxurious Deseran Revivalist buildings, in line with the rest of central Kafra.

On the other side of Masjid Street, in western Kafra, the industrial sector showed major expansion, no doubt spurred by the promise the new Damas Seaport had brought with it. Warehouses were constructed at a rapid pace, and there were even some small, light manufacturing plants that opened its doors for business, to cater to the local market. Western Kafra had become the industrial and trading heart of the city since the old Kafra Seaport was converted into a fishing dock, and center of Kafra, which was once the trading hub of the city, had begun slowly shifting from the wholesale and trade activities into a more retail and service oriented district.

[nbvc]

Nice seaport and city.

[art128]

The new area of the city is very well done, Nedal! I sure like when revivalist houses takes the place of the slums.

The night overview [of the university area] is my favorite picture of this update. There is so much going on, yet my eyes can catch well the picture.

[nedalezz]

Alright, so I don't know how many of you would be interested in this sort of things, but when I started this CJ, I decided to incorporate an information sheet for it that has slowly expanded. Basically, in my desire to make running Desera as realistic as possible, I created some excel sheets that showed what the country was making and spending, as well as some other tidbits. I know that my formulas are very, very basic, but for anyone with an interest in these sort of things, it might be worth a look! I update the information sheets along with every update, although this latest version is still a work in progress! Anyway, here is the link for anyone interested in seeing things like Desera's GDP, Exports, Imports, Government Spendings, Army Capabilities, and other stuff!

Desera Information Sheet

[noahclem]

Great pictures again    Also interesting idea on the info sheet 

[Aaron Graham]

Lovely city you have here.

[nedalezz]

Aaron Graham: Thank you!
noahclem: Thanks! The info sheet is really all about treating Desera like a real country

Night Tour Around Downtown Kafra

Today, we will be taking a tour during the night around the developing downtown neighborhood of Kafra!


















We will end the tour with a small mosaic of downtown Kafra, looking west (north is right, west is up).