Pelograd (Pacifica)

Pelograd ペログラダ Пелоград
Capital city
Country	Pelinai
Federal region	Stelossia
Founded	C. 19 BC
Government
• Body	Pelograd City Duma
• Mayor	Makutsu Kaiyama (UP)
Area
• Capital city	2,204 km2 (851 sq mi)
• Land	2,149 km2 (830 sq mi)
• Water	55 km2 (21 sq mi)
• Urban	4,928 km2 (1,903 sq mi)
• Metro	10,920 km2 (4,220 sq mi)
• Rank	2nd in Pelinai
Elevation	7 m (23 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Capital city	10,160,440
• Rank	2nd in Pelinai
• Density	4,610/km2 (11,900/sq mi)
• Urban	17,696,450
• Urban density	3,591/km2 (9,300/sq mi)
• Metro	22,659,000
• Metro density	2,075/km2 (5,370/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Pelogradian
GDP (nominal) (2024)
• Federal city	◎210.585 billion (INT$682.296B)
• Per capita	◎20,726 (INT$67,151)
Time zone	UTC+3 (MET)
Area codes	(150) (151) (152) (153)
Website	Pelograd.gov.pln

Pelograd (Pelinese: ペログラダ, Perogurada; Stelossian: Пелоград) is the capital and second most populous city of Pelinai, situated on the southwestern edge of Stelossia bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It is administered as a federal city separate from the rest of Stelossia.

The first significant urban settlement in the Pelograd area was established circa 19 BC, when the settlement of Chorpeska was established by the southwestern Chorekite kingdom of Yugorod as a border outpost near the Marahic kingdoms to the west. It reached status as a major population center by 126 AD, when it was recorded as the capital of the Kerekite Empire; later, during the early medieval era, it became an administrative center for the southeasternmost holdings of the Loshkar Dakaraltsate. Following the unification of the medieval Kingdom of Stelossia in 1397, it was reincorporated under Chorekic rule and became the primary seaport for maritime commerce with other states bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Chorpeska was renamed to Pelograd and converted into the capital of the new Kingdom of Pelinai in 1783, superseding Korolyeviya; it retained this status under the Socialist Republic of Belogora under the name Belograd between 1975 and 1982. The city was spared from the large-scale destruction visited on cities such as Korolyeviya and Letograd during the Pelinese Civil War by the surrender of the communist government in October 1982, which saw the name of Pelograd restored to usage and the new Provisional Government placed into power.

Pelograd possesses significant political, economic, and cultural significance in Pelinai, and is one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities as of 2024. The city is home to numerous major financial and commercial assets such as Pelograd Harbor and the State Energy Resources Exchange; along with Tsugunare and Letograd, it is also one of the three major shipping hubs handling most of Pelinai’s maritime trade with western countries. The federal city and its metropolitan area contain the headquarters buildings for 17 of Pelinai’s 100 largest companies as well as 3 of its major keiretsu banks. Major research universities situated in or near the city include Pelograd Federal University, Stelossia Regional University, and East Mediterranean University. International institutions partially or fully headquartered in Pelograd include the Bailtemmic Commission of the Bailtemmic Cooperation Organization and the Bailtemmic Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Names

The name “Pelograd” is the official and most common name applied to the city, being in near-continuous use from 1783 AD onwards. Obsolete names include Chorpeska, the original Choreko-Stelossian name used from the city’s founding up to 1783, as well as the title Belograd which saw official usage under the 1975-1982 communist government.

Geography

The Federal City of Pelograd is situated on a narrow coastal plain between the Mediterranean Sea to the southwest and the Yukisora Mountains to the east and north, with its associated metropolitan area extending further inland and along the coastline in both directions. It is intersected by two minor rivers, the Apelsin and the Chorpeska, which supply the majority of its freshwater supply; it also surrounds Chorpeska Bay, which contains most of its coastal waterfront area and leads to the Mediterranean Sea. The federal city proper has a land area of approximately 2,204 km² according to the Pelinese State Surveying Service, along with a combined metropolitan area of 10,920km².

Cityscape

The layout of Pelograd is divided broadly into the Old City, the Terminal Wards, the New City Wards, and the assorted microdistrict complexes built around them over time.

The Old City section is situated on the northeastern section of Chorpeska Bay and is centered on Bethlehem Square, on the bank of the Chorpeska River approximately 3km from the coast. Notable areas in the vicinity of Bethlehem Square include: National Square, approximately 6km to the northeast; Parade Square, to the immediate southwest; Cathedral Square, 1km to the south; First Executive Square, 2km to the north-northwest; Army Square, 3km to the northwest; and Parliamentary Square, 4km to the southeast. This section of the city contains the vast majority of federal government buildings in Pelograd, as well as many nationally known monuments, museums, stores, and other landmarks.

The Terminal Wards are located on the northern coast of Chorpeska Bay and comprise the core industrial areas of Pelograd. They are centered around the Port of Pelograd, one of the largest container ship terminals in Pelinai, and its associated freight rail station.

Architecture

Pelograd possesses a great variety of architectural styles among its notable landmarks and the general cityscape, which typically vary by district. The Old City wards and their surrounding regions are dominated primarily by the Gothic Revival style, as exemplified by landmarks such as the Pelinese State Parliament Building, the Cathedral of Saint Pelinai, the Pelograd Town Hall, and the two campuses of Pelograd Federal University; the brutalist and Socialist classical styles are also prevalent in some sections, particularly among executive government and apartment buildings such as the Ministry of Defense Main Building (socialist classical), the Ministry Citadel (brutalist), and the 97 Isukandar II Avenue apartments (socialist classical). Ornamental features such as statues, arches, and spires are common. The dominant colors of Old City structures are white and khaki, along with the pale green roofing that the area is known for. Buildings in the New City Wards such as the Pelograd Central Business District use much more metal and glass in their construction, often alongside architectural features inspired by the Gothic Revival style.

Monuments and landmarks

Pelograd is a major center of historical and cultural structures in Pelinai due to its status as a capital city and a relative lack of damage from the Pelinese Civil War in comparison to other Pelinese major cities. Its major landmarks include a wide variety of government buildings, monuments, fortifications, and other structures, ranging in era from the early 900s AD to the present.

The northeastern bank of Chorpeska Bay is dominated by the Old City wards and associated waterfront, which comprise the oldest section of Pelograd. This ward contains the vast majority of pre-1800 structures located in the city, including many significant extant examples of Stelossian Modernist architecture such as the Old Waterfront Exchange building, and is notable for containing many pedestrian streets near and along the shoreline; the waterfront itself is also home to the Pelograd Seafood Market, one of the oldest continually operating markets in Pelinai. Saint Andrew Fortress, an early 18th-century Stelossian star fort and coastal artillery complex, overlooks the wider Chorpeska Bay from Mia Island roughly 300 meters offshore from the Old City. Further inland along the Grand Royal Avenue is Victory Square, a large red brick plaza housing an obelisk commemorating the Second Stelo-Sevarian War; it is adjoined to the north by the nearby Cathedral of Saint Boris, a white marble cathedral built in baroque style.

The cultural and historical core of Pelograd is centered on Bethlehem Square, a large stone-paved plaza placed roughly three kilometers northeast from Chorpeska Bay. Its most well-known landmark is the Sekisei, a large 16th century era Stelossian fortification now used for governmental and cultural purposes; the complex is ringed by a distinctive white quartzite masonry wall interspersed with brick and masonry towers. The western section is opened to the public and contains multiple museums as well as the Sekisei Cathedral, while the restricted eastern section contains the Pelinese Royal Palace, the Prime Minister’s residence, the headquarters of the Federal Life Guards, and several other executive government buildings. Situated southeast of the Sekisei on Bethlehem Square is the Cathedral of Saint Pelinai, a large 19th-century Gothic Revival church known for its stained glass windows. Other notable landmarks also on Bethlehem Square include the Museum of Pelinai, the Garden of Remembrance, and Chorpeska Riverfront Park.

Extending northeast from Bethlehem Square to National Square is Parade Avenue, a large 48 meter wide street housing several of the main offices for ministries under the Pelinese Federal Government. Ministries with offices located here in order from southwest to northeast include the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations; a smaller street extending northwest towards First Executive Square, Revolution Avenue, additionally holds the main buildings of the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Families and Social Protection, the Ministry of Labor, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry as well as the main office of the Federal Security Directorate.

Culture

Museums and galleries

A great range of museums, art galleries, and similar venues are situated in Pelograd. The city is particularly known for its selection of state-owned museums exhibiting national treasures, royal collections, and historical artifacts, established during both Pelinese and Belogoran administrations; notable examples of these include the Sekisei Royal Armory Museum, the Museum of Pelinai, the Pelinese Museum of the World, and the Pelinese National Gallery of Art. Municipal-level public museums in Pelograd, both general and catering to specialized topics, include the Pelograd Museum of History, the Pelograd Museum of Technological Systems, and the East Mediterranean Archaeological Museum.

Education

Major libraries

Pelograd possesses many public libraries, including many of Pelinai’s largest. The GreatNational Library of Pelinai, located in National Square, is the main national library of Pelinai and possesses over 44 million books, periodicals, and other entries pertaining to all subjects. The Library of Pelograd in Grand Exhibition Plaza retains a further 3.1 million entries primarily in literature. The National Technical Research Library Named After Yu. N. Mirnov, in Pelograd Federal University, maintains the largest collection of academic publishing materials in Pelinai with over 100 million entries divided between academic papers, monographs, technical reports, conference proceedings, textbooks, trade periodicals, technical standards, and other peripheral materials.

Infrastructure

Port of Pelograd

The Port of Pelograd is the primary maritime cargo transfer facility of the city. It is the third largest Pelinese port facing the Mediterranean Sea, behind those in Tsugunare and Letograd, and transfers approximately 2.2 million TEU of containerized cargo between ships and port facilities every year along with significant quantities of bulk cargoes. Seven major terminals are currently in operation, with the first two handling containers, the third oil & petroleum products, the next three general & bulk cargoes, and the seventh vehicles; an eighth auxiliary terminal is also operated to handle ferries and passenger vessels. The port also possesses an adjoining freight rail station for efficient transfer of cargoes between ships and the Pelinese railroad system.