Alba

Not to be confused with the Italian island of .

Alba, officially the Commonwealth of Alba is a located in. Alba is located 249 miles off the North American west coast. The country does not border any other country, since it's fully surrounded by the. Alba is mainly located on Virgin Island and Enterprise Island. The nation also owns 9 smaller rocky islands.

In 1579, the English explorer discovered the Alba archipelago while circumnavigating the globe. He named it Alba, either after the anicient city of or. In the two centuries that followed, the uninhabited archipelago was pretty much unimportant. However, after the, the interest for Alba icreased. In 1825, a settlement was founded by British seamen. The settlement was named Trafalgar after the . In the 1830s, Trafalgar started becoming a notable seaport. In 1841, the settlement counted over 10,000 inhabitants.

In the of 1848, the United States and the United Kingdom agreed on a "joint occupation" of the Alba achipelago. However, joint control steadily grew less tolerable for both sides. In 1853,, the President of the United States, announced that the Alba archipelago was rightful American territory. To prevent an armed conflict, the  was signed, in which both sides agreed to withraw their claim on Alba and recognize the archipelago as a neutral territory.

In the late 1850s and in the 1860s, separatist sentiments grew in Alba as colonists started founding new settlements like New Kent and Discovery. The sentiments were fueled by the apparent 'disorder' caused by the non-affiliation to any sovereign nation.

On March 3rd, 1872, James Heelaxe, a lawyer from New Kent, declared the independence of the Commonwealth of Alba. The declaration was quickly approved by the population of Alba. In November 1873, the  was signed, in which Great Britain and the United States recognized the independence of Alba.

During the first decades of it's independence, Alba strongly relied on both the United States and Great Britain in terms of economy, trade and politics. It also relied on East Asian and on African American immigrants to strengthen it's economy. During the early 20th century, Alba started to develop it's own doctrine of "bilaterality and neutrality". Alba did not participate in World War I, however, it participated in World War II, allowing the  to found a naval base on Alban soil.

During the early period of the Cold War, the Alban government successfully upheld the policy of "bilaterality and neutrality", preferring the United States and Canada over the Soviet Union. However, in the late 1970s, a socialist government was installed. The relations with the United States worsened, however, they were restored as the Alban government distanced itself from communism.

Nowadays, Alba is a small yet prosperous city-state. It is a major trading hub, and according to the 2018 estimate, it's population counts up to 1,004,000.

Etymology
The name of Alba is most likely derived from the ancient city of . The Greek word alba means 'white' in English. Although some historians suggest that Alba is derived from, the oldest known name of the island of .

History
Main articles: History of Alba and Timeline of Alban history