The Remnants

The Remnants (full name The Federated States of Remnant America) is a nation in post-outbreak North America that was established in June of 2026. The nation is located in the southern areas of the former United States, in much of former Mexico, as well as the former Central American and Caribbean countries of Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Cuba, and Jamaica. The borders encompass the former US states of Texas, New Mexico, and the western half of Louisiana. It also contains former Mexican states including Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Veracruz, Yucatán, and many others.

Presently, the nation is divided into nine federated states – Texas, New Mexico, West Louisiana, North Mexico, Central Mexico, Yucatán, New Central America, Jamaica, and New Jamaica. The population of the nation was determined to be about 65,000,000. The nation’s capital, though heavily disputed, is currently Houston, Texas. The individual capitals of the states are Santa Fe, New Mexico; Austin, Texas; Lake Charles, West Louisiana; Monterrey, North Mexico; Veracruz, Central Mexico; Cancún, Yucatán; Guatemala, New Central America; Kingston, Jamaica; and Havana, New Jamaica.

The government of The Remnants is a federated republic consisting of a similar government to the former United States of America, with more focus on the executive branch. All governmental elections happen every four years, just like former America. The Remnants have adopted the former American constitution as their own constitution, but have made minor tweaks to it. The nation is said to be “a recreation of America in the age of the zombie pandemic.”

The Remnants have a culture similar to the former states/countries that once occupied the area. The former American cultures are common in the northern areas of the nation, while the traditional Spanish-Mexican cultures and customs are still common in the southern areas of the nation.

The Remnants’ archrival and enemy is the Dominion of the South, which seceded from The Remnants in late August 2026. Before its secession, The Remnants controlled the present day Dominion of the South’s land, which included most of the southeastern former United States and much of the Caribbean. The Dominion of the South, led by aggressive Mr. House, continues to battle with The Remnants over land control, power, and resources. The center of the battles and action between both forces is in the former state of Louisiana, however, fighting has spread as far out as the Caribbean.

Aside from their conflicts with the Dominion of the South, The Remnants also face a serious zombie problem, which has greatly affected many areas of the nation. It is an ongoing effort to eliminate zombies from the nation and stop the population from decreasing rapidly.

History
In April 2026, the zombie outbreak ravaged North America, originating from several different points including Montauk, New York; Fort Stockton, Texas; Kokomo, Indiana; and Boulder, Colorado. Citizens in the southern areas of the United States of America quickly fell to the pandemic, and population was decreasing rapidly. On April 22nd, the town of Fort Stockton had its first battle against the zombies, which would go down in history as the very first battle against the “undead”. Unfortunately, this battle was not successful in the slightest, and it was clear that the zombie outbreak had really taken its toll on North America in just a short time.

The United States of America began to collapse in mid-May, 2026. Shortly before this time, the government realized the fallibility of America and announced that the government would be “moving south for the summer”. Once the United States fell to the outbreak, the government retreated in boats, cars, and planes and sailed/drove/flew southward.

Organizing their arrival in the city of Houston, they began collecting survivors and forming an anti-zombie military in the south. Some former US Congressmen called themselves, “The Remnants”, and the name stuck. The Remnants had begun to form in late May.

It wasn’t until June that The Remnants began to establish themselves as a legitimate nation, with its capital in Houston. At this point in time, they stretched all over the southern and southeastern former United States, all the way from New Mexico to North Carolina. Government officials began to divide the land up into Remnant states. Before having evacuated Washington DC, several government officials grabbed American artifacts and important documents, such as the Constitution, and brought them to Houston. The Remnant’s constitution was hastily drafted out of the old American Constitution and sent into effect by early July. After the constitution was finished and put into law, other developing nations in the former United States of America recognized The Remnants as a nation.

The first elections were to take place in 2027, but until then, the newly formed nation was to be under martial law and governmental rule until the zombie outbreak was decently contained in the area. People were widely urged to join the military and assist The Remnants fight off zombies from further infecting and plaguing the area. This attempt was successful in some parts, but many citizens resisted, choosing to fight on their own.

In August, The Remnants suffer a devastating loss in territory after a powerful group of resisting Remnants arise in the southeast. Led by a powerful and aggressive Mr. House (headquartered in Galliano, Louisiana), this group revolts and forms their nation out of everything east of the center of Louisiana. The Dominion of the South, as they entitle it, quickly gathers support from the rest of the southeast and establishes their capital in New Orleans. Their military, departing from The Remnants, forms quickly and becomes strong. Other nations soon after recognize its independence from The Remnants.

Outraged, The Remnant government declares war on the Dominion of the South. Both nations are in conflict with each other at this point, but their attempts to attack/defend against the other fall short due to the main problem they’re experiencing – the zombies. Still in conflict after a few months, both nations call off the severe warring due to the need to focus on the zombie problem instead of each other. The armistice is temporary, but enforced by both sides.

Relations with the Dominion of the South do not die down, however, because the oppressive Mr. House still had plans to dominate a much larger area. However, The Remnants backed out and remained in their area, away from their rival, the Dominion of the South.

After losing all this territory, The Remnant government orders an invasion of Mexico. The Remnant army gains control of more than half of Mexico within just a month. By December 2026, the northern areas of Central America fall to The Remnants. In January of 2027, The Remnants incorporated these areas into their nation.

The islands of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands join The Remnants at about this point. Seeking further territory, The Remnants take over Cuba, forcing out the Communist government. The island is renamed “New Jamaica” and becomes part of The Remnants. The rest of the Caribbean islands are controlled by the Dominion of the South.

The three problems faced throughout the year of 2027 in The Remnants were the spread of the zombie outbreak, the conflicts with the Dominion of the South, and the turmoil between the wealthy northern English-speaking Remnants and the poor southern Spanish-speaking Remnants.

Several bombings and other instances have occurred with a variety of different purposes and perpetrators. The frontline of much of the civil conflicts in The Remnants is in Mexico, which divides both sides. The most severe instance of violence against the government of The Remnants was a near-assassination of the president and vice president of The Remnants in November of 2027. On their way to Tegucigalpa from Houston, a portion of their plane blew up in midair from a bomb implanted by an angry group of working-class Mexicans. Unlike planned, the bomb did not go off while the plane was over the Gulf of Mexico and did not fully explode. The plane crash-landed in a field about twenty miles southeast of the Yucatán city of Champotón. Everyone on board survived and was taken to safety in the Champotón General Hospital. Everyone, including the president and vice president made a full recovery not long after the crash-landing.

The worst instance of violence during the conflicts occurred in early December of 2027, as a group of Remnant lawmakers and political activists were about to begin a speech in Guatemala City against the violence and ethnic conflicts in the region. Angry working-class terrorists detonated two bombs and fired at the lawmakers and activists with shotguns. The bombs demolished a structure on the western side of the Guatemala City main plaza and damaged the center of the plaza. Two lawmakers were shot and killed, and another two were injured by gunfire, as well as four activists. Nine civilians were killed and 17 were injured, bringing the total number of casualties to 11 deaths and 23 injuries. Neither of the two bombs killed or injured any of the people targeted by the terrorists – the following gunfire did.

In response to this near-assassination and act of terrorism, Remnant control was stepped up in the southern areas of the nation. Rules became stricter and control was better enforced. Many other assassination and bombing attempts were foiled and plotters were placed in prison with hefty sentences. While enforcing rule against civil conflict from the Spanish-speaking regions, the government and military also stepped up against terrorists of the English-speaking regions.

Currently, in 2028, The Remnants are continuing to experience issues with the three major problems they face, and at the same time operate as one of the largest nations in post-outbreak North America.

Government
The government of The Remnants is a federal republic, with a government quite similar to that of the former United States. An elected president serves as the head of government, the vice president serves as the head of the legislative branch. The legislative branch is structured with the House of Representatives and the Senate. The number of seats in the House of Representatives varies depending on relative population of the districts they’re representing. As it states in the constitution of The Remnants (which is a revised version of the Constitution of the United States of America), both presidential and legislative elections are held every four years. A president has a maximum of two terms.

The current president of The Remnants is George Waldon and the vice president is currently Thomas Bernbaum.

Geography & Population
The Remnants are located in the southern area of North America, spanning across parts of several former US states, former Mexican states, and former Caribbean and Central American countries. Most of the Remnants’ borders are previously defined borders, except West Louisiana’s east border, and the lack of borders between former Mexican states and Caribbean/Central American countries. The Remnants’ territory encompasses these former states/countries: the western half of Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Cuba (now New Jamaica), Jamaica, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas, Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila, as well as parts of Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Hidalgo, Puebla, and Oaxaca. The current divisions (federated states) within The Remnants are West Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, North Mexico, Central Mexico, Yucatán, New Central America, Jamaica, and New Jamaica. The individual capitals of these federated states are Santa Fe, New Mexico; Austin, Texas; Lake Charles, West Louisiana; Monterrey, North Mexico; Veracruz, Central Mexico; Cancún, Yucatán; Guatemala, New Central America; Kingston, Jamaica; and Havana, New Jamaica.

The physical geography of The Remnants varies depending on location within the countries, though landforms include plains, prairies, deserts, mountains, semiarid deserts, beaches, and oases. The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea are the bodies of water that border the coasts of The Remnants. The only landlocked state in The Remnants is New Mexico.

The population of The Remnants is about 65,000,000, but the number may be inaccurate as of the current day. The population is spread out over cities, small towns, and rural areas. Much of the population is in isolated areas, while a great amount of it is in cities. The most populated Remnant city is Houston, Texas. The other cities with the highest populations are, respectively, Dallas, Monterrey, Havana, San Antonio, and Ciudad Juaréz. The list of the 10 most populated cities of The Remnants are as follows:


 * 1) Houston, Texas
 * 2) Dallas, Texas
 * 3) Monterrey, North Mexico
 * 4) Havana, New Jamaica
 * 5) San Antonio, Texas
 * 6) Ciudad Juaréz, North Mexico
 * 7) Guatemala City, New Central America
 * 8) Tegucigalpa, New Central America
 * 9) Austin, Texas
 * 10) Torreón, North Mexico

Economy
The economy of The Remnants is diverse, but runs mostly on agriculture and other industries. Agriculture and industrial goods are both the main resources and elements of The Remnant economy. These positions fill most jobs in the nation, followed by the military.

The Remnants’ trade mostly involves the exportation of agricultural and industrial goods it produces and the importation of other goods and services. The Remnants do not trade with their enemy, the Dominion of the South, but do trade with areas such as California and the Chicago Kingdom.

Examples of resources that The Remnants produce/are rich in:


 * Oil
 * Corn
 * Wheat
 * Rice
 * Fruits
 * Vegetables
 * Nuts
 * Fish
 * Cotton
 * Coffee
 * Cocoa beans

The Remnants’ economy is a free market economy, which runs on individual rights to create businesses and to move freely about the nation. However, there is a small community where slavery is allowed, but the government has not endorsed nor tried to undermine this practice. Tax rates are medium to high in the nation. The Remnants try to live on basic American principles, but are unable to at times due to slavery and the encompassing of other economic ways and means.

The GDP of The Remnants is around $12,000,000 and the GDP per capita is roughly $5,000.

Military
The Remnants possess a large military, structured similarly to the United States army. There is an army, an air force, navy, a marine corps, and a zombie force (similar to the Chicago Kingdom’s Necro Force), each of which accounts for many jobs in the nation. There are presently about 2,500,000 men and women who serve in all forces of the Remnant military.

The military focuses on three tasks – restoring internal peace between the conflicting citizens of each ethnic division of the nation, fighting the oppressive Dominion of the South, and fighting and controlling the zombies from further affecting the nation.

The Secretary of Defense leads the military, a position appointed by the President of The Remnants.

Culture
The culture of The Remnants remains similar to the cultures of the area before the outbreak. The customs and cultures of the nation vary extremely over the wide geographical and ethnic area of the nation. The northern areas have a more modern, American culture, which have adapted to a modernized pre-outbreak American lifestyle. The southern and Caribbean areas have more traditional Spanish-Mexican cultures and customs. Cultural clashes have occurred as a result, and the nation continues to be culturally divided and fragmented.

Holidays vary depending on culture and religion, and the Independence Day of The Remnants is only celebrated in the north, where the citizens willingly joined Remnant forces. The south, though controlled by The Remnants, doesn’t fully celebrate the Independence Day due to the unwilling takeover by The Remnants and cultural hostility of both sides.

Some of the wealthy Remnants of the north have resorted to slavery after they overtook areas of Mexico and Central America. Many Remnants from these Spanish-speaking areas were forced into slavery, which has caused great conflict. Though not legal or designated by the government, it continues to happen in certain Remnant areas.

The two languages spoken by The Remnants are English and Spanish. The revised US constitution states that English and Spanish are the official languages of the nation. Though Spanish is the majority-spoken language, English is the language of the government and the language of the most powerful and wealthy Remnants.

Controversies and Internal Conflicts
Several controversial points have arisen over The Remnants.

A serious controversy concerning the nation is of the linguistic matter. The northern areas of The Remnants predominantly speak English, while the southern parts and the Caribbean speak predominantly Spanish. Clashes have occurred as to what the official language should be, and the government, referencing former Canada’s bilingual state, has made both languages official in the nation. Communication is much harder in The Remnants because of the linguistic division – most English-speaking people do not speak fluent Spanish, and most Spanish-speaking people do not speak fluent English. The Spanish-speaking population makes up about 60% of the nation’s population, but because the national government is located in the English 40%, the political language is English. Conflicts over language continue to arise amidst government attempts to come to internal linguistic peace.

Another controversy is the location of the nation’s capital. Immediately after America fell, the government relocated to Houston, Texas, where the lands of the south were growing. The government led The Remnants from Houston, who eventually gained control of Mexico and much of Central America and the Caribbean, while losing control of the American southeast. But because the Remnants stretched over such a wide area with many different cultures, populations, infrastructural concepts, ideas, and political standings, it was unclear if the capital really should remain in Houston. Other suggestions on capitals include Monterrey, Austin, San Antonio, Santa Fe, Dallas, Veracruz, Havana, Mérida, and Cancún. Some even believe that the nation should split into two nations due to these differences and other controversies.

The issue of slavery is also a controversial topic amongst The Remnants. Some of the wealthy northern Remnants have forced the poor Spanish-speaking southern Remnants from Mexico and Central America into slavery. This practice is not widely recognized or supported by the government, but nevertheless continues to take place. Clashes occur as a result, and the government often faces lobbyers of both slavery and the abolition of slavery.

A small minority of The Remnants believes it should merge once again with the Dominion of the South. These people are few and far between and have received little support.