Ishmira, Gaia

Ishmira (Ish-mee-ra) is the biggest city of the western Altruran island of Gaia, located on the Merilanitz Delta in the southern shore of Gaia. Population: 4,559,802 (2020)

Ishmira is a city that is recently mentioned in ESPLAR lore and is expected to be mentioned more often. Ishmira will become the new headquarters of the Evanshire Super Pro League of Auto Racing in 2021 as the old headquarters in Evanshire will be retrofitted and converted to team headquarters for several Tier 3 and 4 teams.

History
(WIP)

In 1991, Ishmira began championing itself as a "city of diversity" through several important rallies at Galmora Plaza in the Conamara District. Organized largely in the aftermath of protests against the current justice system for inadequate rulings, especially the Galvins v. Ishmira case where Aldbridge resident Erik Galvins was arrested for an arson case against him after he was accused of burning a prominent Korean-Altruran business in Iopeth. Galvins was sentenced to only a week in jail, a case outraging the many ethnic minorities across Ishmira, and largely caused the Galmora rallies. The rallies called for equity and reform in the Gaia justice system, as well as for the voters to vote out the justices of the Ishmira Superior Court (Ishmira's judicial system was elected position beginning in the 1982 reforms). In the 1991 judicial elections, the 9 incumbent members of the Superior Court was elected out; replaced by a Latinx justice, an African-Altruran justice, a Japanese-Altruran justice, a Filipinx justice, and the remaining justices being Korean, Slovene, Hungarian, and Turkish, the first time an Altruran municipal Superior Court was entirely filled by ethnic minorities.

A growing number of residents are speaking a new Ishmiran dialect, distinct from many languages that are commonly spoken in the city.

Divisions
Ishmira is divided into 41 districts, more commonly known as boroughs as to keep with its half-English traditional governance.

When the Ishmira boroughs were established in 1988, each borough that was named must follow these rules:
 * 1) Clear indication of location
 * 2) No silly or made up words
 * 3) No double barrelled or unwieldy long names (except in few situations)

Economy
Professional, scientific based organizations and businesses form the central economy of Ishmira, primarily based in the Kunzyl, Chura, Farmonte Park and Parsons-Del Monte. Most of the areas in what is usually Ishmira's central area (Conamara, Udmurtia, Aldbridge) have largely been modernized and expanded into high-rise areas based on the existing architecture of the structures.

A significant part of Ishmira's economy is tourism, and trading card shops are extremely popular here as well.