Navassa

Navassa Navaza (Estuarian Creole)
Commune
Clockwise from top: Cathar Quarter, Navassa station, Camp Banyo, Old Cabildo, Eixample district, L'Alcàsser (old town), and Canal Central
Flag
Nickname(s):  Pearl of the Hesperides; Orchid City; The Heart of Estuaria
Location of Navassa comarca within Estuaria Location of Navassa comarca within Estuaria
Metropolitan City of Navassa (core city in red) Metropolitan City of Navassa (core city in red)
Sovereign state	Balisca
Community	Estuaria
Region	Mesopotàmia (MA)
Settled	5 June 1536
Government
• Type	Liquid democracy with communal council
• Body	Ajuntament de Navaza
Area
• Total	106.41 km2 (41.09 sq mi)
• Land	82.83 km2 (31.98 sq mi)
Elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Lowest elevation	−0.3 m (−1 ft)
Population  (2023)
• Total	608,867
• Rank	?th
• Density	5,700/km2 (15,000/sq mi)
• Canton	1,275,791
Demonym	Navassano (bl)
Demographics
• Languages	Catalan Estuarian Creole
• Ethnic groups	78.6% Baliscans 21.4% others
Postal code	080AX
Area code	+500 (B) 6 (MA)
IHDI (2022)	0.881 very high
SDI (2022)	226.74 exemplary
Major airports	Navassa–Casademonts Airport
Flower	Cortaderia selloana
Tree	Erythrina Crista-Galli
Bird	Scarlet-headed blackbird
Website	navassa.gov.bl

Navassa (Estuarian Creole: Navaza; Catalan pronunciation: /nəˈvæsə/; lit. 'flat land' or 'flat plain'), is a commune in the Estuarian region of Mesopotàmia. It is classified as a Beta- city by the GaWC city classification. It is the home of the Navassa Arsenal, one of the oldest military installations in Balisca. The city has historically been prone to flooding, due to such factors as high rainfall, low lying elevation, poor natural drainage, increasing subsidence, and high tides. In May 2023, around 1.3 million people resided in the greater canton, of whom around 78,000 live in the historical island city, and the rest on the mainland.

Founded on a single island in the Navassan Lagoon, the city was razed by Indigenous warriors during the Reapers' War. The city was rebuilt in accordance with the Malaquies Ballvé Plan, which called for mass reclamation of the area between the island and the mainland from the lagoon. Along with construction of major roads and public buildings, the reclamation project, completed in 1677, transformed Navassa into a major mercantile center in the Baliscan archipelago. The city was surrendered to Baliscan rebels in 1816, marking the end of the Royalist presence in mainland Estuaria.

Like most cities of Aragonese colonial origin, it has a long, multicultural past, and this has been reflected in the city's distinct culture. Navassa has developed its own unique music, a world famous cuisine (to include the staple ilop rice), unique dialects, and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Dijous Gras. The historic center of the city, L'Alcàsser ("the castle"), is known for its unique historical architecture, incorporating styles from across the Aragonese Empire, and vibrant urban nightlife centered on La Rambla.

The city is also home to football team Atlètic Navaza, a significant symbol for Estuarian nationalism due to its promotion of only Estuarian players and being one of the most successful clubs in Baliscan football history.

Nowadays, Navassa is a vigorous service city that is experiencing an ongoing social, economic, and aesthetic revitalisation process, started by the renovated Camp Ressònic, and continued by infrastructure investments, such as the high speed rail station, the rapid transit system, the tram line, and the currently under development Ciutat Nova reclamation project. Navassa is known for its high quality of life. In a 2015 study of 25 Baliscan communes, the think-tank Cal·línic ranked the city first (in a tie with Castejón and Uxiu) as the country's most livable cities. Navassa was ranked third in the national evaluation of "Cities with Strongest Growth Potential" issued by the Instituto Confederal de Estadística (ICE), and first in the evaluation of cities with most sustainable development potential on the island of Atlantida.

Culture

See also: Society of Balisca

Navassa and its hinterland have a culture that is distinct from the rest of Balisca, and is commonly seen as more closely related to that of Crown of Aragon (specifically the Catalan Countries), rather to Balisca itself. Hence, these areas are collectively known as "Nova Tarracona", after the Roman name for the region of the southeastern Iberian Peninsula. This region, and in particular Navassa, has played an important role as a center of early Baliscan culture since the 17th century, first in Andalusia, and from the 19th century on, worldwide. The city's founders, consisting of a mix of Moriscos, Arabs, Berbers, Romani, Cathars, Catholics and Muslims reflected the diversity of the Aragonese Empire and left a lasting legacy on the city.

Navassa emerged as one of the world's largest Catalan-speaking cities during the years of the Aragonese Empire, spreading its culture around the world, most notably in Vespucia. Today, Navassa continues this role as a center of Aragonese culture in Balisca, but is increasingly overshadowed by the re-emergence of cities such as Merced. There are also a number of well-preserved traditional Cathar festivities throughout the year. Holy Week celebrations in Navassa are considered some of the most colourful in Balisca. Additionally, celebration of Saint George's Day is shared between Navassa and Arriola, however, yellow roses are more commonly associated with Navassan celebrations, rather than the red roses typically seen in Aragonese festivities.

The city received significant waves of Aragonese refugees who were fleeing the chaos of the French Revolutionary Wars. Immigration and urbanization in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have also created new socioeconomic communities, both urban (like Eix, Empuria, Sant Martí, and Cituat Nova) and the suburban and working class hinterlands (like Banyoles) of the urban agglomeration (called variously afores ("suburbs", sometimes qualified as "chic" or "pobre" or els finques "housing projects") which have developed their own "sense of place" and local culture (such as Fila Carpa; "tent city"), as well as cultural identity.

In addition to Catalan (the official language of Estuaria), Créyòl is widely spoken, and is co-official language of the whole of the Metropolitan City, according to the city's Gran Carta. Prior to 1989, Navassa officially labelled itself "unilingual", only recognizing Standard Estuarian Catalan as an official language. The institution that governs Tarraco Creole is the Acadèmia Créyòl de la Llengua (ACL), which dictates that Tarraco is the name that the Tarraco People give to the language known regionally and academically as Creole Catalan. The concentration of Créyòl speakers in Navassa reflects the city's roots as the home of the Tarracos (also called Pantans catalans; "swamp Catalans").

The characteristic Catalan of this city is Napitxat, a dialect of the metropolitan area of ​​Navassa. Despite being highly influenced by Standard Catalan, Napitxat retains certain ancient characteristics that have been lost in the rest of the Estuarian dialects. Its main characteristics are:

• Deafening of the voiced alveolars and palatals , as at home , tretze and metge ['kasa,' tretse, 'metxe] (home, thirteen and doctor, respectively).
• The one that conserves archaic forms of the plural, which maintain the original Latin n , as in hòmens [homes] (men) or jóvens [joves] (young people).
• The one that has a certain tendency to diphthongization of the unstressed initial o (when it is constituted in a syllable) by au: aulor [smell] (smell), aufegar [offegar] (to drown), aubrir [obrir] (to open).

Architecture

Palau Céspedes, in the Eixample district. It is currently home to the the flagship Basileus hotel

File:Galeries Sant Martí interior.jpg

Galeries Sant Martí, built in 1887, is the best known example of Italianate architecture in Navassa.

Drawing from many different sources, Navassa's architecture demonstrates great historical and geographical diversity. Navassa's architecture tended to develop along similar lines as other architectural styles from the Mediterranean and from Southern Europe. With rapidly increasing Aragonese investment, Navassa experimented with Renaissance architecture, developed mostly by local architects. Aragonese Baroque was distinguished by its exuberant Churrigueresque decoration and the most sober Herrerian style, both developing separately from later international influences. The Iberian Colonial style, which has lasted for centuries and still has a strong influence in Latin America was far less common in Navassa during the Aragonese colonial period.

Beginning in 1760, the most prominent architectural styles were Neoclassicism and Neo-Mudéjar, both of which were prominent features of Aragonese cities at the time. Queen Isabella V of Aragon was responsible for the significant renovations carried out in Navassa towards the end of the 18th century. This urban and artistic renewal included the construction of Plaça de Sant Miquel, inaugurated in 1778, and the construction of the Royal Palace. The late 1700s Palau Céspedes by Carles Reixachs and Royal Villa of Marça by Aquilles Casamartí, later the official residence of Aragonese viceroys, are often regarded among the best preserved examples of Neoclassical architecture in Latin America.

The 19th century had two faces: the engineering efforts to achieve a new language and bring about structural improvements using iron and glass as the main building materials, and the academic focus, firstly on revivals and eclecticism, and later on regionalism. Post-Independence the city experimented with Valencian Art Nouveau. The arrival of Modernisme in the academic arena was met with widespread skepticism in Navassa, resulting in a rapid increase in popularity of Mediterranean Revival architecture. However, with the turn of the century, Navassa is currently experiencing a revolution in contemporary architecture and it is becoming significantly more visible throughout the city, especially in Ciutat Nova.

Cuisine

Ilop rice, Navassa's most famous dish, is a blend of Valencian paella and West African jollof rice.

Like most cities in Balisca, Navassa has developed its own local culinary tradition, which, as it is typical for Catalan cuisines, uses more frequently rice than pasta, butter than vegetable oil and features high amounts tomato or fish. Navassan traditional dishes includes milanesa, a breaded veal (pork and turkey can be used) cutlet pan-fried in butter (similar to Viennese Wiener Schnitzel). Other typical dishes are caçolet (a casserole with pork sausage, pork skins, and white beans), daube (stew made with beef braised in wine, vegetables, garlic, and other herbs), socca (a pancake made from chickpea flour), busecca (stewed tripe with beans), and Navassan couscous (a variety of the original Marrascesco dish). Navassa's most famous dish, Ilop rice ("Wolof rice") is considered a stable.

Season-related pastries include xerrada (flat fritters dusted with sugar) and crema eivissana (Trinity cream) for Dijous Gras, Xuixo (a croissant stuffed with crema eivissana) for Easter, panellets (treats made from chestnuts and sweet potatoes served with wine) for All Saints' Day and neula for Christmas. The pastís de treflas, a potato pie of Occitan origin, is incredibly popular throughout Navassa. Aioli sauce, an indigenous Catalan creation, is often made with boiled pears, beets, fennel, celery, zucchini, cauliflower, chick peas, or raw tomato.

Navassa is also well known for its world-class restaurants and cafés, characterised by innovative cuisine and design. As of 2019, Navassa has 22 Michelin-selected places, including two 2-Michelin-starred restaurants; these include Cafè Eixi, La Provençal, and . Many historical restaurants and bars are found in the historic centre, the Eixample and Andalusia districts. One of the city's oldest surviving cafés, Cafè Ais, was established in 1817. In total, Navassa has 18 cafés, bars and restaurants registered among the List of Historical Locations, continuously operating for at least 70 years. Additionally, Navassa is notable for the lack of multinational food chains (especially fast food). This has been attributed to the city's longstanding fat tax (Navassa became the first city in Balisca to introduce a "fat tax" on burgers, pizzas, doughnuts, tacos, and sugary drinks served in branded restaurants in 1998), implemented in order to stem the rise in obesity rates in the city. This situation has been quickly evolving, and the city opened its first Starbucks in 2015, and the first Jollibee in 2019.

Government and politics

Navassa Cabildo, the seat of the Ajuntament de Navaza, is located in the Jiròni district of the city

Navassa's administration is handled by a communal council, the Ajuntament de Navaza, which is consists of 45 councillors. The councils are directly elected for a four-year terms by universal suffrage.

Navassa is subject to a special law articulated through the Gran Carta (Communal compact). The first version of this compact was adopted in 1860 and has since been amended numerous times, with the current version having been approved in June 2021. According to this compact, Navassa's council is organised in two levels: a cooperative one, with elected city councillors, and one political which overseas the programs and executes the decisions taken on the cooperative level.

Public safety

Navassa's Municipal Guard (Policía Municipal de Navaza) is the local public safety body, and is accountable to direct civil oversight. As of 2018, it had a workforce of 6,190 civil servants. Members of the Municipal Guard are prohibited from carrying lethal weapons. Additionally, in response to the widespread protests during the 2021 civil unrest, the Ajuntament banned the usage of tear gas and rubber bullets as a deterrent to protests.

The headquarters of both the Directorate-General of Public Safety and the Directorate-General of the Confederal Militia are located in Eixample. The headquarters of the Higher Office of Public Safetty of Navassa (Oficina Superior de Policia de Navaza), the cantonal Confederal Milita with jurisdiction over the region also lies on Eixample. Potential abuse committed by city's law enforcement are monitored by the communally organized watchdog Projecte de carrers pacífics ("Peaceful Streets Project"), which provides reports to the Ajuntament monthly. Additionally, the Ajuntament restricts the Municipal Guard's budget increases to a maximum of two percent per year.

Crime rates vary widely across different areas of Navassa. Crime figures are made available nationally at Local Authority and Ward level. In 2020, there were 11 homicides, a 8.3% decrease over 2019. The Municipal Guard have made detailed crime figures, broken down by category at city and district level, available on their website since 2000. Recorded violent crime has been falling in Navassa for years, while nonviolent crime such as pickpocketing, shoplifting and motor vehicle theft have risen.

Geography and climate

Navassa has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa, according to the Köppen climate classification). The city has cool Winters (June to September), warm-hot Summers (December to March) and volatile Springs (October and November); there are numerous thunderstorms but no tropical cyclones. Rainfall is regular and evenly spread throughout the year, reaching around 950 millimetres (37 in).

Winters are generally cool, wet, windy and overcast. During this season, there are bursts of icy and relatively dry winds of continental polar air masses, giving an unpleasant chilly feeling to the everyday life of the city. Frosts occur few times during winter, generally not falling below 28° F (-2° C) because of the oceanic influence that moderates the temperature; few miles away from the coast, frosts are more common and colder. Rainfall and sleet are a infrequent winter occurrence, but snowfall is almost non-existent.

Summers are warm-hot and humid, with less wind than other seasons. During this season, a moderate wind often blows from the sea in the evenings which has a pleasant cooling effect on the city, in contrast to the more severe summer heat of nearby cities like Isàvena. Heat waves come with the north winds, which bring humid and hot air masses from the tropical interior of the South American continent. These warm periods are usually followed by thunderstorms, generated by cold fronts of the southwest that lowers temperatures considerably. This phenomenon is regional, and can occur several times all year long.

Climate data for Navassa 1980–2010
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	42.8 (109.0)	40.3 (104.5)	38.4 (101.1)	36.7 (98.1)	32.0 (89.6)	27.4 (81.3)	29.8 (85.6)	30.8 (87.4)	32.0 (89.6)	35.8 (96.4)	38.2 (100.8)	40.8 (105.4)	42.8 (109.0)
Average high °C (°F)	27.7 (81.9)	26.8 (80.2)	25.3 (77.5)	21.7 (71.1)	18.2 (64.8)	15.2 (59.4)	14.5 (58.1)	16.3 (61.3)	17.5 (63.5)	20.8 (69.4)	23.3 (73.9)	26.0 (78.8)	21.1 (70.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	23.2 (73.8)	22.7 (72.9)	21.3 (70.3)	17.9 (64.2)	14.5 (58.1)	11.7 (53.1)	11.1 (52.0)	12.4 (54.3)	13.7 (56.7)	16.6 (61.9)	19.0 (66.2)	21.5 (70.7)	17.1 (62.8)
Average low °C (°F)	18.8 (65.8)	18.7 (65.7)	17.3 (63.1)	14.1 (57.4)	10.9 (51.6)	8.3 (46.9)	7.6 (45.7)	8.5 (47.3)	9.9 (49.8)	12.5 (54.5)	14.7 (58.5)	17.0 (62.6)	13.2 (55.8)
Record low °C (°F)	6.0 (42.8)	6.8 (44.2)	3.8 (38.8)	1.3 (34.3)	−2.0 (28.4)	−5.6 (21.9)	−5.0 (23.0)	−3.8 (25.2)	−2.4 (27.7)	−1.5 (29.3)	2.5 (36.5)	5.0 (41.0)	−5.6 (21.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	86.8 (3.42)	101.5 (4.00)	104.6 (4.12)	85.5 (3.37)	89.0 (3.50)	83.1 (3.27)	86.4 (3.40)	88.2 (3.47)	93.9 (3.70)	108.5 (4.27)	89.3 (3.52)	84.4 (3.32)	1,101.2 (43.35)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	6	7	6	6	6	7	7	6	6	7	7	6	77
Average relative humidity (%)	70	73	76	77	79	81	80	78	76	74	72	70	76
Mean monthly sunshine hours	294.5	234.5	220.1	162.0	161.2	126.0	142.6	164.3	180.0	226.3	249.0	282.1	2,442.6
Mean daily sunshine hours	9.5	8.3	7.1	5.4	5.2	4.2	4.6	5.3	6.0	7.3	8.3	9.1	6.7

Flooding

Main article: Aigües altes

Residents of Navassa during the floods of January 2020 in the Plaça Empurdá

The city is periodically threatened by high tides and heavy rainfall, which significantly raise the level of the Navassan Lagoon. These occurrences are referred to as Aigües altes ("High water"). The confederal government in conjunction with the Navassan council has moved to head off this issue with the help water control officials who were behind the successful Deltaworks project in nearby Xàbia, and the Augusta Storm Surge Barrier, which protects Augustinian Coast from storm surge and sea-level rise.

Navassa was built with technologies borrowed by the Aragonese from other thalassocracies, namely the Republic of Venice, and the Dutch Empire. Aragonese settlers heavily utilized canals to drain and pump water out of the marshland, allowing them to extend development into lower elevation areas. Additionally, they used dikes (Catalan: terraplè), to create a series of polders, gradually extending the city further into the Lagoon.

Today, around 1/3 of the city is at or below local mean sea level, while the other 2/3 is slightly above sea level. Evidence suggests that portions of the city may be dropping in elevation due to subsidence. The issue was brought into the national spotlight again in 2020, during the 2020 Baliscan floods and landslides triggered by unprecedented concurrence of high tides, rain-swollen rivers and severe winds brought by Subtropical Storm Kurumí. In a 24-hour period, Kurumí dumped over 176 cm (around 7 inches) onto the city and simultaneously inundated the lower districts of the city. Pont de Sant Miquel, the bridge linking L'Alcàsser (the historic old town) with Eixample was submerged, leaving the district isolated for 24 hours.

Demographics

Ethnography

See also: Ethnography of Balisca

Around 20% of the commune's population was foreign born in 2022, and around 50% of all children in the commune born to mothers who are immigrants. Similar to much of Balisca, immigrants to Navassa tend to originate from a single region in the world. The five largest sources of foreign-born individuals in the city as of 2019 were Spain (specifically Valencia, Catalonia and Andalusia), Marrascania, France, Haiti, and Senegal. Since 2016, the fastest growing foreign population have been of Nigerian (predominately Yoruba and Igbo) origin.

A 2015 study by researchers at University of Navassa and the University of Mesopotàmia determined that as many as 10,000 to 14,000 undocumented immigrants, many from Haiti and Venezuela, resided in Navassa. In 2020, the Pew Research Center estimated at least 35,000 undocumented immigrants lived in Navassa and its metropolitan area. In February 2017, Policia Municipal announced a new policy to "no longer cooperate with Eivissan immigration enforcement" beginning in December of that year, and the city council subsequently declared Navassa a sanctuary city. The University of Navassa had been a sanctuary campus since 2009, and the the Assembly of Catharist Churches of Navassa (representing 27 Catharist churches in the city) had declared themselves sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants since 2012.

Religion

Further information: Religion in Balisca

The Basílica de Raymond Ajudant dels Càtars in Empuria

Historically, Navassa has been predominantly Catharist, especially following the expulsion of Asturian Catholics in the early 17th century. This is clear from the large number of historical churches in the region, particularly in the district of Eixample. The pre-eminent Cathar cathedral in Navassa is the Basílica de Raymond Ajudant dels Càtars, serving as the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Saragossa–Navassa. On the northeastern side of the city, the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart is a Minor Basilica and parish church and the 28th largest church building in the world. The Church of Our Lady of Merixtell holds the tombs of many of the previous Viceroys of Eivissa, and Prince Antoni of Arriola, who is buried within the Royal Crypt.

In reflection of its multicultural makeup, Navassa hosts a variety of religious communities, as well as large numbers of atheists and agnostics. Minority faiths include Islam, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Judaism, and Candomblé. According to a 2020 survey, approximately 50% of residents of Navassa declared themselves Cathar (30% were practising Cathars and 20% were non-practising Cathars), 13% were Catholic (7% practising and 6% non-practising), 25% were non-religious, 8% were Muslim (6% practising, 2% non-practising), 1% were Protestants and 3% were of another religion.

The Cordoba House is a mosque and the seat of the Islamic and Cultural Centre of Mesopotàmia.

Recognised religions and laicism enjoy public funding and school courses. It was once the case that every pupil in an official school from 6 years old to 18 had to choose 2 hours per week of compulsory religion—or laicist—inspired morals. However, this law was abolished in 1953, when the Baliscan Constitutional court ruled religious studies could no longer be required in the primary and secondary education system.

Navassa has a sizeable concentration of Muslims, mostly of Marrascesco, Turkish, Syrian and Nigerian ancestry. The Great Mosque of Navassa, located in the Sant Bernat Sesrovires, is the oldest mosque in Eivissa. Since Eivissa did not collect statistics by ethnic background prior to 1950, exact figures before then are unknown. It was determined that, in 2023, people of Muslim background living in the commune numbered 95,311 and accounted for 8.03% of the city's population, a figure that is relatively close to other cities in Eivissa.

International relations

Navassa is classified as an Beta - World City, according to the Loughborough University group's (GaWC) 2018 inventory. It has consistently ranked as one of the world's most liveable cities. The city also hosts the Southern University, the academic and research arm of the Southern Independent States Association.

Twin towns and sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Balisca

Sofia is twinned with the following cities:

• Thessaloniki, Greece (since 1992)
• Macau, China (since 1993)
• Dubrovnik, Croatia (since 1990)
• Munich, Bavaria (since 19 May 1994)
• New Orleans, United States (since 1992)
• Salvador, Brazil (since 1986)
• Mar del Plata, Argentina (since 1990)
• Alexandria, Egypt (since 1992)
• Adelaide, Australia (since 1975)
• Venice, Italy (since 1987)
• Porto, Portugal (since 1987)
• Istanbul, Turkey (since 1993)
• Saint Petersburg, Russia (since 1990)
• Miami, United States (since 1978)
• Milan, Italy (since 1990)
• Kobe, Japan (since 1990)
• Oviedo, Spain (since 1983)
• Brest, France (since 1990)
• Prague, Czech Republic (since 1992)
• Rotterdam, Netherlands (since 1990)
• São Paulo, Brazil (since 2007)
• Jeju, South Korea (since 1992)
• Bethlehem, Palestine (since 1976)
• Wellington, New Zealand (since 1993)
• Vigo, Spain (since 1992)
• Krakow, Poland (since 1992)
• Basra, Iraq (since 2000)
• Algeirs, Algeria (since 1998)