Southern Cone Under the British
Platesea
The Platesea of Auchmuty-Whitelocke World (AWW) is a major resort and port city in southeastern Plate Province, with a population of 700,000; it is known as the Pearl of the Atlantic. Founded in 1885, it has been a leading Argentine beach resort, gambling mecca, fishing port, and seafood-processing centre. Originally named Beaumont Village, it acquired its present name in 1961. In 1995, it hosted the Pan American Games. Known as Mar del Plata in our world, it lies 400 kilometres from Buenos Aires. The local area code for calling is 0221 (formerly 021), within the +54 country code.
The populace in Platesea is largely angloparlant – 82% in fact, owing largely to the fact that there were very few Spanish-speakers in the southern Plate to begin with when the area started receiving British settlers. The rest is either Spanish-speaking or those whose mother tongue is neither Spanish nor English. While Protestantism is the single-biggest religious representation in Platesea, there is also a substantial Catholic community as well as smaller Jewish and Orthodox Christian populations. Also, Platesea has a significant population of retirees from the River Plate, including Buenos Aires. The people in Platesea are called Plateseaites in English and marplatenses in Spanish.
Transportation is plentiful in the Platesea area, both in going to/from it and within it. Platesea is served by the Felix U. Camet Regional Airport, a gleaming new train station, and a bus station. Public transit within Platesea includes a city bus network.
Platesea is a bustling city that is very oriented to visitors, and can get quite crowded during the busy summer season. Aside from the various beaches (including Bristol Beach in the centre), there is much to do in Platesea. The main cathedral is Christ Church Cathedral (Anglican), plus San Pedro Cathedral (Catholic). The Sea Museum is probably the number one place to see in the city; similarly-themed sites include the Fishers’ Wharf, the southern jetty, the Port Shopping Centre, and the Carr Museum of the Port Man. Other sites include the Victoria Cultural Centre, the Monk's Watchtower, the Bates Historical Archives/Museum, and the Platesea Museum of Natural Sciences. Beside the Port Shopping Centre, shopping is done at places like the Hibernia Shopping Centre and the Diagonal Promenade as well as at markets and other individual stores. Gambling is done at the Central Casino and many smaller casinos.
Some of the main festivals are the National Sea Festival (the first week of January), the National Fishers' Festival and Regatta (February), Founding Day (February 10), the International Film Festival (March), the International Jazz Festival (April), and the National Film Festival (November). Others include the Platesea Fringe Festival (the oldest and largest of its kind in South America) and the Latin American Mime Convention and Festival.
The top sports in Platesea are cricket and rugby. The cricket team is the Beachcombers, and the rugby team is the Sharks. There are also a football team (the Greens) and a basketball team (the Sea Lions). The Platesea Golf Club has a very good reputation internationally.
Platesea is fortunate to be served by a good number of hospitals. The leading options are a Spanish-language one (Clínica Colón), Platesea General Hospital, Platesea Interzonal Hospital for the Handicapped, and the Children’s and Mothers’ Hospital (nicknamed Kids’ and Mums’ in English).
As far as education is concerned, there is plenty of it in Platesea in English, but not enough in Spanish. The most important angloparlant private schools are The Belmont School and Holy Trinity College. Likewise, higher education is mainly in English; the main university is the University of Platesea.
Luxury hotels include the Grand Provincial Hotel (the oldest and most traditional), the Sheraton Platesea Hotel, the Hermitage Hotel, and the Bisonte Hotel.
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Nearby
The entire southeast coast of Plate Province, not just Platesea, is a vacationer’s paradise. First of all, in the Cape San Antonio region, there are some beach resorts collectively known as the Coast Administrative Area (with the capital being Margate), plus Flat Point at the northern end of Cape San Antonio. Flat Point has the San Antonio Lighthouse plus the Flat Point Biological Station (run by the Argentine Wildlife Foundation), which is a wildlife reserve for migratory birds going between Fireland and Alaska or Canada during spring and fall. There is also Marine World, with lots of fish that congregate in Samborombón Bay to the north. The Coast Administrative Area, in addition to Margate, includes East Coast, Greenwaters, Sealight, Blue Coast, Ajo Sea (or Aho Sea), and Port Bernard.
From that area towards Platesea, there are lighthouses in abundance, including the one at Medanos Point, also known as the South Point of Cape San Antonio. Speaking of sand dunes, there are plenty of them up to the Seapine area. The Seapine area itself is one of the loveliest and most fashionable areas along the Atlantic Coast, comprising of Ostende, Seaworth, and Cariló in addition to Seapine. In Seapine proper, the smell of the pines blended with the salty air from the sea results in a bracing atmosphere in the town. While there are no dunes in Seapine, there are plenty of very high ones in Ostende, settled by Belgians in 1906, and in Seaworth. A casino that used to be in Seapine is now outside Seaworth on Route 11 (the main coast road). Cariló, a bit further out, is an affluent community with luxurious villas and pine trees; it has some of the most pristine wooded areas remaining on the coast.
Gesellville lies some 20 kilometres south of Cariló. Founded in 1940, it is a relatively quiet beach town, where the streets are made of sand rather than asphalt. Popular with young people, Gesellville also boasts the Saint George’s Riding School outside the city centre. Between Gesellville and Platesea are Tiny Sea, with some hotels and restaurants bordering the saltwater lagoon of the same name, and Clairestown-by-the-Sea.
South of Platesea, the coastal scenery changes from dunes and sandy beaches to cliffs. Midway between Platesea and Miramar lies Chapadmalal, with the holiday residence for the Plate Province premier. There is also the Mogotes Point Lighthouse. In Miramar, it is much less developed and more tranquil than in Platesea; the beach is quite wide, with a lot of space for outdoor sports. There is also a big wooded park, Amherst Park, with walking trails and picnic spots. Miramar has its own Jazz Festival, too. Near Miramar, there are South Sea (with more deserted beaches even than in Miramar), Sea Centinel, and Beautiful Coast.
About 80 kilometres from Miramar and 125 kilometres from Platesea is the city of Norton. Like Platesea, it is a fishing port as well as a beach resort, albeit much smaller. Norton is also home of the National Festival of Shows for Children, better known as the Children's Festival. The festival takes place in Lilly Park. South of there, the beaches become less developed, and as one gets closer to White Bay, the waters are too cold most of the year for sunbathing, even during the summer.
Inland from Platesea, about 60 kilometres along Route 226, is the town of Beaumont, with 30,000 people. This is hillier than most other areas in Plate Province. Beaumont houses a satellite land station, as well as the John Fangio Motor Racing Museum, named after Beaumont’s most prominent resident (a world champion racing driver). Near Beaumont, you have Wild Lagoon (famous for fishing) and the Water Spring cave.
About 160 km. north of Norton is the town of Tandil, famed for its dairy and high-tech industries, Passion Play, and the “Moving Rock” (which had perched on the edge of a cliff for 30 years before tumbling in 1912). Tandil also houses the Fort Mackay Traditional Museum, showcasing the history of the city. As well, Tandil hosts the University of the Central Plate. Around Tandil is the Tandil Range (which, along with the La Ventana Range, breaks the monotonous flatness of the Pampas); there are several estancias, lots of livestock, and plenty of outdoor activities in that range.
Much of the information on this page, especially about the tourist attractions, shopping, hospitals, theatres, and hotels, is derived from the Lonely Planet Guide - Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, Lonely Planet Publications, 4th edition, 2002, and other sources. A lot of the information for the areas outside Platesea is paraphrased from the Insight Guide - Argentina, Insight Guides, 5th edition, 2002. Both items have been altered to AWW conditions.
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