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The city divides more or less into Ankh (the posh part) and Morpork (the humble part, which includes the area known as "the Shades"), which are separated by the River Ankh.
History
Ankh-Morpork used to be ruled by kings, until the last one - the euphemistically-remembered King Lorenzo the Kind - was overthrown in a popular uprising. The question of what to do with the deposed king was settled when he was executed by Stonewall Vimes, who was banned from bearing arms as a consequence. Afterwards Ankh-Morpok reverted to an non-hereditary oligarchic system. The ruler is called the Patrician. The succession is normally either by assassination or a civil war. Power is to some degree shared with the many Guilds of Ankh-Morpork.
The most recent office-holder is Lord Havelock Vetinari, a former assassin. He has one known relative (Lady Roberta "Bobbi" Meserole, his aunt) who may come from Genua (and possibly now lives in Quirm), but his past remains obscure. His predecessor was "mad" Lord Snapcase.
The nearest surviving relative of the former royal familiy seems to be Corporal Nobby Nobbs. The origin of Captain Carrot Ironfounderson, a dwarf, remains shrouded in mystery.
Coat of arms
A shield, quartered by a river (the Ankh) and tower (the Tower of Art, oldest structure of the UU). The quarters bear two moneybags, a field of cabbages (the main crop of the surrounding Sto Plains) and an unmarked black field (the arms of Lord Vetinari). The shield is supported by two hippopotami (the royal animal of the city) and crested with a morepork holding an ankh