| Official Language | Mbranet-kwar (語我々), English |
| Other Languages | Japanese |
| Capital | |
| Government Type | Constitutional federated monarchy |
| King | Optan III |
| Prime Minister | |
| Area | 2459 km² |
| Population (2004 census) | 136,875 |
| Independence | August 15, 1945 (from Japan) January 1, 1970 (from British protectorate) |
| Major Religions | Buddhism, native animism, some Christians |
| Currency | Seven Isles Tovak (symbol 銀 or Tv) |
The Kingdom of the Seven Isles is located in the northwest Pacific, north of Hawaii.
History[]
The origin of the inhabitants of the Seven Isles is a mystery. Their own myths state that the isles, along with its people, were a unique creation of a young god, stifled in his creativity by the older gods. The islands have been separated from other land masses since before the breakup of Pangaea, and as a result, have a rather unique ecology. Archaeologists report that the oldest signs of human habitation date back to at least 5000 BC.
In ancient times, each island was a separate kingdom, and many times individual islands were fought over by rival kingdoms. Over time, each island became consolidated under a single ruler, and gradually, the king of Kretsak-tsen (大島) came to gain prestige.
By around AD 1200, the islands had made contact with China, from which they acquired literacy, along with cultural influences. Chinese characters were adopted by the Islanders.
With Chinese influence, the kings of Kretsak-tsen sought to imitate the Chinese Imperial System. The other kings were subdued under the control of the Kings of Kretsak-tsen. Contact with China waxed and waned over time, as Chinese power waxed and waned.
The islands dropped from history after around the 15th century as China turned inward, and the islands' rulers preferred a more isolationist lifestyle.
In 1807, the islands were rediscovered by the British, who introduced the Roman alphabet, along with attempts to introduce Christianity. The islanders, for the most part, rejected Christianity, though a small number of Christians exist even today.
The islands remained fiercely independant, but eventually consented to a British protectorate under the reign of King Optan II.
During the Second World War, the islands fell under Japanese control. The islands were ignored in the Americans' island-hopping campaign, as its remoteness made it difficult for the Japanese to reinforce, once island groups such as the Marshalls were captured. The islands were returned to British administration after the Japanese surrender, but this was largely a time of benign neglect, and the protectorate was formally terminated on January 1, 1970.
Language[]
The language of the Seven Isles, known as Mbranet-kwar (literally "Our Language") is an isolate, unrelated to any other language. Each island has a distinct dialect. The earliest texts date only back to the 13th century, when Chinese characters were adopted.
By the 15th century, attempts were made at adapting Japanese kana to the native language, for inflections and words without Chinese characters. This proved unwieldy, and when the first Europeans visited the island in the early 19th century, the Roman alphabet was seized upon, quickly replacing the unwieldy use of kana. Chinese Characters remain in wide use.
Over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a large number of foreign words entered the language. In the second half of the 20th century, a "purification movement" has arisen seeking to eliminate, as far as practicable, all foreign words from the language. It has had some minor success, but many foreign words remain strongly engrained.
Government[]
The current political system is a mixture of the traditional and the modern. The head of state is the King, and each island has a hereditary Prince. The Prince of Kretsak-tsen is the King's heir-apparent. The kingdom also has an two-chamber Parliament, based on the British model, with a House of Lords and a House of Commons. The House of Lords retains greater power than its British equivalent, however. The kingdom possesses a constitution, modelled, in large part, on the British system.
The King and Princes retains considerable authority, and their eccentricities tend to result in unusual decrees being enacted, some of which have been harmful to the local economy. Generally speaking, however, the monarchs tend to be relatively benign dictators.
A King of Prince may be deposed by a vote of 2/3 of both houses of Parliament or by the consent of 6 Princes or 4 Princes plus the King.
The House of Lords consists of the Seven Princes, all 26 High Chiefs, and 50 Chiefs elected from among themselves. In addition, there are 17 individuals apointed by the King, for a grand total of 100.
The House of Commons consists of 180 individual elected from the High Chiefdoms in proportion to their population, each of the 26 High Chiefdoms consisting of a single electoral district in most cases (some of the more populous HC's are divided into 2 or 3 districts while a few of the less populous HC's share an MP). Voting is by multiple selection. A census is taken at least every 10 years, or when the King decrees a census (a tradition has developed of a new census being decreed upon a new king's ascension).
To balance the large population of Kretsak-tsen, for some issues, each island possesses a single vote (most notably, consitutional amendments require the consent of 5 Islands)
Politics[]
There is little in the way of formal party structure in the Seven Isles. Most parties are short-lived coallitions of individuals seeking a common goal. However, there are several issues that tend to recur again and again in parties
- Centrists/Localists - Centrists tend to be concentrated in Kretsak-tsen, while the Localists tend to be stronger in the small islands
- Capitalism/Socialism
- Democracy/Monarchism
Subdivisions[]
The Kingdom consists of seven islands, possessing considerable autonomy. Each island is further subdivided into 2-9 High Chiefdoms, 26 total. Each High Chiefdom is further divided into numerous Chiefdoms, 530 in all.
The islands are (in order from most populous to least with populations as of the 2004 census)
- Kretsak-tsen (大島), literally Large Island (8 High Chiefdoms) - 71,876 people (94 MPs)
- Veldak-tsen (高島), literally High Island (6 HC's) - 26,452 people (35 MPs)
- Bidel-tsen (中島), literally Middle Island (3 HC's) - 23,849 people (31 MPs)
- Hamba-tsen (北島), literally North Island (4 HC's) - 8,774 people (12 MPs)
- Yokaf-tsen (円島), literally Round Island (2 HC's) - 3,874 people (5 MPs)
- Potar-tsen (小島), literally Little Island (3 HC's) - 2,050 people (3 MPs)
List of Recent Kings[]
- 1799-1829 Zhavet X (1773-1829)
- 1829-1857 Zhavet XI (1797-1857)
- 1857-1873 Optan II (1822-1873)
- 1873-1922 Zhavet XII (1849-1922)
- 1922-1939 Motanik V (1878-1939)
- 1939-1987 Motanik VI (1905-1987)
- 1987-2003 Motanik VII (1926-2003)
- 2003- Optan III (b. 1951)
Economy[]
The economy is primarily on a sustinence level, with agriculture and fishing providing the major source of employment. Tourism, primarily from Japan and the United States, has been growing in importance.
Currency[]
The currency of the Seven Isles is the Tovak (銀; plural Tovar, 銀々) divided into 16 Kabrekar (小銀々; sg. Kabrek), each of which are divided into 45 Libvar (銭々; sg. Libvak). The Tovak is today valued at approximately 56 US cents. Each island prints its own banknotes, while the central government mints coins. In 1995, Motanik VII banned the production of banknotes, and introduced high-value coins. However, after his death in 2003, his successor, Optan III, reversed this policy.
Coins[]
- 1 Libvar
- 3 Libvar
- 5 Libvar
- 15 Libvar
- Kabrek
- 1/8 Tovak
- ¼ Tovak
- ½ Tovak
- Tovak
- 2 Tovar
- 5 Tovar
- 10 Tovar (no longer in production)
- 25 Tovar (no longer in production)
- 50 Tovar (no longer in production)
- 100 Tovar (no longer in production)
Banknotes[]
- 5 Tovar
- 10 Tovar
- 20 Tovar
- 50 Tovar
- 100 Tovar