The Trultin Isles - An Overview

The Federal Republic of the Trultin Isles, also known as Trultin or the Isles is a small island archipelago known for its fierce independence and its strict devotion to human rights. In the present day, the Trultinese government maintains itself as one of the foremost proponents of human rights and civic engagement in the region of the Western Isles. The Trultin Isles sit at the southern end of the Lotus Sea and it's larger island, Fontaine, makes up the south-western border of the area of ocean named the Aplin Strait. The Isles are tropical in nature and are abundant with plant and wildlife.

In the last few decades great strides have been made to increase access to education and to improve public works as the Socialist Party has controlled the government for much of that time.

Trultin prides itself both on being a premier tourist destination and on its status as one of the major exporters of rubber, sugar, and coffee in the region.

History

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The history of the Trultin archipelago goes back nearly 800 years. Sometime between the year 1150 CE and 1250 CE, Polynesian peoples arrived on and began settling the two largest islands. Which was the first to be settled is still a hotly debated topic among Trultinese archaeologists, with the consensus teetering back and forth over the last fifty years depending on evidence and who has written the most convincing paper or book.

These people speak the Rarotongan language and lived in settled communities for years, mostly living off of agriculture combined with hunting, fishing, and whaling. These people lived in distinctive tribes and sub-tribal family groups and would cooperate or war with each other as times dictated.

The first European contact with the Trultin Islands was made in 1634 by an English explorer, John Sears, who made limited contact with the native peoples. After two of his crew members were killed in a skirmish with the native people and he departed the islands for safer climes.

Europeans did not return again until 1691, when French explorer Jean-Pierre Trultin, for whom the islands would eventually be named, arrived. He managed to make peaceful contact with the natives, claimed the islands for France, and then departed. The natives began to trade with passing ships, especially for muskets and agricultural equipment. By 1714, European settlers had begun to arrive, mostly French though mingled with a few Dutch, Italian and Spanish. Contact with the natives varied depending on the group, though European disease played a significant role in reducing their population, along with intermarriage and violent clashes.

Over the next few decades, the Trultin Isles became a bustling colony, mostly growing sugarcane and coffee for sale in Europe. Along with European colonists, many unfortunate Africans were imported to work in sugar cane fields alongside enslaved natives. The natives and newcomers had mostly settled to an easy peace that was shattered in 1738 when a coalition of native tribes rose up against colonial encroachment along with escaped slaves. The French colonists, under General Vincent Dumont, comte de la Fontaine and allied with friendly tribes, used the war as an excuse to push further into the islands and to seize more territory. As a reward for his service, Dumont was made governor-general of the territory and given the title of comte. He held the governorship until his death in 1759.

The native population dwindled thanks to continued outbreaks of disease, though a hearty enclave continued to persist on the smaller island of Île Palissade (which remains the modern day center of native Trultin culture). By the turn of the 19th century, the islands thirsted for freedom and found their chance in 1815 following the Bourbon restoration. Initially the revolution was Republican. Slavery was outlawed by the revolutionary legislature in the heady days following independence. A year afterwards, however, the new legislature collapsed into squabbling and a local militia officer seized this as his opportunity. A "consulship" was declared with the victorious general Jean Côté as head of the government and established himself as essentially a strong-man ruling over the various islands due to his control of military apparatus. Slavery was reinstated in the areas of the consul's control and newly free slaves fled to Palissade in massive numbers. Reformers and republican hopefuls were forced to flee the île de la Fontaine and went into a sort of exile on Palissade for the next 44 years. Despite his best efforts, Côté was forced to spend most of the rest of his rule pacifying the large island of île de la Fontaine, putting down multiple slave rebellions, fighting an ongoing guerilla war against escaped slaves and natives in the central, mountainous region of the island, and fending off abortive coup attempts by disloyal officers. As a result, he was unable to project enough power to Palissade to cow the republican faction into submission.

This rule by force persisted until 1862 when General Côté died at the grand old age of 81. The death of General Côté led to chaos in his ruling circle. The exiled dissidents and subsequent generation of reformers that had been preparing themselves on île du Palissade took immediate advantage of the chaos. What followed as a bloody multiple-sided civil war between Republican, Côté loyalists, and a cadre of other military officers seeking to supplant Côté's chosen successor. Finally, in 1867, the Republicans seized the old capital of Louisville, quelled the last resistance of the other factions, and emerged victorious. A new federal government was declared and a new constitution was formally adopted in 1869 which laid out the civil institutions that have served Trultin into the modern era and formally united île de la Fontaine, île Palissade, and the various outlying islands into the Democratic States of the Trultin Isles. Technically, independence dates from 1815 and while "real" republican rule didn't start until 1867, the government claims its establishment in 1815.

A new government was formed after the first national elections and the National Republican Party gained a majority government with Martin Giscard as prime minister and Bernard de Saint Marc as president. The National Republican Party would rule uninterrupted until 1923, when the new Socialist Party won a sweeping victory campaigning on social reform, expanded suffrage, and expanding social welfare. Despite this initial success, the Socialist Party was unable to hold onto the government in the next election.

Geography

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The two main islands of the Îles Trultin are the northern, larger island, île de la Fontaine and the southern, smaller island, île Palissade (named for the prominent peak of le Trident).The Trultin Islands are a result of geological forces at the convergence of two tectonic plates that have resulted in the raising of the two main islands from the ocean floor. As a result, the central part of île de la Fontaine is extremely mountainous. The d'Accueil mountain range cuts the island in half from north-west to south-east. Likewise, the island of Palissade is quite mountainous and contains the tallest peak in the islands, le Trident, which thrusts it's striking three-pronged peak over the rest of the Chocolat Mountains (so named for the rich brown soil which is found on its slopes), which stands at 3,572 meters above sea level.

The combination of year round rain and regular volcanic activity in the eons past has left the islands with a rich and healthy soil which is extremely suitable for agriculture. The vales of the hilly highlands of the mountains are grassy and offer beautiful views. Lower down the hilly grasslands give way to humid jungle and thick tropical and semi-tropical rainforest, much of which is protected by eco-friendly legislation. Further towards the coast, some of this forest has been cleared in earlier times, either by natives or the arriving European settlers, and this along with the grassy highlands account for much of the arable and agricultural land on the islands.

Many of the outlying islands are volcanic in nature and there are a series of coral atolls along with what is known as the Southern Barrier Reef, a fascinating and colorful ecological marvel which is zealously protected as a point of national pride.

Politics and Government in the Trultin Isles

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The government of the Trultin Isles is a parliamentary democracy, as established by the Constitution of 1904. This constitution allows for a unicameral legislature known as the Federal Assembly or Assemblée fédérale with a prime minister as head of government and a federally elected president as head of state.

All citizens of the Trultin Isles are automatically registered to vote when they reach the age of 18 and suffrage is granted equally regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnic heritage, or religion as long as you are a citizen of Trultin. Voting is compulsory and election days are considered a national bank holiday in order to make sure that voter turn out is as close to 100% as possible.

Parliamentary elections are held every four years (unless the prime minister calls for snap elections or loses the confidence of the government). Currently, the parliament consists of 120 members of parliament. 70 of these are elected directly by their constituency during voting and the remaining 50 are list MPs granted to parties depending on their share of the vote.

Once a party or coalition has established a parliamentary majority, the speaker of Parliament nominates a prime minister, who is approved by the President. This is typically a symbolic gesture and though the president technically has the power to reject a prime minister and force the ruling party to nominate a new candidate within 30 days or face new elections, this power has not been exercised since the new constitution's implementation.

Once the prime minister has been accepted by the president, they can then convene their government and appoint ministers. Government appointed ministers include: Deputy Prime Minister, Defense, Education, Energy, Foreign Affairs, Health, Home Affairs, Agriculture, and Environmental ministers.

A prime minister can be nominated as many times and serve as long as the ruling party or coalition is willing to nominate them. The only block on this is that if a candidate for prime minister is rejected by the president, they are not permitted to be nominated again during that parliament's tenure.

The president is elected once every six years and can serve for only one term. Aside from his power to reject the prime minister the president also serves as the head of the civil service, commander in chief of the armed forces, and has the power to dissolve parliament and call for new elections.

Economy

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The economy of the Trultin Isles is based heavily on it's pristine ecological state, agriculture, and its well-stocked and heavily regulated fisheries. Both the capital city, Phareville and Cap-Refuge, the largest city on the northern island of Fontaine operate as major shipping ports for the islands.

GDP: $67.65 Billion

GDP (nominal) per capita: $16,500

Exports: Bananas, pineapple, citrus, coffee, sugar cane, cocoa, seafood, rubber

Imports: Foodstuffs, manufactured consumer goods, raw materials

Tourism
The Trultin Isles heavily touts itself as a premier tourist destination for eco-tourists, campers, backpackers, and other outdoor sports afficiandos. Of particular interest, especially to climbers, is the central mount of the island of Palissade, the Trident, which provides spectacular views of the island and is part of the Trultin Isles largest national park. Aside from it's glittering coast, rugged mountains, and pristine jungles, the Trultin Isles also offers an exciting night life in the major cities along the coast. In addition to it's tropical and semi-tropical rain forests, the Trultin islands also boast an impressive range of mountains that are a climber's delight.

Agriculture
The Trultin Isles has a significant agricultural sector, much of which is engaged in the growing and export of tropical fruits such as bananas and pineapple. Sugar cane, coffee, and cocoa are the other main exports from the agricultural sectors, either raw or processed. Fittingly, Trultin rum is boasted as one of the finest in the world (at least according to the marketing). Despite having a fairly robust agricultural sector, Trultin must import significant amounts of foodstuff such as wheat, as the islands are mainly given over to cash crops. Additionally, the islands do boast some rubber plantations.

Fishing
Trultin fisheries are among some of the richest in the world, in part due to the strict enforcement of regulations that prevent them from being over fished. The result means that Trultinese fish is at a premium on the world market and makes up a significant portion of exports. Trultinese seafood is also renowned as one of its specialties.

Manufacturing
Despite it's focus on agriculture and tourism, Trultin maintains a small, but growing manufacturing sector. Mostly it provides some small consumer goods and a small automotive industry, though the necessary importation of raw materials such as steel and oil mean that it is rather expensive. Most of the manufacturing is focused on the processing and export of rubber and finished rubber goods such as tires.

Power & Electricity

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The majority of Trultin's electrical power is generated from renewable service, with 79% of all power coming from renewables. This is a result of the Trultinese government heavily subsidizing and encouraging the growth of renewable energy in the closing decades of the 20th century, though some of its renewable power generation goes back into 1930s and 1940s.

Hydroelectric power makes up a significant amount of the renewable energy production in Trultin, owing to the country's many quick-flowing rivers and streams which originate in the mountainous interior. Multiple hydroelectric dams and power stations are situated throughout the country. These stations are in varying states of repair and are all part of the state owned power co-operative, Coopérative d'électricité des îles Trultin or CEIT. The CEIT is a co-operative that is owned in the majority by the government, but includes private companies who own or partially own the distribution of electricity to private homes and businesses. These are more common in urban area. Owing to lack of profitability, the government tends to take a more direct hand in distribution in rural areas.

After hydroelectric power, geothermal energy produces the most energy in the Trultin Isles. Situated as it is in an active geological area, the nation has access to many sources of geothermal energy. It's geothermal power plants are not the finest or most efficient in the world, but they do get the job done. There are plans to expand the geothermal plants, but like many government projects

For non-renewable energy, the Trultin Isles mainly make use of natural gas power plants, though there are a few small oil and coal burning plants still in operation. There are plans in place to replace these with further natural gas plants by 2032. There are also small amounts of wind and solar power generation.

Demographics

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The Trultin Isles has a rich and complex demographic history that goes back into its colonial history. The present day population is divided primarily between Trultinians who identify as Caucasian or European in descent and those who are primarily African in ancestry.

The Trultin Islands economy originally relied on the growing and export of sugar cane and other labor intensive cash crops. As a result, a high proportion of African slaves were brought into the islands in order to make those crops profitable. As a result, there is a significantly high percentage of people of African ancestry who make their home. After Trultinians of African descent, Smaller proportions of the population are Polynesian, Chinese, or originate from other countries.

Current demographics
68.2% Caucasian/European
18.8% Afro-Trultin
11.3% Polynesian
1.1% Chinese
0.4% Indian
0.2% Japanese

Military

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The military of the Trultin Isles is tiny, especially considering it's small size. It is primarily organized for self-defense and for the most part does not concern itself with projecting power beyond its established borders.

As an all volunteer force, the Trultin Isles Defence Forces (Forces de défense des îles Trultin) hold themselves to a high level of professionalism, though they struggle with some outdated equipment and limited budget. The military itself is divided into three branches:

The Trultin Isles Land Defense Force (Force de défense des terres)

Main Article: The Trultin Isles Land Defence Force

The Trultin Isles Maritime Defense Force (Force de défense de la mer)

Main Article: The Trultin Isles Maritime Defense Force

The Trultin Isles Air Defense Force (Force de défense aérienne)

Main Article: The Trultin Isles Air Defense Force

Collectively, these three branches are responsible for various tasks which include the defense of Trultinese sovereignty, various law enforcement tasks, border patrol, smuggling interdiction, disaster relief, and maritime search and rescue.

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