Arbiter Islands

Arbiter Islands

Nickname: "The Roof of the World"
Geography
Location	Near the North Pole
Total islands	two
Highest point	Climate Hill
Administration
Template:Country data Layfet
Administered under the Treaty on the Peaceful Use of the Arbiter Islands
Demographics
Population	~500 during the summer

The Arbiter Islands are the northernmost islands in the world and are believed to have formed as a result of by two volcanoes. The two islands are known as Polar Island and Heaven Island. The islands are claimed and administered by Layfet. They were discovered by the Layfetian explorer Leonardo García in 1934. From 1936 until 1974, the islands were intermittently inhabited, with structures being built and used for further exploration of the far north. In the 1970s, the Layfetian Government approved a permanent research station on Polar Island which now hosts the Arbiter Station research base. It is currently the most expensive single Layfetian endeavor outside of its borders.

Etymology

García named the two islands Polar and Heaven due to their relation to the north pole. Heaven being above the world and Polar due to where they were were. The name Arbiter comes from the English word "arbiter" meaning "a person who settles a dispute or has ultimate authority in a matter." The islands were named this by García and his men after failing to come up with a name before they left. Urban legends say that García's right-hand man Christopher Legions yelled out "We need an arbiter!" and the word stuck.

Geography

Because of the persistent presence of the northern ice sheet, only a small portion of the island is free of ice and snow. There is now way to travel to the islands by boat. The planet's northernmost dormant volcanos, Climate Hill and Stairway are situated on the island.

Politics

The Treaty on the Peaceful Use of the Arbiter Islands, which governs foreign use of Arbiter Station and the Arbiter Islands provides that tourism and military equipment are strictly prohibited on the islands and that the islands are only used for scientific and exploratory purposes of the far north. The treaty also states that Layfet gives up any economic exclusive zone associated with the islands. Domestically, while administered under the Climate Research Board, the islands are not classified as being a part of any state or district. Thus the islands are in fact, Layfet's only unorganized, unincorporated territory.