Argwan Island

Kingdom of Argwan Island
Flag
Status	Self-governing dependency of the State of Gassasinia
Capital	Ramatia
Official languages	Gassasinian Aramaic Gassasinian Sign Language
Recognised Languages	English Gassasinian
Ethnic groups	54% Argwan Islanders 40% Gassasinian 2% Aziallian 2% Mehrani 1% Jewish 1% Other
Religion	Secular State 70.5% Christianity   17.5% Islam 11% Irreligious 1% Judaism
Demonym(s)	Argwani
Government	unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• King	Yousef II
• Prime Minister	Boutros Abdelmassih
Legislature	Legislative Assembly
History
• First Settlement	10th Century BC
• Vassal of Gassasinian Kingdom	355
• Independence from Shadoveil	1949
Area
• Total	483 km2 (186 sq mi)
Population
• June 2020 census	88,103
• Density	182/km2 (471.4/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	~$3.92 billion
• Per capita	$44,500
Gini (2020)	26 low
HDI (2018)	0.952 very high
Currency	Gassasinian Dollars ($GSD) Argwani Dollar ($AWD)
Time zone	UTC-4 (Gassasinian Standard Time (GST)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+963
Internet TLD	.ar

Argwan Island is an island in the Marigic Gulf. Although not a sovereign nation, Argwan Island is considered a self-governing dependency of the State of Gassasinia, which is primarily reponsible for matters of defence and foreign relations.

Argwan Island was first settled in the 10th century BC by ancient Marigic traders originating from main-land Gassasinia. The island would continue to be closely interlinked with the mainland Marigic city states, where Christianity was eventually imported onto the island during the 3rd Century AD. Argwan Island became the personal domain of the Ghassanid king in 355, and would continue to remain mostly independent from Gassasinia's Islamic conquerors throughout the 6th Century through to the 15th Century.

During the 19th century, Argwan Island remained the de-jure personal domain of the Al-Maaloufites. However, in practise Argwan Island was a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. In 1841, Argwan Island became the first state of the divided Gassasinian territories to introduce universal male suffrage for those registered as citizens. In 1949, Argwan Island was directly incorporated into the newly formed State of Gassasinia as a self-governing territory.

Name

The modern-day name for the Argwan Islands first appeared under ancient Mehravan rule, when the island was referred to as "Argwanistan". It is believed that the island's name "Argwan" is derived from the Aramaic name for the colour purple, "ܐܪܓܘܢܐ" (pronounced ʔarɡ(ə)wɑnɑ). In ancient times, Marigic city states were well known for their precious purple dyes, almost worth their weight in gold. Prior to the emergence of the island's modern name, it was often referred to by the name of it's largest settlement, the ancient Marigic trade city of Ramatia.

Government

The key legislation behind the Argwan Island Government are the Argwan Island Self-Governance Act 1949, which guarantees self governance for Argwan Island, and the Governing Principles of the Argwan Island, the constitution of the Argwan Island drafted and passed in 1921. Additionally, Argwan Island is subject to certain parts of the Gassasinian Constitution.

The legislature of Argwan Island is the Argwani Assembly, a unicamarel parliament consisting of fifty Members of Argwani Legislative Assembly. The governing party of Argwan Island is the Democratic Socialist Party of Argwan Island, a centre-left party partially associated with the Labour Party in mainland Gassasinia.

All persons born on Argwan Island are subject to Gassasinian citizenship. The Director of Home Affairs for Argwan Island is authorised to issue passports to those who reside on Argwan Island. Although functionally similar to the Gassasinian Passport, Argwani passports bear the name and coat of arms of Argwan Island rather than of the State of Gassasinia.

Law Enforcement

Formed in 1836, the Royal Argwan Island Police is one of the Thrismari continent's oldest police forces. Employing 207 warranted constables and 62 civilian support staff, the Royal Argwan Island Police is responsible for law-enforcement and crime investigation on Argwan Island. Since 1983, the Royal Argwan Island Police has standardised similar procedures to the Gassasinian National Police, with which it works closely.

Defence

According to the Argwan Island Self-Governance Act 1949, defence is the sole responsibility of the State of Gassasinia. The Gassasinian Defence Force retains a moderate presence on the island, primarily through the Gassasinian Army base at Patel Barracks, which is home to the Royal Argwan Island Infantry Battalion.

The Royal Gassasinian Air Force maintains the No. 21 Squadron which operates Sea King helicopters out of Ramatia Airport, primarily responsible for providing support for the Royal Argwan Island Police and the Gassasinian Army, along with providing air ambulance services across the island.

Economy

Education

According to the Governing Principles of the Argwan Island, education is a fundamental human right for all residents of Argwan Island.

Transport

Transport on Argwan Island is primarily the responsibility of the Department of Transport, which operates a fleet of buses, trains, aircraft and small naval craft which interconnect both the island and mainland Gassasinia.

Ramatia Airport in Ramatia is the island's main airport, and the island is dotted by a handful of privately owned airfields.

Nour Ferry Terminal in Ramatia provides the island with ferry services to mainland Gassasinia. Ferries operated by the Department of Transport cross between Jabiyah and Ramatia approximately every four hours.