Dunhelm Island

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Dunhelm Island

Disputed island Native name: Duneler (Imaguan Creole) Isola di Sant'Osorio (Vespasian)
Dunhelm Island from the east
Geography
File:IdR Map.png
Location	Arucian Sea
Area	192.91 km²
Highest point	King's Peak 625 m
Administered by
Imagua and the Assimas
County	Saint Isidore's
Claimed by
Bonaventure
State	San Giorgio
Demographics
Population	11,330 (as of 2021)

Dunhelm Island (Vespasian: Isola Dunelm, Western Imaguan Creole: Duneler), also known as Saint Osorius' Island (Vespasian: Isola di Sant'Osorio) is an island located in the Arucian Sea, situated 22.4 kilometers away from the island of Imagua, and just over 100 kilometers from the island of Bonaventure. Disputed between Bonaventure and Imagua and the Assimas, it has been under Imaguan control since 1946 after being seized from the Greater Solarian Republic during the Solarian War.

Etymology

The officially used name Dunhelm Island comes from the city of Duinhelm in Borland, which had been under personal union with Estmere at the time the island was discovered by Eucleans in 1549, although the island only ended up under Estmerish control in 1771.

The name used by Bonaventura, Saint Osorius' Island (Isola di Sant'Osorio), derives from Saint Osorius, as the island was discovered by Cárthach Ó Ruanaidh on the feast day of Saint Osorius in 1549.

Besides these two names, older names for the island include Caike, which originates from Nati caike, meaning "small island" (cai and (e)ke respectively), and Mabegiti pa'wu, meaning worthless island in Old Imaguan (compare Mabegiti ubouhu in Imaguan).

History

Pre-colonization

Humans first settled Dunhelm Island around 6,000 years before present, at roughly the same time as the rest of the Imaguan archipelago, with the earliest artefacts dating back to between 5,000 and 6,000 years before present. Settlement was not always continuous, with the island being abandoned and repopulated several times between 5,000 BP and the 1500s.

The earliest known people to settle Dunhelm Island were Nati peoples, having taken over the island around 150 BCE, and immediately dominated the island. From around the 200s CE onward, the Nati on Dunhelm Island would come under the rule of Marai, although the small size of Dunhelm Island meant that Marai presence in the area was largely restricted to trade with Marai settlements on present-day Bonaventura and Imagua, as well with the mother cities on Satucin.

After the collapse of the classical Marai city states, and the arrival of the Mutu people on Imagua around the 700s CE, Dunhelm Island would receive a number of Nati refugees, although the island's small size meant that compared to Sainte-Chloe, Dunhelm Island's population remained at carrying capacity. However, by the 1400s, the Mutu began to arrive on the island

At the time the island was first sighted, it was estimated that there were around three thousand Nati living on Dunhelm, with Native Imaguans beginning to establish a foothold on Dunhelm Island, with archaeological evidence documenting conflict on the site of present-day Adoroni and Fiori Dorati between the Nati and the Native Imaguans.

Early colonization

Depiction of the slave trade on Dunhelm Island, c. 1876

The island was first sighted by Caldish explorer Cárthach Ó Ruanaidh in 1549, but it was only in 1573 when under Blostlander explorer TBD, he landed on the island and claimed what he called Caise (from Nati Caike) for Blostland, with the town of Lötvall (present-day Lapprodo) being the primary settlement on the island. During this period, while the island was not as populated as Imagua, or the Assimas, the Nati on Dunhelm Island were enslaved, and were so mistreated or otherwise died from disease that by 1650, there were "virtually no natives" left on Dunhelm Island.

While after the island of Imagua fell, it remained under Blostlander control. However, its lack of utility to the Blostlanders meant that in 1681, the Blostlanders sold Dunhelm Island to TBD, who attempted to establish a colony in TBD. However, after the colony failed, the Poveglians who were governing Bonaventura as the Colony of New Accadia took over Dunhelm Island in 1683, and would administer it as part of Bonaventura until 1720, when Gaullican captain TBD seized the island from Poveglia during the Ten Years' War. During Bonaventuran rule, Lötvall's name was changed to Lapprodo, after the harbour it was located on.

In the aftermath of the Ten Years' War, it became part of the Viceroyalty of the New Aurean, and administered as part of the Theme which it seized from Estmere. During that period, it was administered as part of the Saint Casimir's Islands, alongside Imagua and the eponymous islands in present-day Vilcasuamanas, with Lapprodo being renamed to be Baie du Nord.

It would remain under Gaullican control until 1771, when after the War of the Asterian Succession, Estmere took over the island of Imagua, including Dunhelm Island, and incorporated the island into the county of Saint Isidore's, with Baie du Nord being renamed to Princeton, and a parish established that encompassed the island. However, Estmerish rule over Dunhelm Island was marked by sustained neglect by the colonial government, who saw the island as "just one more rock" that it had to administer. Estmerish neglect meant that in 1789, the Etrurians took control of the island, with Princeton's name being renamed back to Lapprodo, and the island reattached to New Accadia.

Etrurian rule

Depiction of Lapprodo, c. 1876

• Dunhelm Island would be disputed between Estmere and Etruria throughout the late 18th and early to mid 19th century, failed attempts by Estmere to try and retake the island
• peace agreement ending Etruro-Estmerish Wars declared that Dunhelm Island was part of New Accadia, unclear whether or not it nullified Imaguan claims to the island
• island a quiet part of San Giorgio, Nav can fill the rest in
• population probably peaks around 2.5k people in the 1870s, decline as economic opportunities in New Accadia and the Assimas cause people to migrate elsewhere to around a thousand by eve of Great War, but exact numbers are up to Nav

Great War and Solarian War

With the start of the Great War, Dunhelm Island, like most of the West Arucian, was swiftly occupied by Gaullica, as the island was poorly defended: despite fierce resistance from the local garrison, they were quickly forced to surrender. During Gaullican occupation, Lapprodo was once again renamed to Baie du Nord, and the other villages and hamlets were made to adopt Gaullican names. However, as they were otherwise occupied, Dunhelm Island was generally left alone.

After the liberation of New Accadia in (whenever Bonaventura got liberated), Dunhelm Island had their names reverted to their original Vespasian names. However, it was still a rural backwater: while the population rose to 1,257 people by 1941, of which 419 were living in Lapprodo. In 1942, Lapprodo was granted town status, on account of it being the main commercial centre on the island.

Following the start of the Solarian War, Dunhelm Island would become a major target for the Imaguan government, due to its geographic position between New Accadia and Imagua proper, in addition to Imagua's historic claims over the island. Thus, in January 1944, the Imaguan colonial militia would land on Dunhelm Island in the Battle of Lapprodo, and occupied the island. Although the island would nominally remain under Etrurian sovereignty until October 1946, following its occupation, the Imaguan government immediately annexed Dunhelm Island, and placed the island under the jurisdiction of Saint Isidore's County.

Post-Solarian War and tensions

Lapprodo in 1952

In November 1946, Dunhelm Island, like the Assimas Islands, were officially annexed into the United Provinces. With the admission of New Accadia into the federation, the two provinces were in a dispute over Dunhelm Island, alleging that New Accadia should administer the island as it had administered the islands nearly continuously since the late eighteenth century, its demographics were more similar to New Accadia's, and Estmere had yielded its claim to the island in TBD treaty that ended the Etruro-Estmerish Wars in 18XX. The Imaguan government based its claim to Dunhelm Island on its 1771 claim, which placed it under the control of Saint Isidore's County, and its geographic distance from Imagua compared to its distance from New Accadia.

In November 1946, Dunhelm Island was officially granted to the province of Imagua along with the Assimas, after the Sotirian Democrats threatened to withdraw from their coalition with the Democrats, thereby solidifying the de-facto situation. As an Etrurophone-speaking area in a predominantly Estmerophone county, the islanders would find it difficult to receive government services in Vespasian, as despite Imagua's nominal bilingualism, few bureaucrats in the entire country were bilingual in Estmerish and Vespasian, and the few that were were predominantly based in Assimas County.

In April 1948, Imagua became independent, and Dunhelm Island would become part of an independent Imagua. This affected the local economy as the farms on the island were cut off from its traditional markets on New Accadia, while the lack of an affordable ferry service between Dunhelm Island Imagua proper led to the island being isolated. In the 1951 census, the population of the island was measured to be at 1,309 people, with 1,201 being designated as Bahio-Imaguan, and 108 as belonging to other ethnicities, primarily Eucleo-Imaguan. The island was "virtually completely Etrurophone" in the 1951 census, leading to a county official declaring that "there needs to be a concerted effort to crack down on the use of Etrurian on the island."

In 1953, the Imaguan Supreme Court declared in Marinaccio v. Saint Isidore's County that residents of Dunhelm Island had no right to receive services in Vespasian, as the official languages clause of the Constitution of Imagua and the Assimas only applied to the national government. This was met with anger in Dunhelm Island, leading to massive protests on the island, and the start of a ferry route operated by the Imaguan Maritime Service led to concerns that it would allow non-Etrurophones to move to the island and weaken their own community.

Tensions on the island would grow further following the final dissolution of the United Provinces in 1955 and the independence of New Accadia as Bonaventura, as the Royal Imaguan Constabulary set up a base for the Coast Guard of Imagua in Lapprodo in 1956. This led to a dispute between the Bonaventuran and Imaguan governments in the alte 1950s and early 1960s, as the Boanventuran government demanded the withdrawal of ships from the island, while the Imaguan government strengthened its garrison in response. In TBD, the Imaguan government under Efrem Lacovara agreed with the Bonaventuran government to reduce the amount of constables and Coast Guard personnel and ships on the island to "the minimum required to protect civilians on the island" and to provide all government services on Dunhelm Island in Vespasian, including those provided by the county government.

Contemporary era

• county government was still obstructionist post-treaty: passage of Sixth Amendment and Tricarico v. Saint Isidore's County in 1970 finally forces Saint Isidore's to provide government services in Vespasian, however grudgingly
• population declines in 60s, 70s, and 80s due to emigration, some to Nua Taois, but primarily to either the Assimas or Bonaventura
• establishment of Arucian Cooperation Organization in late 1980s and freedom of movement in 2003 means it's now easier to access the island because no customs checks and what not
• dispute still lingers on, but the two governments cooperate

Geography

King's Peak, 2006

Dunhelm Island, like the neighbouring island of Imagua and the Assimas Islands, is of volcanic origin, with the highest peak being the 625 metre high King's Peak, an extinct volcano that last erupted 100,000 years ago. Two streams flow from the summit of Mount Couto to the coast. The only other mountain is the 207 metre high Lotwall Hill has one stream flow towards Formigosa.

While the coast is relatively flat, the further inland one goes, the more rugged the terrain is, and the less arable the land becomes, until it becomes too rocky to farm. Historically, the island was covered in rainforest, but with colonisation and the establishment of sugar plantations on the island, the ecosystem has been radically altered since its first settlement by humans.

Climate

The climate of Dunhelm Island is a tropical savanna climate, due to its location near the equator, with the yearly average highs on Dunhelm Island being 26.6 °C (79.9 °F), and the yearly average lows being 23.9 °C (75 °F). The wet season is generally from June to November, while the dry season typically lasts from December to May, although the months of December and May receive more rain than any other month in the dry season.

Administration

According to Imagua and the Assimas, Dunhelm Island is part of Saint Isidore's County, and is governed as Dunhelm Parish (Vespasian: Parrocchia di Dunelm). It is governed as a six-member council, elected every 4 years, and is headed by a Chairman (Vespasian: Presidente), elected from among the council.

Until 1988, Dunhelm Island was divided into two, with Lapprodo covering the main town of the island, and Dunhelm Parish governing the remainder of the island, but after the Local Governance Act of 1987 was passed by the Imaguan parliament, Lapprodo became part of Dunhelm Parish.

According to Bonaventure, Dunhelm Island is part of San Giorgio. (TBC)

Demographics

As of the 2021 Imaguan census, 11,330 people live on Dunhelm Island.

According to the census, 92% of the population of Dunhelm Island, or 10,424 people, are Bahio-Imaguans, 5% of the population of Dunhelm Island, or 567 people are Eucleo-Imaguan, and the remaining 3% of the population, or 339 people belong to other ethnicities. However, it is generally recognized that most of the census-identified Bahio-Imaguans on Dunhelm Island are misto, with around 60%-80% of the Bahio-Imaguan population on Dunhelm Island being misto, with the remainder being solely of Bahian descent.

Linguistically, Dunhelm Island is predominantly Etrurophone, with 82% of the island's population, or 9,291 people speaking Vespasian on a regular basis, while 18% of the island's population, or 2,032 people speaking Estmerish on a regular basis. Only seven people do not speak either language on a regular basis. The most commonly spoken language on Dunhelm Island is Vespasian. This stands in marked contrast to the rest of Saint Isidore's County, where Estmerish is the primary official language, leading to issues concerning government services by the county government, which usually only provides them in Estmerish.

Religiously, Dunhelm Island is predominantly Solarian Catholic, with 86% of the island's population, or 9,744 people being adherents to the Solarian Catholic Church. Of the remainder of the population, around 13% of the population follow Amendist sects, split roughly evenly between the United Amended Church and Gospelism, with 85 people following other religions. Only two people are registered by the census as irreligious.