Imagua (island)
| Native name: | |
|---|---|
| File:ImaguaIsland.png The island of Imagua, highlighted on a map of Imagua and the Assimas | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Arucian Sea |
| Archipelago | Arucian Islands |
| Total islands | 5 |
| Major islands | 1 |
| Area | 14,801.92 km2 (5,715.05 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,467 m (4,813 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Apita |
| Administration | |
| Largest settlement | Cuanstad (pop. 382,197) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,004,956 (2011) |
| Pop. density | 67.89 /km2 (175.83 /sq mi) |
Imagua (Imaguan: Mabaheinguti, Imaguan Creole: Imakuer) is the largest island in Imagua and the Assimas, and the (TBC) largest of the Arucian Islands, located in the Arucian Sea. It has an area of 14,801.92 square kilometers, which makes up 61.45% of the nation's land area, and has a population at 1,004,956 people as of 2011, or 76.9% of the nation's population.
Situated east of the Assimas Islands, south of Maracao and Maracan-occupied Dunhelm Island, and north and west of the Aucurian-controlled Saint Casimir Islands, Imagua has held a strategic position on the Arucian for millennia, starting with trade and conflict over the islands by indigenous peoples, followed by colonization by Euclean powers such as Caldia, and Geatland, until finally ending up in the hands of Estmere in the 1650s. Despite some brief occupation by other countries, such as Gaullica during the Gilded Wars, or (TBC), it remained under continuous Estmerish rule until its full independence in 1948.
History
Imagua had been inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Asteris for millennia, and there has been documented evidence of Imagua being used as a trading post by various indigenous peoples in the Arucian Sea due to its geographic location. It is believed that the name of Imagua derives from the Nati word meaning small middle place, as it was small compared to Sanslumiere, and yet situated in the middle of the Arucian Sea. The native Imaguans called the island Mabaheinguti, referring to the abundance of greenery and fertile soil.
In 1503, Caldian settlers established the city of Cuanstad on Imagua, on the site of the Cuanstad Harbour, as its position in a harbor and at the mouth of the Glen River meant it was a strategic position for Eucleans to establish the settlement. Over the next few hundred years, despite it changing hands, the island of Imagua was well-developed, due to the fertile soil initially allowing for the growth of sugar plantations and other farms, and then subsequently became a major hub for the industrialization of the island.
The island obtained self-governance in 1892 from Estmere, "equal partner" status in 1937, and full independence in 1948 alongside the Assimas Islands. Since its independence from Estmere, Imagua has cemented itself as being the "main island" in Imagua and the Assimas, with Cuanstad in particular becoming the major economic center of the country. This has led to migration from the Assimas to Imagua, but at the same time, resentment as many on the Assimas believe that the government does not care about the affairs of the Assimas.
Geography
The island of Imagua is a volcanic island, with three volcanoes on the island: the 778 metre high Mount Morete, which is believed to be an extinct volcano, the 966 metre high Mount Guanara, which last erupted in 1866, and the highest point of both the island of Imagua and the Assimas, the 1,467 metre high Mount Apita, which last erupted in 1972.
As a consequence of the volcanic activity, combined with Imagua's position on the (some) fault line between the Asteria Superior and the Asteria Inferior plate, the island is much more rugged and mountainous than the Assimas Islands to the west, which constrains human settlement into the valleys along the rivers, with the largest valley being the Glen Valley, which carries the Glen River out to Cuanstad Harbour, where it enters the sea.
The largest area of flat land is the northern plain, starting around the Wensley River in the west, and extending east to roughly Saint Fiacre's Town. However, the soil in the northern plain is not as fertile as the soil in the valleys, like the Glen Valley, which has historically helped contribute to the low population outside of Nua Taois.
However, the rugged terrain has helped give the island a reputation as the "rainforest island," due to the rainforest covering most of the island, especially among the hills and mountains of the island. This has given the island a lot of biodiversity, with lots of flora and fauna, although only a handful of flowers and animals are endemic to Imagua. As of 2016, only 1,204.224 square kilometers of land, or 8.1% of the land on Imagua is arable.
Off the coast of Imagua are four islands, with the largest of them being Caynarsh Island, which is part of Cuanstad.
Climate
Climatically, Imagua experiences a tropical monsoon climate, due to its location near the equator, with the yearly average highs being 32 °C (89.6 °F), and the yearly average lows being 20.5 °C (68.9 °F). The wet season is generally from May to October, while the dry season typically lasts from November to April, although the months of April and November receive more rain than any other month in the dry season. The highest recorded temperature on the island of Imagua was at 38 °C (100.4 °F), recorded in Chesterfield on 28 July, 1939, while the coldest recorded temperature on the island, as well as the country was at -2.7°C (27.2 °F) on the summit of Mount Apita on 19 February, 1911.
While there have been some apocryphal reports of snow falling on the peak of Mount Apita in 1694, 1768, 1796, and 1813, there have been no official records of snow being observed on Imagua and the Assimas since records began in 1873.
Administration
Seven of the eight parishes on Imagua and the Assimas are situated on the island of Imagua: while traditionally, there were only six parishes on Imagua, the parish of Cuanstad was carved out of Saint Ellen's in 1961 after the passage of the Fourth Amendment to separate Cuanstad from Saint Ellen's.