Charlotte Island
Free State of Charlotte Island
Freistaat Charlotte Island, Malo o le Charlotte Motu | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Anthem: In Lapaha | |
| Country | Werania |
| Status | Free State within a federal monarchy |
| Annexation into Werania | 1884 |
| Self-governance | 1962 |
| Free State | 1986 |
| Capital | Lapaha |
| Government | |
| • Type | Devolved parliamentary republic in a federal monarchy |
| • Body | Landtag |
| • Minister-President | Matthias Iha |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 98,645 |
| Demonym | Charlotte Islander |
| GDP | |
| • Total | $1,438 million |
| • Per capita | $14,584 |
| Ethnic groups | |
| Area code | +731 |
| Official languages | Weranic, Tutuan |
| Ethnic groups | 72.7% Tutuan 10.4% Weranian 9.4% Coian 5.7% Mixed 1.8% other |
Charlotte Island, officially known as the Free State of Charlotte Island (Weranian: Freistaat Charlotte Island; Tutuan: Malo o le Charlotte Motu) is a free state within the Weranian Confederation. Located in the Sublustrian Sea, it is governed as a special overseas territory within the Confederation whilst retaining the right to send representatives to the Bundestag.
One of the homes of the Tutuan people who settled on the island around 3,500 years ago. Coming into contact with Euclean missionaries in the 1840's it was colonised by Werania in 1887 during the Hoffmann Expedition where it was annexed into the Weranian colonial empire, being named as Charlotte Island in the same period over the traditional name of Tutua. Weranian colonisation entailed a dismantling of the existing tribal structures and the creation of a plantation economy focused around a small Weranian political and economic elite. This continued until the 1962 when Werania granted the island a degree of self-government, albeit under the dominance of the Weranian minority. In 1986 the island was transformed into a free state wherein universal suffrage was implemented. Since the granting of self-governance in 1965 Charlotte Island has seen large advances in urbanisation and development particularly in the regional capital Lapaha.
Charlotte Island is the second smallest province in Werania after Ostry with only 98,645 people. It is ethnically diverse with a majority of the population being Tutuan with substantial minorities of Weranians, Coian people (predominantly from Xiaodong) and a mixed population. Although the economy has traditionally relied on fishing since the 1970's tourism makes up the majority of the economy. The Charlotte Islander government has also in more recent years promoted the expansion of offshore mining. The largest single employer for the island however is the Weranian navy who maintain a large naval base on the island (the Ferdinand Hönigsmann Naval Base).