Portal:Garetolia/Intro

Garetolia (/ˌɡɛərəˈtoʊliə/ GAIR-ə-TOL-ee-ə; Garetolian: re'Karātōl'ī [rɘˈkɑʳɑtolˈɪ]), officially the Republic of Garetolia (Garetolian: Repōkalāka re'Karātōl'ī [rɘpoːkɑlɑkɑ]) is an island nation in Polynesia the South Pacific. Its closest neighbors are French Polynesia to the north; the Cook Islands to the northwest; the Pitcairn Islands to the east-northeast; and Easter Island to the far east. Garetolia consists of an archipelago of ten islands and twelve small atolls, amounting to an area of approximately 22,559 square kilometers. The most outlying island is Masa minor. The four main islands amount to 99% of the total population of over 278,000. The capital, Ule'eka, is the nation's primary cruise ship port. More than three quarters of the population lives on the main island, Cona, whereas others mainly live on the island of Mioanhatiin. Due to its terrain, the island of Noviisida is sparsely inhabited.

Garetolia was formed by volcanic activity some 130 million years ago. Geothermal activity is still visible on many of the islands—mostly on Noviisida. Around 500 years ago, the islands were inhabited by Polynesian peoples. Noviisida, however, was inhabited as early as 1955 due to its rocky and mountainous terrain. James Cook discovered the island for the British Empire in 1775, where he helped many people settle. However, the first European to land on the island was Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós in 1767, where he quickly left due to a volcanic eruption.

Since 1987, Garetolia has maintained adequate diplomacy with many French overseas departments such as French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna. France was the first nation to recognize Garetolia as a sovereign state. Since its independence, Garetolia has become a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Pacific Islands Forum.