Arbiter Islands

Arbiter Islands

Nickname: "The Roof of the World"
Geography
Location	Near the North Pole
Total islands	two
Highest point	Climate Hill
Administration
Template:Country data Layfet
Administered under the Climate Research Board, Department of Science and the Treaty on the Peaceful Use of the Arbiter Islands
Demographics
Population	~500 during the summer

The Arbiter Islands are the northernmost known islands in the world and are believed to have formed as a result of by two volcanoes. The two islands are known as Polar Island and Heaven Island. Both islands are claimed and administered by Layfet. Polar Islands hosts Arbiter Station while Heaven Island hosts the Heaven Island Polar Airport.

History

The islands that would one day host the station was discovered by the Layfetian explorer Leonardo García in 1934. From 1936 until 1974, the islands were intermittently inhabited, with structures being built and used for further exploration of the far north. In the 1970s, the Layfetian Government approved a permanent research station on Polar Island which now hosts the Arbiter Station research base. The station was completed with the help of Halsuntria's Government in 1981. Halsuntrian scientists used the base alongside the Layfetians until 2000, when they left to focus more on the Anterarctic. In 1983, Layfet opened up further foreign participation with the creation of the The Treaty on the Peaceful Use of the Arbiter Islands. The station on the islands is currently the most expensive single Layfetian endeavor outside of its borders.

Etymology

García named the two islands Polar and Heaven due to their relation to the north pole. Heaven being above the world and Polar due to where they were were. The name Arbiter comes from the English word "arbiter" meaning "a person who settles a dispute or has ultimate authority in a matter." The islands were named this by García and his men after failing to come up with a name before they left. Urban legends say that García's right-hand man Christopher Legions yelled out "We need an arbiter!" and the word stuck.

Geography and Climate

Because of the persistent presence of the northern ice sheet, only a small portion of the island is free of ice and snow. There is now way to travel to the islands by boat. The planet's northernmost dormant volcanos, Climate Hill and Stairway are situated on the islands.

Climate data for Arbiter Station, extremes 1981–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high Humidex	0.0	0.0	−2.4	−1.1	6.6	18.1	19.4	23.8	8.4	3.9	−1.1	1.4	23.8
Record high °C (°F)	0.0 (32.0)	1.1 (34.0)	−2.2 (28.0)	−0.2 (31.6)	10.0 (50.0)	18.8 (65.8)	21.0 (69.8)	19.5 (67.1)	11.2 (52.2)	5.3 (41.5)	0.6 (33.1)	3.2 (37.8)	21.0 (69.8)
Average high °C (°F)	−28.6 (−19.5)	−29.4 (−20.9)	−28.4 (−19.1)	−20.4 (−4.7)	−8.4 (16.9)	2.0 (35.6)	6.1 (43.0)	3.3 (37.9)	−5.3 (22.5)	−15.3 (4.5)	−22.3 (−8.1)	−25.6 (−14.1)	−14.4 (6.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−32.2 (−26.0)	−33.2 (−27.8)	−32.4 (−26.3)	−24.3 (−11.7)	−11.5 (11.3)	−0.4 (31.3)	3.4 (38.1)	0.8 (33.4)	−8.4 (16.9)	−18.9 (−2.0)	−26.0 (−14.8)	−29.4 (−20.9)	−17.7 (0.1)
Average low °C (°F)	−35.8 (−32.4)	−37.0 (−34.6)	−36.3 (−33.3)	−28.1 (−18.6)	−14.5 (5.9)	−2.7 (27.1)	0.7 (33.3)	−1.8 (28.8)	−11.5 (11.3)	−22.4 (−8.3)	−29.6 (−21.3)	−33.1 (−27.6)	−21.0 (−5.8)
Record low °C (°F)	−48.9 (−56.0)	−50.0 (−58.0)	−49.4 (−56.9)	−45.6 (−50.1)	−29.0 (−20.2)	−14.3 (6.3)	−6.3 (20.7)	−15.0 (5.0)	−28.2 (−18.8)	−39.4 (−38.9)	−43.5 (−46.3)	−46.1 (−51.0)	−50.0 (−58.0)
Record low wind chill	−64.7	−60.5	−59.5	−56.8	−40.8	−21.1	−10.3	−19.2	−36.9	−49.4	−53.7	−57.3	−64.7
Average precipitation mm (inches)	7.2 (0.28)	7.0 (0.28)	7.5 (0.30)	10.6 (0.42)	11.6 (0.46)	12.0 (0.47)	31.8 (1.25)	17.9 (0.70)	22.3 (0.88)	13.4 (0.53)	10.4 (0.41)	6.8 (0.27)	158.3 (6.23)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.8 (0.03)	13.0 (0.51)	3.5 (0.14)	0.1 (0.00)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	17.4 (0.69)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	9.0 (3.5)	8.1 (3.2)	8.7 (3.4)	12.6 (5.0)	18.0 (7.1)	13.5 (5.3)	20.0 (7.9)	16.9 (6.7)	33.1 (13.0)	20.2 (8.0)	15.2 (6.0)	9.3 (3.7)	184.6 (72.7)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	9.0	7.7	7.3	8.5	7.5	7.4	10.9	9.2	10.1	10.5	8.7	9.2	106.1
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	1.0	6.9	2.5	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	10.6
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	9.1	8.6	8.3	9.1	9.4	6.9	6.3	7.4	11.3	12.2	9.7	9.9	108.0
Average relative humidity (%)	66.8	66.6	66.9	71.1	81.5	87.1	85.1	86.1	84.6	75.7	70.3	67.2	75.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours	0.0	0.0	110.4	323.6	428.6	333.0	321.6	269.1	111.4	3.9	0.0	0.0	1,901.6
Percent possible sunshine	0.0	0.0	33.1	46.8	57.6	46.3	43.2	36.2	21.9	4.1	0.0	0.0	36.1
Source 1: Arbiter Station Temperature Log
Source 2: National Climate Orbiter

Politics

The Treaty on the Peaceful Use of the Arbiter Islands, which governs foreign use of Arbiter Station and the Arbiter Islands provides that tourism and military equipment are strictly prohibited on the islands and that the islands are only used for scientific and exploratory purposes of the far north. The treaty also states that Layfet gives up any economic exclusive zone associated with the islands. Domestically, while administered under the Climate Research Board, the islands are not classified as being a part of any state or district. Thus the islands are in fact, Layfet's only unorganized, unincorporated territory.