Charline Islands
Territorial Agglomeration of the Charline Islands Agglomération territoriale des iles Charlines Agglomerato territoriale delle isole Carlo | |
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Coat of arms
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| Motto: Veritas Lux Mea. (The Truth is My Light) Ni roi, ni maître! (Neither King nor Master!) | |
| Anthem: De l'Aube à l'Éternité (From Dawn to Eternity) | |
| Map of the Charline Islands Map of the Charline Islands | |
| Location of the Charline Islands (dark green) in the Aininian Republic (light green) and the world (grey) Location of the Charline Islands (dark green) in the Aininian Republic (light green) and the world (grey) | |
| Capital and largest city | Port-Louis |
| Official languages | French, Lombardian |
| Demonym(s) | Charlène Charlian |
| Government | Autonomous republican parliamentary territory |
| Cao Nima | |
| Marguerite de Monjoie de Saint-Henri | |
| Legislature | Territorial Assembly |
| Establishment | |
• Settled | 1280 |
• Annexation to Ainin | 1 August 1472 |
• Republican takeover | 19 June 1798 |
• Nevan occupation | 20 January 1800 |
• Restoration to Ainin | 28 June 1823 |
| Area | |
• Total | 470 km2 (180 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 2.52 |
| Population | |
• 2015 estimate | 4,620 |
• 2011 census | 4,123 |
• Density | 9.43/km2 (24.4/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2012 estimate |
• Total | $89.7 million |
• Per capita | $21,780 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2012 estimate |
• Total | $92.8 million |
• Per capita | $22,520 |
| Gini (2012) | 41.1 medium |
| HDI (2013) | 0.773 high |
| Currency | Aininian louré (Ł) (ANL) |
| Time zone | UTC-9 |
| Date format | yyyy-mm-dd |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +502 |
| Internet TLD | .ch |
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The Charline Islands (French: iles Charlines, Lombardian: Isole di Carlo), officially the Territorial Agglomeration of the Charline Islands (French: Agglomération territoriale des iles Charlines, Lombardian: Agglomerato territoriale delle isole Carlo) and commonly known as the Charlines (English pronunciation: /ʃɑr.la͡ɪns/; French pronunciation: [ʃaʁ.lin]) are a small archipelago located 637 kilometres south of Metropolitan Ainin, and are an autonomous territory of the Aininian Republic.
Initially settled in 1280 by the shipwrecked survivors of an expedition originating from the Kingdom of Ainin to search for the mythical Terra , the island developed independently of all outside contact until 1472, when a fleet from the Glorious Confederation made contact with the inhabitants, descendants of a long-thought dead expedition. The islands were annexed to the Aininian kingdom, and only fell to the Namorese invaders in 1576, being the last Aininian possession to come under Namorese rule. When news of the Aininian Revolution spread to the islands in 1798, locals quickly overpowered the small garrison and declared their allegiance to the Provisional Republican Authority of Ainin. In 1800, parts of an invasion force of the Royal Nevan Army, after being defeated in Linaque and forced to retreat, landed in the islands and occupied them until 1823, when a final peace treaty was signed and they were returned to Ainin in exchange for an indemnity of 60,000 gold lourés. The islands slowly integrated into Ainin over the 19th century, a process accelerated by the arrival of 1,200 Lombardian emigrants that significantly changed the islands' demographics.
Today, the Charline Islands are a moderately developed territory with a strong tourism industry and an emerging service sector. Its scenic rainforests and quaint atmosphere have made it popular for vacationmakers from all around Esquarium. However, the islands face problems in the form of brain drain and high youth suicide rates due to the lack of economic opportunities in the territory. A lack of high-quality hospitality talent is also a major problem for the region's tourist industry.
Etymology
The islands were named for King Charles IV of Bonséjours, king of the Kingdom of the Roses at the time that the ill-fated expedition sailed. It is thought that they were named by the surviving crew of the expedition.
History
Presettlement
Not much is known about the history of the Charline Islands prior to the settlement. However, most historians agree that there was probably no human settlement prior to 1280. Geological evidence shows that the islands were mostly submerged as late as 800 BC, likely due to the Great Tsunami of 812 BCE that significantly changed the southwestern coastline of the Aininian isles.
Settlement and Aininian rule
Aininian Revolution and Nevan occupation
Under the Aininian Republic
Present-day
Geography
Demographics
Religion
Ethnicity
Language
The official languages of the Charline Islands are French and Lombardian, which are also the mother tones of virtually the entire population. With 69.4% natively speaking French and 28.9% speaking Lombardian, over 98.3% of the population speak one of the two languages. Of the remainder, 63 people (1.5%) reported in the 2011 census that they spoke Arabic as a first language, 5 (0.15%) put down Nevan and both Namorese and Pavon were selected by 1 person (0.025%) each.