Sanander Islands
Sanander Islands | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 Map of Carloso with the Sanander Islands highlighted | |
| Official languages | |
| Demonym(s) | Sananderan |
| Membership |  Carloso |
| Government | Stratocratic dependency under a constitutional republic |
| Cárlos Tobón | |
• Deputy President | Estebán Santander |
• State Minister for the Colonies | Tristán Vidrio |
• Chief Executive | Odón Cárdenas |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,448 km2 (559 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 0 |
| Currency | Carlosian dero (D£) (DER) |
| Driving side | left |
| Internet TLD | .cs |
The Sanander Islands are a Carlosian overseas territory located in the Musgorocian Ocean, located far to the south-west of mainland Carloso. Considered to be of highly strategic value, they are governed directly by the Carlosian Armed Foces on behalf of the President, which appoints the Chief Executive. The islands are closed to civilian access without prior approval. The Carlosian Armed Forces continue to maintain a heavy presence on the islands. Besides their mountainous terrain, myriad defensive installations have been established, including air fields, bunkers, ports, submarine bases and anti-ship and anti-air missile batteries. Ballistic missile launch facilities have also recently been constructed. The islands first came under Carlosian control in the late 1800s, having initially been under Bourgougian control, who expelled the native population to Vaotua. Before coming under military control, many of the islands were used for the harvesting of guano, though with the advent of the industrial synthesis of ammonia in the 1910s, the industry declined before the resource could be entirely depleted. This has allowed the ecosystem of the area to be largely preserved, and several Carlosian universities organise research trips to the islands every year to study its diverse lifeforms. The waters around the Sanander Islands are rich with tuna, with fishermen from both Carloso and Vaotua regularly frequenting its waters with the prior agreement of the Carlosian military administration.
Control of the Sanander Islands has long been key to control of the Musgorocian Ocean. They were briefly occupied by Luttenried following the Luttenried Crusade in 1512. From then until the late 1800s, they were controlled by Bourgougia, before falling under Carlosian control. Bourgougian forces failed to take the islands during the Emergency War. During the Bourgougian Blitz in 1987, the Luttenrieden government drew up plans to invade and annex the islands, alongside Mediator and the Sur Lisceard Islands, in the event of Carloso's defeat. This did not happen, Luttenried invading and annexing Bourgougia's Îles Perlegrise instead. Following the Bourgougian Blitz, Carloso significantly enhanced its military presence on the island, with as many as 82,500 personnel stationed there as of 2024.