Krasoa Islands: Difference between revisions

 

 

{{wp|Soapmaking}} is a major industry and source of employment, though since the end of Kirosocialism the large industrial soapworks have declined in favour of smaller operations selling market-diversified products, many of which are artisanally crafted. A growing number of small and medium soapworks in Krasoa are coöperatives. Krasoan soap is highly regarded in Great Kirav and Sydona and is increasingly sold abroad. Several traditional types of Krasoan soap have been granted geographic designations and other intellectual property protections by the Kiravian government.

 

 

During the [[Punthite Quasi-Wars|Kiro-Burgundian Gin & Tonic Race]], the [[Colonial College]] tried to establish {{wp|cinchona tree}} plantations in suitable areas of Krasoa, to obtain a domestic supply of cinchona bark from which to extract {{wp|quinine}}, in order to bypass the effective [[Cartadanian]] monopoly on the substance. These efforts were frustrated by difficulty in obtaining the necessary land and smuggling saplings out of Cartadania. As such, the Krasoan plantations were slow to reach maturity and were not targeted for arson by [[Burgoniesc]] saboteurs like their counterparts in the Melians and Saint Kennera. Kiravia's eventual defeat in the Gin & Tonic Race led to the Colonial College selling off the plantations, and most of the land was converted to other uses. However, a few sites remain, owned by a local private company, Sovakaīn Tonics of Krasoa SAK, which produces artisan tonic waters for the Kiravian market.

 

The agreeable climate and pleasant landscape of the islands has nurtured a growing tourist industry based on {{wp|agritourism}} and wine tourism, beaches and marine recreation, and destination weddings.

 

According to a 32-page profile printed in the weekend edition of the [[Primóra Moon]], another growing but low-profile source of income in the Krasoas is the "VIP real estate" and "quiet retirement" sector, which chiefly involves the sale of comfortable and well-appointed country homes to wealthy individuals, mainly from continental Ixnay and Audonia. As described by an unnamed Krasoan real estate agent who was interviewed for the article, this industry caters to a diverse array of clients, including ousted and disgraced former politicians, foreign lesser nobility and cadet princelings of deposed royal houses, and white-collar criminals. There is usually an element of {{wp|offshore finance}} involved, aided by the islands' proximity to [[Pribraltar]], privileged access to the Pribraltarian financial system, and the fact that many Pribraltar-based banks have branches in Krasoa. This business model was first developed in the [[Melian Islands]], where disused manor houses on coffee plantations in the uplands and secluded beach villas were sold to many foreign buyers with similar needs during the 21190s.