Truk
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Truk Autonomous District 椰子岛 | |
|---|---|
Subject of the Democratic Republic of Daxia | |
 Flag | |
 | |
| Special Subject | Daxia |
| Capital and largest city | Imarli |
| Official languages | Daxian |
| Ethnic groups |
|
| Religion | Islam |
| Government | |
• District Governor | Abdurrahman Mokhtar |
| Legislative Diwan | |
| Population | |
• 2030 estimate | 1,026,985 |
| Gini (2030) |  30medium |
| HDI (2068) | 0.635 medium |
Truk or the Truk islands (Daxian:椰子岛) is a territory of the Republic of Daxia consisting of an archipelago with six islands. The islands are Iman, Hutau, Sinta, Chunma, Anako and Parapo. The archipelago is located on the eastern end of the Polynesian Sea far to the southwest of Vallos and east of Rapa Rapa and the Saukhin Islands. The Truk islands saw the rise of the independent Muslim Emirate of Truk in the 13th century. The emirate was a minor power on its own right before its conquest four hundred years later at the hands of Daxias Qian dynasty during the capture of Truk. Daxian-controlled Truk served an important role in interoceanic trade and cultural exchanges between Daxia and the nations of west Sarpedon.
Today the islands remain an important waystation for oceanic trade between eastern Audonia and Sarpedon and Vallos and also a tourist destination for visitors from mainland Daxia. The local economy is mostly dependent on tourism, commercial fishing and ship insurance services; the traditional saltpeter industry mostly drying up in the 19th century due to failing mines. Truk has long had an autonomous government, which has contributed greatly to social and political stability and also the thriving of political Islam on the island. The island is currently governed by the People's Justice Party with the Party of Daxian Democrats as junior coalition partner.
Etymology
The origin of the name Truk is believed to have originated with the now extinct original Trukian lingua franca, a dialect of polynesian origin. In the very incomplete records known to exist, the word Truk is interpreted to mean either Mountain or Hill in probable reference to the main island's most distinguishing topographical feature, Mount Zandalay.
Climate
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The Truk islands have a tropical rainforest climate. The weather is warm, humid and rainy all year round. The islands are located north of the equator and are affected by constant trade winds, which temper the climate. Minimum temperatures range all year round between 22 and 25 °C, and maximum temperatures between 30 and 32 °C. The abundant precipitations oscillate between 2500 and 5000 mm per year, although in the faces oriented to the wind they can surpass 6000 mm. Mount Zandalay, only 750 meters high, on the island of Anako, receives an average of 10,160 mm, being one of the rainiest places on earth, with almost always overcast skies. In general, the rains are produced by showers and storms of short duration but very intense. The driest places are the flat atolls, where rainfall can drop below 3000 mm. The driest months are January and February, with no less than 250 mm and 20 days of rain.
| Climate data for Truk | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29.9 (85.8) |
30.0 (86.0) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.3 (86.5) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.9 (87.6) |
30.9 (87.6) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.3 (86.5) |
30.4 (86.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.6 (79.9) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.8 (80.2) |
27.0 (80.6) |
26.8 (80.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.8 (74.8) |
23.9 (75.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.3 (73.9) |
22.7 (72.9) |
22.6 (72.7) |
22.7 (72.9) |
22.7 (72.9) |
22.9 (73.2) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.3 (74.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 377 (14.8) |
279 (11.0) |
353 (13.9) |
462 (18.2) |
502 (19.8) |
464 (18.3) |
504 (19.8) |
515 (20.3) |
464 (18.3) |
469 (18.5) |
421 (16.6) |
392 (15.4) |
5,202 (204.9) |
| Source: Ixnay Climatological Society | |||||||||||||
History
Prehistory
The archipelago is believed to have been settled by Polynesian peoples since at least 1600 BCE, with cave pictograms and tool remnants being recovered pointing to that period. The ancestors of the people of Truk might have been stragglers left behind from those that went to Vallos or simply a community that saw the islands as fit to settle on. The name of the pre-islamic civilization of Truk is extrapolated from engravings in pottery as the Karo. Early Karo peoples survived from fishing, gathering mussels on the shore and picking fruit; game was very rare limited only to small birds and rodents. Over time the Karo of Sinta and Anako sailed east and spread to the other islands of the archipelago, such that Karo settlement spanned all of the islands. Discovery of stone foundations and burial sites allow archeologists to estimate the existence of at least sixteen different sites that could have been habitated in this early period.
The emergence of the Melat kingdom on the island of Parapo can be traced back to the second century and lasted into the 9th century, asserting its control over all of Truk as is attested by large stone steles on each island declaring the glories of the rule of King Pokok(believed to have been between the years of 327 to 355). It is under the Melat kingdom that the settlement that became Imarli was founded, it was not however the capital or even an important settlement until after the kingdom had been destroyed. All references of Melat and its kings abruptly stop in the year 907. It is theorized that an invasion by other migratory polynesians took place that a the very least demolished the political and societal structures of Melat. The invaders did no reestablish any political structure of their own, instead plunging the islands back into basic tribalism. Fragments of oral tradition call the following years as the Jaws of Hunger, a two hundred year period of extreme deprivation and inter-communal violence that also led to technological and societal regression.
Eventually a tribe known as the Bagus that was directly descended from one of the noble families of the Melat era began forming alliances through marriage with other 'originator' tribes. King Eka of the Bagus proclaimed (as attested in clay tablets dated to 1101) anyone descended from the invading tribes as unclean ones, to be killed without exception. Thus the Bagus and allied tribes started a period of great bloodletting, including the ritualistic consumption of their enemies. The shocking violence reasserted the primacy of the older settled tribes over the newer ones but also greatly depopulated Truk. As one of the few settlements in habitable state, Imarli was chosen by the Bagus to serve as their new capital.
Emirate of Truk
Arrival of Islam
In the year 1251 an Islamic mystic by the name of Sayed Ali Qumi arrived by accident on the islands with a few companions after being shipwrecked in a storm. Qumi proceeded to successfully spread Islam to the people of Imarli by recounting the martial prowess of the Oduniyyad caliphs and the apparent favor and good fortune shown to them by God. As the people of Truk did not have alcohol or pigs, forbidding their consumption was not an obstacle to conversion. The King of Truk of the day adopted the islamic first name of Akhmat Bagusid to signal his new piety and began to style himself as emir, in imitation of Muslim rulers under Oduniyyad suzerainty. Under the Bagusids, the damage done to the islands during the Jaws of Hunger was slowly undone and a prosperous mercantile society was built up as Truk began building bigger ships capable of ocean exploration. Imarli was known during this period as the Jewel under the Sun and the palaces and masjids of the Bagusids were adorned with intricate carpets, mother of pearl and exotic woods and silks. Truk's relative geographical isolation in this early period allowed it to expand at its leisure to nearby islands such as Rapa Rapa, taken under the Emir's protection in 1265. Traditional islander notions of clan loyalty and kingly veneration were useful tools in the consolidation of the Bagusids and their power; internal upheavals were a very rare thing and existential crises only came with the arrival of foreign vessels on the Polynesian Sea.
Marwanid Fitna
Succession among the Bagusids had adapted to the islamic norm of a ruler being succeeded by his brothers, not his sons. The fourth emir, Mojtaba, nonetheless groomed his eldest son Selim to succeed him despite having two brothers who would come first in the line of royal succession. Mojtaba's brothers Marwan and Hisham ruled on Hutau and Sinta and had their own bases of power and supporters at court. Selim's coming elevation to crown prince was made more apparent when his name was included next to his father's on friday prayers. On the summer of 1425 Selim was named crown prince and girded with the ceremonial jeweled blade of Qaim to signify his new status. Marwan immediately protested and together with Hisham began to organize a revolt to restore their rights. A mediation effort by the Grand Mufti failed when Mojtaba slapped his brother Marwan and demanded his brothers they cease their pretentions and give up hostages as guarantee of future good behavior. Violence erupted in the hall and a scuffle ensued in which Mojtaba was stabbed to death and his brothers fled. The grieving Selim had them declared munafiqun for murdering their brother and rising against his lawful authority. As would happen in later civil wars, the powerful magnates of the saltpeter mines joined the brothers in their revolt against central power. Selim attacked his uncles and during the first campaign Hisham was killed at the Battle of Turbe; Selim's court historian writes that Hisham was killed when struck by an arrow through his left eye. A surprise attack by saboteurs in Marwan's employ resulted in the burning of most of Selim's fleet while anchored, which delayed the assault on Hutau by eight months. Marwan's cruel and wanton behavior lost him many allies and men during Selim's second campaign such that after two consecutive defeats on the field, he had been deserted by all. He was captured, tied to a rope and weighed down with rocks before being thrown into the sea to drown. To end the enmity between the brances of the family Selim II married Radwa, the daughter of Marwan. The end of the Marwanid fitna ended the practice of agnatic seniority, transitioning to agnatic primogeniture. Later emir's usually had their brothers killed upon accession or sent them into exile away from Truk to prevent any challenges from within the royal clan.
Conflicts with outsiders
See also: Capture of Truk
Initially appearing merely as explorers, in the following decades Levantians, Sarpedonians and Daxians would sail to Truk to peddle their goods, petition the Emirs for transit rights and protection and also at times to deliver threats. To survive, Truk's wily rulers managed to tiptoe around the various powers and avoided committing themselves to any one side for too long, making Truk an important component of the southern route and the Audonia-Sarpedon trade and taking advantage of the cultural and economic exchanges on offer. Beginning in 1642 Emir Mahmud Tidore II agreed to a loose compact with Daxia to counter encroachments by the Carto-Pelaxian Commonwealth; a possible fatal misstep as the Daxian court saw the agreement as much more binding and formal than the Bagusids ever did. Mahmud allowed the Daxians to build a fort on the island of Anako; the emirate's forces also received some shipments of weapons such as muskets to increase their battle worthiness. In return for their protection, Mahmud sold them pearls, saltpeter, sago(a type of starch used for bread) and cassava at greatly discounted rates In time the Daxians would also station a permanent representative on to the Bagusid court to oversee relations with the emirate and steer its policies to a pro-Daxian stance. Emir Mahmud's foreign policy caused a split with his son and heir, Prince Akhmat, and when the emir got sick in 1674 his son took the opportunity to launch a palace coup and usurp his father's place.
What followed the overthrow of Mahmud was an ultimatum to restore his father which was rejected. Afterwards an eight month effort spearheaded by Daxia's Australis governor, Marquis Shenbao to overthrow Akhmat. The climax of the campaign happened at the Battle of the Gates of Imarli where Akhmad's forces were decisively routed and his capital captured. Following the squashing of the remaining insurgents and the death of his only heir, Mahmud willed the Emirate to the Daxian emperor upon his death, which came two years later ending the independence of the islands.
Daxian dominion
The acquisition of Truk greatly improved the Daxian strategic position on the Polynesian Sea and the Ocean of Cathay allowing it to greatly curtail piracy and encroachments westward by the Carto-Pelaxian Commonwealth. Supplies to Freda Island and later Lotoa could be easily intercepted from Truk; this situation resulted in a more conciliatory policy by the Sarpedonians and increased trade. Politically the situation remained unsettled for some time, the transition from independence to Imperial subjugation was fraught with peril albeit the island's military potential to resist was very much depleted. Truk's existing walis who ruled on each of its islands remained in place but were now obliged to travel to Rakin on Australis and to pledge allegiance to the Emperor and secure a patent of legitimacy(by submitting tribute to the exacting amounts described in the Imperial Tallies) from the imperial governor. This process later took place on Imarli when Truk was given its own governor around 1740. As the old capital, Imarli was designated to continue as the administrative center of Truk and as such saw an important influx of Daxian settlers from the mainland, many of whom adopted Islam as their religion and eventually began to intermarry with the native Trukians (this mixed population is known as Island Daxians). There were periodic bouts of unrest and communal violence involving pogroms, these began to die down and become less recurrent upon the appointment of native born governors and the opening of positions in the bureaucracy for more locals.
Truk became host to one of the most important naval bases and shipbuilding facilities operated by the South Seas Trading Company. The company poured important sums of capital into building infrastructure (including new mosques to acquire goodwill with locals) and fostering economic growth on the islands through agricultural development. People from Rakahanga and other rural parts of Australis were also brought and settled on the islands to work, but they were forced to convert to Islam. The authorities of Truk nominally claimed overlordship of all the atolls near Truk including Rapa Rapa although actual control on the ground was intermittent. Rapa Rapa was sold in 1861 to Urcea, a nation that was a newcomer in the area and had not had hostile interactions with Daxia until that point in time; the atoll was considered to be of little economic value and a waste to try and occupy permanently.
Modern period
The islands were known as Fortress Truk during the Second Great War and they were one of the key lynchpins of Daxian power projection in the Polynesian Sea during the conflict and vital to communication lines with the Caphirian co belligerent. The islands were the staging point for raids on Levantian possessions such as Rapa Rapa and Sudmoll and the Cathay squadron of Daxia's navy was based there to try and secure the transit of trade convoys between Caphiria and Daxia. Later in the war as the naval war turned south, the navy withdrew most of its vessels west to naval ports in Zhijun but the defenses of Truk were robust enough that enemy operational planners considered it impractical to try taking over the islands although some raids were staged. The war left a lasting distaste for the Rapans, who are seen as stooges and collaborators of Urcea and Burgundie even to this day. The immediate end of the war saw a period of deprivation and unrest as the downfall of the imperial system on the mainland disrupted the chains of supply to Truk. The new republican government did not see the islands as a great priority but they did take the opportunity to tamp down on their autonomy by imposing a governor from the mainland and banning all independent political activity. An Emirate revivalist movement gained popularity during this era, agitating for independence before being snuffed out in the 1960's by the security services. President Min Bib Doda made a decision to restore the political autonomy system in 1979 and worked to restore economic viability to Daxia's overseas districts. The change from NRF to PDD government on the mainland was a seamless affair for Truk, the local government continued to receive generous subsidies and privileges that ensure it remains politically docile to the central government.
The People's Justice Party, a formerly opposition movement rooted in political Islamism was legalized by Min Bib Doda in his last year in office, after the PJP dropped references to armed struggle and terrorism as legitimate avenues to effect political change from its program. The party had its strongest electoral showing in 2005 when it captured the governorship in alliance with the local branch of the PDD; the coalition is known as the Red and Yellow Alliance. Truk is the only province of Daxia where the PDD operates as the junior political partner, in what observers consider a long running experiment from the government. The People's Justice Party led government firmly opposes any form of separatism and extremism that it believes emanate from certain quarters of the Islamic Development Party, which it has attempted to ban from contesting elections on three separate occasions.
Economy
Truk's economy is based around fishing, agriculture (mostly spices, cassava, sago and tropical fruits), ship breaking and a small but growing industrial sector producing consumer goods for the internal market. Truk has a sizable fishing fleet and has an agreement with the central government wherein non Truk based fishing vessels that can operate in the archipelago's waters cannot exceed a specific tonnage. Up to 30,000 tons of fish (mainly tuna) are taken yearly from the waters around Truk. Agriculture supports about thirty percent of the population and supplied about forty percent of exports as of 2025. Two agricultural zones are generally defined: the coastal areas, which range in elevation from sea level to 400 meters and which supports cash crops such as vanilla, kumquats and cloves; and the highlands, which support cultivation of crops for domestic consumption, such as cassava, bananas and sweet potatoes. As the population increased, food grown for domestic use met fewer and fewer of Truk's needs. Data collected by the Audonia Development Bank showed that food production per capita fell about twelve percent from 1980 to 1987. The island imports virtually all its meat and vegetables; rice imports alone often account for up to thirty percent of the value of all imports.
Truk has a strong and robust tourist sector, hundreds of thousands of visitors from the mainland and Sarpedon flock annually to the island's beaches and densely jungled interior, visit the monumental ruins of the Melat kingdom and admire the eclectic mix of Muslim, polynesian and Daxian architecture and cuisine. Nonetheless of late the growth of the Islamic Development Party and its anti-alcohol agenda and stances on modest dressing have represented a headache for Truk's hospitality sectors leading to occasional dips in room occupation, especially during election season when the party's rhetoric grows louder and is amplified on social media. Truk is also one of the centers of maritime insurance on the Ocean of Cathay with many firms dedicated to it having their offices on the islands.
Government and Politics
Truk is unique in Daxia in that it is governed by an almost fully autonomous administration and legislature. These bodies have complete authority regarding lawmaking, taxation and expenditure; the exception to their powers are the areas of national defense and relations with foreign policy which are handled from Mirzak. The unicameral, sixty-seat Legislative Diwan is elected once every four years by single non-transferable votes from fixed constituencies. The District Governor is nominated by the largest party (must be a member of the Diwan and is usually the party leader) in the Diwan and must be ratified by a simple majority; he may be unseated by a two thirds majority vote and cannot be recalled by the population. The Daxian government may employ a veto on national security reasons, but it has never been used. The current Governor is Abdurrahman Mokhtar who has held the position uninterrupted since 2020. Currently the government is led by a coalition of the local People's Justice Party and the Party of Daxian Democrats; together they have thirty nine seats in the Diwan.
Recently an uptick in support for political Islamism has been registered in Truk, especially on the islands of Anako and Hutau. Currently the largest opposition party in the Diwan is the Islamic Development Party, a political movement rooted on turning religious tenets such as sharia law into government policy. The party wants a blanket ban on alcohol, the addition of corporal punishment to the criminal code for a range of offenses, the imposition of fines for missing the call to prayer and in some of its most radical quarters; a ban on education for women. Paradoxically the autonomy of Truk's political system given to it by the PDD has allowed Truk to be the host and sanctuary to minor political parties fiercely opposed to the rulers of the mainland. The Social-Democratic Fatherland Coalition is a small social democratic party with no seats on the Diwan and supported mostly by fugitives and political exiles from the mainland; who remain unmolested while on Truk.
Demographics
Ethncity according to the official census (2020)
As of 2030, Truk has a permanent population of 1,026,985 people. 45.9% self identify as 'Trukian' or Island Daxians as is the term on official census metrics; this population is of mixed polynesian and Daxian stock. Mainland Daxians constitute 36.2% of the population, both recent migrants and people who can trace their ancestry to the original settlers who came with the start of imperial rule. There is also a significant minority of Loa people who fled the civil war in Takatta Loa and were allowed to settle provided they were muslim or willing to convert. There is currently a scholarly debate on whether they should be included on the census as Island Daxians for reasons of accuracy. Another recent group moving to Truk are wealthy people from Rusana, attracted to the better quality of life and services on the islands compared to their country and the freedom to practice their religion (which would be constrained on mainland Daxia).
The standing official policy of encouraging conversion of anyone wishing to live on Truk has resulted in an almost uniformly Muslim population. The distance from Audonia constrained the spread of the schisms suffered by mainland Islam; the religion is practiced in the same manner as before the Shia secession with no particular focus on any historical figure other than Muhammad as the prophet. The sole exception to Muslim uniformity are Daxian officials and members of the military garrisons who are there on a rotational basis; these people tend to be atheists or very rarely Christians. Linguistically a majority of the islanders speak mainland Daxian and around 34% also speak a pidgin polynesian dialect with Daxian loanwords known as Matai. The Loa community also has maintained their knowledge of Insuo Loa and have generally succeeded in passing it down despite a lack of schools offering classes in the language or any official government recognition or support for the language.
Culture
The culture of modern Truk is an admixture of Muslim and Daxian influences and to a lesser degree, watered down polynesian traditions. The introduction of Islam by Sayed Ali Qumi in 1251 initiated a process of replacement of many polynesian practices with purely Audonian ones. Some notable surviving fragments include a form of polynesian music called Bonang that is based around percussion instruments, clothing styles that were coincidentally agreeable to Islam such as the long white robes called Kofias are also still used. Much of the limited polynesian cuisine has also survived intact, with new twists given the increase in available ingredients (all of Truk's cuisine is now halal). Islam brought Audonian architectural influences, new styles of dress(the muslim cap or takiyah is ubiquitous among men) and dishes and even new practices of personal grooming such as the growing of beards and a shortening of hair styles (polynesians did not have scissors).
Daxian control yet again brought a new influence to Truk's culture but it was more muted as Islam already had centuries of entrenchment. Mainland architectural styles are mostly used by mainlanders, even a few mosques used by the Daxian community have no domes like traditional Audonian ones do. Mainland food products that do not grow or are raised on Truk such as rice, poultry and beef are part of the routine diet now as import availability has grown.