Isidar
| Territory of Isidar そうシアル | |
| Flag | |
| Country | United Republic |
| Capital | Hingashi |
| Largest City | Kurogane |
| Population | 5,111,691 |
| Governor | Ken Kobayashi |
| Legislature | Isidar Territorial Assembly |
| Official languages | Alstinian Ænglish, Shaukuese |
| Recognised languages | Burgoignesc, |
| Postal Abbreviation | IS |
| Time Zone | Far East Time |
Isidar, officially the Isidar Territory is an overseas incorporated territory of the United Republic, located in the Shauku Archipelago northeast of mainland Audonia bordering Sotsial to the southeast and Burgoignesc Iles Evangeline to the east.
Geography
Isidar is situated at the western edge of the Shauku Archipelago, occupying the eponymous island. It is surrounded on three sides by the Sea of Capelan to the west and the Sea of St. John to east, as well as a maritime border with Burgoigensc Iles Evangeline. Its climate is characterized as being amix tropical wet and tropical dry, similar to much of the neighboring Sotsial and Iles Evangeline.
History
Early Oyashima settlement
The oldest evidence of human existence on the Shauku Islands is from the Stone Age and was discovered in Todajima and Buntaro in neighboring Sotsial. Human bone fragments and hunting tools thought to be from the Paleolithic era were unearthed from a site near Kamui on the eastern coast of Isidar. Early Oyashima influences dating back to 200 BC are dominant on the Shauku Islands, although clay vessels on found there have a commonality with those in Metzetta.
The first mention of the Isidar was written in official Chen dynasty documents detailing a then-recent tribute mission returning from the region. Beginning in the 9th century, independent agricultural societies on the islands slowly developed until the 12th century, at which point the islands came under the suzerainty of the Matsumori dynasty. During the Toshimochi dynasty, Sotsial would come under nominal rule of the Oyashimese, but would become de-facto independent during the Sengoku Jidai and the subsequent Sea Lords-Daimyo Wars.
Burgoignesc colonial rule
Main article: Oyashima#Early_modern_era
In 1638, the Far East Colony was established by the Ularien Trading Company. Originally established as an attempt militarily apply pressure on the Myanga Ayil Khanate, initials efforts at colonization came in the form of military outposts throughout the Archipelago, followed soon after by trading ouposts established by merchants seeking to profit from trade in East Audonia. As time passed, settlements were established from these outposts, forming the foundation of several modern cities and towns in the region. For instance, Kurogane, the largest city in Isidar, was originally a series of fishing villages along and near the shoreline of Kurogane Bay in 1638 when a trading post was established in the area; 150 years later, little trace remained of either the villages nor the outpost save for their names, which were now used for districts in the thriving port city that stands in its place today.
By the start of the 19th century, the Far East Colony was firmly established in the region as a holding of the Duchy of Marialanus, and Occidental presence in the region was a known fact. However, by the 1810s, Marialanus had begun to suffer a series of concurrent issues that made their administration of the colony increasingly untenable; Primarily in the form of increasing domestic financial difficulties and a series of peasant rebellions that decimated the profitability of the spice trade in several colonies Ultimately in 1817, the Far East Colony was back to Oyashima. Shortly thereafter, the United Republic, who by this point had long-vested commercial interests in the region from as far back as the 1750s, entered into negotiations with the Oyashimese government for the purchase of a portion of the recenly acquired region. The following year, Isidar was sold to the United Republic for $6.9 million, and subsequently reorganized the islands as the Department of Isidar.
United Republic administration
Initially under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army before administrative duties were first transferred to the Ministry of the Interior in 1832, and then to the Department of the Navy in 1837, life in Isidar did not significantly change from the Burgoignesc colonial era for the first twenty-five years of UR administration, with its principal use being an important was a station for Alstinian merchants and warships traveling to and from Audonia. Following the discovery of gold deposits in the Kuma Mountains in 1843 and the Varshani conquest of the neighboring islands in the Shauku Archipelago during the 1850s, however, the settlement and fortification of Isidar increased dramatically as the United Republic sought to fully secure the region. Efforts in addressing the latter were of particular priority during the 1860s and 1870s due to the Varshani conducting a series of sporadic opportunistic Arzalist-fueled raids along the eastern coast of Isidar; Raids that only ceased in 1873 when the United Republic Navy managed to put a stop to with an punitive expedition against Varshani raiding bases on Sicotan, Acsir, and Atusa, in what is now known as the Raider Wars. As a consequence of the raids and concurrent militarization of the island, the native Isidarians gradually adopted a protectionist and semi-isolationist mindset towards outsiders in general and foreigners in particular, even as settlers from the Alstinian Isles continued to arrive and as refugees from Varshani-held Shauku continued to flee the Zurgite regime. Even in the decades to come, as reforms at the federal level were passed and implemented, and Isidarians slowly welcomed the wider world back in, the native Isidarian culture has continued to remain one of the most conservative sub-cultures in the United Republic.
In 1892, President Samuel Clement signed into law the Isidar Territorial Act, formally reorganizing Isidar into an organized incorporated territory of the United Republic, with Genji Kastumoto becoming Isidar's first elected governor. During both Great Wars, Isidar served as strategic outpost in the Northern Cathay, linking Audonia with Crona and the world at large, while also providing sanctuary for refugees in fleeing conflict throughout the Audonia continent throughout the 20th century; An example of the latter was when much of the Levantine population residing on Ayermer fled to Isidar following their expulsion in the aftermath of Ayermer's fall to Daxia in 1936. Following the end of hostilities, the economy and infrastructure of Isidar would continue to develop, eventually becoming one of most prosperous and developed entities in East Audonia. This was in spite of the hindrance in regards to population and economic growth in Isidar stagnating during the 1960s before recovering during the 1970s, with contributing factors to the territory's stagnation including population emigration to other parts of the Republic, years of fiscal mismanagement at the territorial level resulting in the Charao Scandal and a major natural disaster in the form of the 1963 Taiyoi Earthquake, which at 8.6 magnitude, remains remains the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the United Republic.
At the turn of the 21st century, there was widespread concern that the Shauku Archipelago was a potential flashpoint for conflict, due to rising tensions between Varshan and various Occidental and Occidental-aligned nations, coupled with the continued Varshani presence in the Archipelago. These concerns only grew as the Deluge griped northern and central Crona, and were indirectly realized in November 2020 with the start of the Varshan War. At the onset of the War, Isidar came under repeated assaults from Varshani air and naval assets, most of which were repulsed with little-to-no causalities incurred. These attacks would persist until May 2021, at the conclusion of the Shauku Archipelago Campaign and the capitulation of Varshani forces in the region.
Since 2025, extensive efforts have been made towards the expansion of Isidar's infrastructure in order to facilitate Sotsial's integration into the wider Republic, all the while continuing to serve as a vital logistics and transport center for the Shauku Archipelago at large. Moreover, there is currently some discussion on the possibility of future unification with Sotsial, as well as that of potential provincehood; However, such issues continue to be on the periphery of Isidarian political discourse, and whether they will ever be seriously considered remains to be seen.
Government
Isidar is an incorporated territory of the United Republic. Its governmental structure and fundamental law are prescribed by the Isidar Territorial Charter, promulgated by President Samuel Clement and validated by Parliament in 1892. The Governor of Isidar is elected by the residents of Isidar, and is prescribed a four-year term by the Charter, though a Governor may be replaced or recalled at any point in their term.
The territorial legislative body is known as the Isidar Territorial Assembly. It is a part-time body that meets twice annually at for a period of 15 weeks. The Assembly comprises of 220 seats, apportioned according to population, with a guaranteed minimum of two seats per precinct.
Isidar sends a single non-voting Delegate to the National Council.
Society & Culture
Contemporary Isidarian culture, with its roots in Mutsutorine culture, combines influences from Audomia, Levantia, and Crona. Traditional Shaukuese arts include crafts such as ceramics, textiles, lacquerware, swords and dolls; performances of bunraku, kabuki, noh, dance, and rakugo; and other practices, the tea ceremony, ikebana, martial arts, calligraphy, origami, onsen, Geisha and games. With substantial assistance from the United Republic government, Isidar has a developed system for the protection and promotion of both tangible and intangible Cultural Properties and National Treasures, with twenty-one sites having been inscribed on the LoN World Heritage List; thirteen of which are of cultural significance.
In terms of ethnic breakdown, according to the 2030 census 56.3% of Isidarians identified as Mutsutorine, 19.6% Oyashi, 17.4% Occidental, and 6.7% other or multi-ethnic. Of the Occidentals residing in Sotsial, about 42% are of Burgoigniac-descent, and 40% are recent Alstinian arrivals. In terms of religious adherence, 83% of Isidarians are religious, with 72% of the total population practicing Shinto, 7% professing Confucianism, and 6% are Christian, of those 48% are of the Mercantile Reform Protestant denomination, 39% Chantric, and 13% other Christian demoninations. The level of participation in religious ceremonies as a cultural tradition remains high, especially during festivals and occasions such as the first shrine visit of the New Year for the Shinto. Confucianism from Daxia has also influenced some Isidarian beliefs and customs.
Economy
Isidar benefits from its trading relationship with the federal government of the United Republic and cheap trained labor from Audonia. Historically, the Isidarian economy has relied on tourism, mostly from East Audonia, on the garment manufacturing sector, and on the mining sector, due to the prevalence of gold, copper, lithium and other minerals.
The transportation sector is one most developed in East Audonia, with an extensive network of highways, rail lines, and waterways connecting the region internally and externally. Moreover, the region is host to a multitude of transportation links, including nine major airports, six major rail hubs, and ten major seaports; Of the latter category, the Port of Kurogane generates nearly $72 million in revenue annually, making it the business port in Isidar, and one of the largest in the Shauku Archipelago.
In addition, Veraise has a strong fishing and shipbuilding industry based primarily in Hingashi and Kamui, and a robust manufacturing and lumber sector in Ikari. Moreover, the service-oriented sectors are among the fastest growing in the region, with tourism, retail trade, insurance, banking and financial services spearheading much of the growth both in this sector, and the regional economy as a whole.
Since 2022, efforts have been made to further develop the territorial economy through capital investments and federal infrastructure projects. Such projects include the expansion of Isidar's nearly 1200 kilometers of paved roads, renovation of both the Port of Kurogane and Kurogane International Airport, and the establishment of a Marine Highway ferry system to connect the island together with Iles Evangeline, Sotsial and Oyashima.