Kestrel Isles

Kestrel Isles

Descending, from left to right: A typical landscape in the smaller Kestrel Isles, an aerial view of Falcsbourg, and the old town of Wrzeszcz-Kokoszki, the archipelago's largest settlement.
Geography
Location	northwestern Levantia
Adjacent bodies of water	Vandarch
Total islands	583
Major islands	11
Administration
Hendalarsk
Pentapolis	Wrzeszcz-Kokoszki, Hukenen, Miledaas
Capital	N/A (the Pentapolitan capital rotates between each Pentapolitan city, two of which are not in the Kestrels)
Largest settlement	Wrzeszcz-Kokoszki (pop. 2,865,108)
Főpolgármesternő	Snéder Ana
Yonderre
Grand Barony	Kestrel Isles
Capital and largest city	Falcsbourg
Grand Baron of the Kestrel Isles	Auguste IV de Somua
Faneria
Part of	Gotlann Province
Demographics
Population	c.8,500,000 (2020)
Languages	Burgoignesc, East Gothic, Fhasen, Hendalarskisch, Khunyer, Pentapolitan Argot
Additional information
Time zone	Vandarch Mean Time (UTC-1)
• Summer (DST)	Vandarch Summer Time (UTC0)

The Kestrel Isles (Burgoignesc: Les Crecerelles, East Gothic: Die Falkländer, Fhasen: Eileann Bacain, Hendalarskisch: Dí Ostinselen, Pentapolitan Argot: Die Wershinsel), also known as the Barrier Isles, are an archipelago of eleven major islands and several hundred smaller ones, located in the central Vandarch in northwestern Levantia. Divided between Hendalarsk (the Pentapolis), Faneria and Yonderre, the islands have functioned as a vital crossroads between the Gothic and Gaelic worlds for centuries and also serve as an important stopping-point between the Grand Vandarch Canal in the northwest and the Carolina-Grand Canal in the southeast. The archipelago additionally serves a profoundly important ecological role; its rocks and waters provide shelter and unique habitats for a wide array of terrestrial, marine and airborne species (including the Vandarch kestrels from which the archipelago takes its name), as well as many forms of plant life which have adapted to the sea's changing conditions over millennia.

Major Island Groups

Fhainnin Kestrels

Faneria has claimed at various times the majority of the Kestrels, and currently possesses de jure control of 48 of the recognized islands, including three of the major eleven: Penn's Island, Blackabbey Island, and the Isle of Harbarrow. Of the three, Blackabbey is both the largest and most inhabited, and hosts a population of several tens of thousands as well as its titular abbey and old fortifications from several eras. The Isle of Harbarrow is sparsely populated and the site of a tourist attraction to some of the last barrow built by migrating early Celts in the region. Penn's Island was originally translated into Aenglish in such a way that it was construed as a joke, not aided by it only barely being classed as a major island of the chain in 1978 and thus actually attaining a level of public recognition. Penn's Island is uninhabited and part of an aquatic and avian-centric preserve, with the exception of a park monitoring station.

Yonderian Kestrels

Main article: Yonderian Kestrel Isles

The Yonderian Kestrel Isles consist of the four major islands Cir, Nordrehague, Saint-Omer and Villeurs as well as 97 smaller islands and a myriad of islets, many of which are uninhabited. The administrative capital and largest settlement is Falcsbourg on Saint-Omer. The population of the Yonderian Kestrel Isles make up c. 0.75% of the total population of Yonderre. The economy of the Yonderian Kestrel Isles is heavily dominated by shipping, trade and tourism. Shipping represents about 40% of the economy, with several international carriers owned and operated from Falcsbourg. Farming and fishing are important in combination with the food industry. A few high-profile technology companies contribute to the isles' prosperous economy. The University of Falcsbourg on Saint-Omer provides the only on-site university-level education available on the Yonderian Kestrel Isles.

The Yonderian Kestrel Isles experienced notable economic growth throughout the Occidental Cold War as its special position within the Levantine Union made it attractive for entrepreneurship. A special protocol regulates the Yonderian Kestrel Isles' position within the Levantine Union. It has some important exceptions concerning the right of non-Kestrel Islanders to own real estate and the right of non-native companies to establish themselves in the region. Most importantly, the protocols also concern Levantine Union tax legislation. The last item's derogation means that the Yonderian Kestrel Isles is considered a third country for tax purposes, which has had the most important effect of allowing the profitable sale of tax-exempt goods on ferries travelling the Vandarch to continue.