Eusa
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| Province of Eusa Valera Eusa | |
 Flag | |
| Country |  Kiravian Federacy
|
| Theme |  Overseas Regions
|
| Capital | Eusamur |
| Population | 3,285,874 |
| Governor | Telerin V.M.S. Isōledrin |
| Chancellor | Aslovanius L.R.D. Mevynon (INP) |
| Stanora seats | 3 |
| Official languages | Eusan |
| Other Languages | Kiravic, Gaelic, Lebhan |
| Postal Abbreviation | EUS |
Eusa or Uruvun, also referred to as Urufu, is an overseas state of the Kiravian Federacy located on an island near the centre of the Odoneru Ocean.
Name
Geography and Geology
Eusa has a land area of approximately 4,470 square miles.
Geologically speaking, Eusa is the highest point and last unsubmerged remnant of the lost continent of Odoneru, the rest of which sank below the ocean in ancient times for reasons that continue to evade scientific understanding. Before the submergence of Odoneru, Eusa was an area of mountain peaks and high plateaux, now reduced to the central uplands that dominate the island's interior and the comparatively level areas of its littoral.
In 21205, the Federal Stanora passed the Submerged Lands Act, which asserted a Kiravian claim to continental shelf rights over the entirety of the Odoneran continent, using Eusa's geological connexion to Odoneru to justify exclusive rights to the Odoneru seabed and the mineral and archæological resources located there.
Eusa has a mesotemperate oceanic climate.
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History
[Prehistory]
↑Ardmen???↓
[Ancient Coscivian & Levantine History]
The earliest unambiguous written references to Eusa are found in Coscivian sources. However, scholars have suggested that several different phantom islands featured in postclassical Levantine sources, especially the Gaelic immrama, can be tenatively identified with Eusa as well. Whether the Adoneran literati were aware of its existence remains a matter of debate. In any case, Eusa was certainly known to both Coscivian and Occidental civilisations before late sixth century anno Domini, by which time intrepid Coscivian and Celtic pioneers had established permanent outposts on the island.
Christian monasteries were established on the remote island to take spiritual advantage of its remoteness and seclusion. In addition to the monastic communities, it is written that dozens of hermits led solitary contemplative lives in the interior wilderness at any given time. Images of these early Celtic hermits are recalled in the 18th century hymn Lord of Mountains, Lord of Waves, which has become a celebrated symbol and de facto provincial anthem of Eusa. Similarly, as local species of hermit crab, Pagurus bernhardus is the province's official animal.
The Cosco-Eusan settlements were in all likelihood the first Coscivian communities reached by Christian evangelism, and were converted by the efforts of Garán and Callan missionaries. Indeed, until the Crusades and the reconquest of Muslim-held lands by the Elamite Order, Eusa was the most distant outpost of Coscivian civilisation.
[Age of the Sail]
The advent of the Age of the Sail and the proliferation of seaborne intercontinental trade greatly elevated the economic and strategic importance of Eusa, which naturally emerged as an important maritime hub and trade nexus. Its ports became vibrant centers of activity, crucial entrepôts in a burgeoning trade network that reached across Great Kirav, Levantia, and Sarpedon. Ships traversing the vast Odoneru found shelter at Eusa's safe harbors, a pivotal respite during lengthy maritime journeys. Trading vessels from distant lands docked at Eusa's harbors, exchanging a kaleidoscope of goods and ideas. Port cities became known for their flourishing marketplaces, where merchants bartered textiles, spices, ceramics, and crafts; as well as points of cultural contact between three continents.
However, the island's economic and strategic value also invited conflict, placing Eusa in the middle of geopolitical tensions as various powers contended for hegemony over the Odoneru Basin. The most notable conflicts to directly affect the island were invasion attempts by [Country] in [Year] and [Another County] in [hopefully a different year]. Kiravian authorities ordered an expensive effort at coastal fortification to defent their stronghold in the Odoneru. Coastal watchtowers evolved into robust fortresses, their walls serving as guardians against rival powers seeking dominance over the island's invaluable position. While these conflicts were significant in terms of blood and treasure lost, they were also punctuated by moments of diplomacy, as leaders convened to negotiate trade agreements and regional stability.
In order to strengthen its hold on the island, Eusa was issued a new charter of government in [YEAR], which contained provisions to more easily award grants of Imperial land to productive settlers, in the hope that a larger homegrown base of food, materials, and manpower would make the colony more resistant to foreign blockades. Many Kiravian fishermen and peasant farmers willingly left Great Kirav for a new life on the island due to the availability of plentiful fish stocks and better-quality farmland. This second or third wave of Kiravian settlement originated mainly from Ĥeiran Coscivian populations in the northeast (especially Kempan shepards and Kyrnan onion-farmers), as well as Lusans, Kastrovans, and Serradans from southern Farravonia.
[Sunderance]
During the Kiravian Civil War, Eusa remained staunchly loyal to the Federalist government. The absence of a large, organised industrial proletariat on the island, relatively distributed landholding in the countryside, and the dominance of its political institutions by the mercantile class limited the appeal of Kirosocialism. Eusa's delegates to the Xēmbra Bānoborsk were elected off the Agrarian, Whiggamore, and Reform Republican lists. After the Federalist defeat in the Civil War, Eusa remained within the Kiravian Remnant. Although it, along with Suderavia and New Ardmore, was safe from the threat of immediate Kirosocialist invasion by the Wrecking of the Fleet, it remained the Federalist territory closest to the Kirosocialist-held Mainland, and as such featured prominently in the military planning of both the Kiravian Remnant and Kiravian Union. Both regimes understood the value of Eusa as a critical waystation maintaining lines of communication between the Æonara-based Federalist government and its Levantine allies and possessions. Federalist plans to retake the Mainland by force incorporated Eusa as a major staging ground for invasion forces, and the top priority guiding Kiravian Union naval development from the 1940s through 1960s was attaining a credible capability of capturing the island.
[Contemporary]
Like Æonara and several other components of the former Remnant, Eusa experienced a economic downturn in the wake of Kiravian reunification as capital flows and public investment changed course toward the Mainland and defence spending was reallocated in the face of dramatically changing mission priorities. Emigration, primarily to the eastern Mainland coastal cities, resulted in a net loss of population during the 1990s and early 2000s. The economy and population of Eusa stabilised during the later 2000s, buoyed by Structural Adjustment Funds and increased activity at the island's military bases. Trade liberalisation and increased consumer spending among the Mainland middle class helped Eusa to become a moderately attractive tourist destination for both Kiravian and foreign travellers.
Politics and Governance
Eusa is governed as a subnational crowned republic according to the Charter of the Colony of Eusa. The current charter was enacted in 1968 AD and last amended in 2006 AD. Taxation, expenditure, and lawmaking authority are vested in a unicameral Legislative Congress (Kiravic: Áldakaterix Xēmbra), which is elected biennially by single non-transferable vote from fixed constituencies coterminous with the province's countyships and free city. The Governor of Eusa is appointed to a thrice-renewable three-year term by the Prime Executive of the Kiravian Federacy from among a list of candidates nominated by the Citizen Assembly (Arîposkráluv). The Governor can be recalled by referendum.
Eusa is notable as the birth state of the Island Nation Party, founded by Eusa native Solomon Kartvelan and headquartered in Èusamur. The INP holds 15 out of 60 seats in the Legislative Congress and two of Eusa's three seats in the Federal Stanora.
Interestingly, the island is also a significant outpost of pro-Levantinist political sentiment outside of its traditional stronghold in urban Northeast Kirav. Factors downsteam of the island's relative proximity to Levantia, such as a high frequency of Levantine ancestry among Coscivian-Eusans, widespread adherence to Levantine-Rite Catholicism, close commercial contact with Levantia in modern times, and historical memory of counting on Levantine allies to help defend the island in the event of Kirosocialist attack, predispose the state's citizens to be more receptive toward Levantian integration than other Kiravians. The Levantian Union Party has fielded candidates in Eusa since the 2017 federal elections, but has yet to win seats.
| Member | Party | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piran Colcannon | Eusan People's Party (FRA) | 21193 | |
| Solomon Kartvelan | Island Nation Party (CNC) | 21201 | |
| Iŵn Léiśan | Island Nation Party (CNC) | 21201 | |
Society & Culture
Eusa has a strong sense of regional pride and identity, and an age-old local culture with a track record of absorbing new arrivals blown in from the sea. Compared to other Kiravian island possessions, Eusa has a very low rate of emigration by those born on the island (if those born to military personnel and contractors are discounted), and many transplants to the island report growing a strong attachment to the island's way of life.
Demographics
The established majority population of Eusa have a multilayered blend of Levantine an Kiravian ancestry, with a profile of genetic markers associated with Kiravian Coscivians, indigenous (that is, Celtic) Levantines, Mainland Coscivians, Ardmen, pre-Celtic palæo-Levantines, unknown prehistoric "Odoneran" populations, and (to a lesser extent) northern Sarpedonians. This genetic legacy of many small migrations and incidental contacts contributing to the island's gene pool throughout its history. Additionally, many multigenerational Eusans have ancestors from the Urcean province of Callan and from Ardmore who had visited the island for centuries, and Coscivian settlers who arrived during the age of Age of the Sail, mainly from the Baylands, Mid-Oceanic region, and South Kirav. Long-established Eusans are known as Eusavem ("[ethnic] Eusans") or Kôrem ("Slope-dwellers"), and predominate on the northern and western shores and in the island's interior, where they speak their own language.
Coscivian-Eusans of more recent extraction have settled mostly on the eastern shore of the island and near the capital, Eusamur, where they remain ethnically differentiated from the Eusavem. Significant Coscivian minority communities on the island include Kalvertans, Kir, South Coscivians, Lúnstans, Armakans, Paisonic Coscivians, Triandans, Lusans/Kastrovans, and Erasans.
Migrants from (relatively) nearby Ardmores both old and New have settled in Eusa, and several villages on the southeastern shore share names with villages in Ardmore. Eusa is also home to large Urcean expatriate community and many Kiravian citizens of full or partial modern Urcean ancestry.
Language
The main language spoken in Eusa is Eusan or "Eusan Coscivian", a Kuomo-Passaic language related to Kalvertan Coscivian. Eusan is strongly influenced by the Old Callan language. A great many words in the local dialect are borrowings from Old Callan, and a few possibly have their origins in the extinct Skowabru language.
Ænglish and Lebhan are spoken by the Urcean community and are widely understood by Coscivians in the capital.
Religion
Eusans are predominantly (82%) Catholic. In contrast to the Kiravian Mainland where the Coscivian Catholic Church dominates, parishes on Eusa are about evenly divided between the Coscivian Diocese of Trispen and the Latin Diocese of Eusamur. There is also a Caphiric Catholic presence in the capital.
Cuisine
While contemporary Eusa is well-integrated into the Kiravian and Ixnay commercial networks and enjoys access to the same foods available in Great Kirav and Urcea, the island's particular geographic conditions and relative isolation for much of its history fostered the development of a distinctive local cuisine. Traditional Eusan food is typically served at home (especially in rural areas, where it is the dominant cuisine) or in pubs.
Seafood and potatoes are, respectively, the primary sources of protein and carbohydrates in the traditional Eusan diet. Cod, tuna, mackerel, and herring are the main fish harvested from the Sea of Odoneru, and they are typically either grilled or fried. Shellfish, especially cockles and oysters, are also a key feature of Eusan cuisine.
The leeks, onions, and scallions widely cultivated by both Levantian Celts and Kiravians of the Mid-Eastern Seaboard naturally became the leading vegetables in the island. They are often mixt in with potatoes or fish to be fried, and are especially useful in preparing a local potato-based soup similar to vichyssoise.
Economy
The modern Eusan economy is reasonably diversified and has been one of the more stable colonial economies since Kiravian Reunification. Domestic consumption accounts for a much higher percentage of Gross Regional Product in Eusa than in other long-established settler colonies like the Krasoa Islands, Saxalins, and Porfíria, which are more reliant on export earnings and government expenditure. While a majority of Eusa's population lived as subsistence crofters and fishermen until the 21140s, seaborne commerce has always been an important part of the Eusan economy. The island's strategic location as a midway point between Levantia, Crona, Great Kirav, and Urlatium made Èusamur an important merchant port and later a major coaling station. Though the island's importance to commercial shipping has diminished in recent years, Eusa remains significant for both civil and military aviation, serving as a junction for connecting flights from Sarpedon to Great Kirav and North Levantia. Eusa has become a moderately popular tourist destination for citizens of the Odoneru Basin countries and hosts a large number of handicraft shoppes, high-quality restaurants, and duty-free shopping venues.
Since 2002 AD, Eusa has been included in the Kiravian Main Customs Area, along with the Federation, South Kirav, and Atrassica. [Transshipment and Reëxports]
The Kiravian military has a heavy presence on the island. The Perakan Naval Operations Complex Eusa comprises several discrete installations across the island, including the Eusamur Naval Docks, and serves as the headquarters of the Odoneru Fleet. Porsáilen Airbase is located in County Śevrun, and Camp Blascoller, a major logistical support base for the Federal Army, is located in County Vénerva. The Federal Defence Executive employed over 10,000 people on the island in 21205, excluding active-duty servicemen.
[Naval stores industry]
Since the assertion of Kiravia's claim to the submerged continent of Odoneru as Eusa's natural continental shelf, oil exploration and archæological/salvage industries have begun operating from the island and are expected to become major sources of revenue in the near future.
Agriculture
Eusa has a thriving agricultural sector. Traditionally, the familiar staple crops of Great Kirav and Levantia formed the backbone of Eusa's agrarian economy. Barley, wheat, and oats (the latter mainly for animal feed) were and are the main cereal crops. The potato, introduced by Kiravian settlers, quickly became a staple that transformed diets and agricultural practices. Thriving in the island's temperate climate, this versatile tuber emerged as a bedrock of sustenance. Eusa is also highly productive in regard to various vegetables. The Colonial Secretariat of Agriculture reports the following production statistics for the year 21208:
| Crop | Yield (in marble cubits) |
|---|---|
| Leeks | 179,284 |
| Onion | 196,091 |
| Parsnips | 42,682 |
| Radishes | 72,654 |
| Beets | 103,971 |
| Turnips | 135,872 |
| Carrots | 125,846 |
| Peas | 57,682 |
| Cucumber | 83,279 |
| Kale, collard, and mustard | 143,526 |
| Cabbage | 158,503 |
| Kirish moss | 11,948 |
| Tobago | 32,029 |
Eusa is among the most productive Kiravian provinces for temperate fruits. Apple, pear, and plum orchards dot the countryside, and some orchards closer to the larger coastal towns have become profitable agritouristic enterprises, luring visitors with the beauty of fruit tree blossoms in the spring, fresh fruit in the fall, and barrels of microbrewed cider and perrine year-round. Berries such as raspberries, blackberries, and currants find their way into jams, preserves, and delectable desserts that grace local tables. Some of the interior hillsides are suitable for medium-scale cultivation of grapes, most of which are put toward the production of Eusan wine, which sommeliers typically describe with terms such as "drinkable" and "what?". Of course, most Eusan wine is produced not for direct consumption, but rather for fortification into uruvum, which was once a crucial item of a ship's stores and is still enjoyed today as a dessert wine. In the Age of the Sail, Eusan wine was also widely used as a preservative for meats and other perishables kept aboard ships.
Hops grow exceedingly well in Eusa's mild oceanic climate.
Industrial hemp has long been an important cash crop. According to the Kiravian Counternarcotic Agency, significant quantities of drug-grade cannabis are grown illegally on the island, either hidden in plain sight on industrial hemp estates or away from watchful eyes among the forests of the interior. Due to Eusa's inclusion within the Main Customs Area and its position in many logistical chains, cannabis grown in Eusa can be easily smuggled to Mainland or Æonaran markets.
Sheep are the most valuable agricultural product of Eusa and are raised in all corners of the island (but especially the inarable hills of the interior) for wool and meat.
Fisheries
Fishing is the traditional and enduring lifeblood of Uruvun's coastal villages, providing a carinal component of the Eusan diet and cuisine. Most coastal fishing is still artisinal and undertaken by independently-operated small vessels. However, the island's central location in the Odoneru makes it an ideal base for pelagic trawlers and factory ships harvesting the rich bounty of the vast ocean. Uruvun is reliably one of the three or four largest provinces by gross catch of fish and marine crustaceans, and the highest on a per capita basis. Industrially caught fish and such are exported worldwide.