Syōnan Archipelago

This article or section is a work in progress. The information below may be incomplete, outdated, or subject to change.

Syōnan Archipelago 昭南諸島 Kepulauan Syōnan Kepulauan Cahaya Selatan
Directly-administered territories
Territory of Syōnan Archipelago 昭南諸島準州 Wilayah Kepulauan Syōnan (Cahaya Selatan)
The Settlement, the territory's capital
Flag Coat of arms
Location of the Syōnan Archipelago (circled in red) within Phinbella
Country	Phinbella
Political division	Free area of the Federation
Geograpical region	Phinbellan Euran States
Permanent settlement	20.VII.531 AN (April 14, -80BP (-80BP-04-14))
Shandānø'kaílander colony	898 AN (November -50BP (-50BP-11))
Phinbellan annexation	14.V.1729 AN (February 10, RP 2620 (RP 2620-02-10))
Eastern Eura Act	12.VIII.1729 AN (February 15, RP 2620 (RP 2620-02-15))
Transferred from Shandānø'kaí to the federal jurisdiction	17.X.1729 AN (February 20, RP 2620 (RP 2620-02-20)) (de facto) 20.XI.1731 AN (April 22, RP 2620 (RP 2620-04-22)) (de jure)
Capital	The Settlement
Official languages	None
Spoken languages	Phineaner (Syōnan Islands Phineaner · Gangwol Phineaner · Hiliorian Phineaner) · Sam-Sam language · Istvanistani · Taesongean · Cantonese · Hokkien
Ethnic groups (RP 2620/1730 AN)	22.2% Eurphineonesian of Syōnan Islanders 17% Native Yapreayans 14.1% Phineaners 8.5% Irish 3.48% Sam-Sam people 1.85% Taemhwanians 0.88% Native Gogobugians 28.4% other
Demonym	Syōnan Islander
Government	Directly administered territory
• President	Muhammad Furkorn Mat Jeen
• Governor	Park Hae-pyeol
• Administrator	TBA
• Shire President	TBA
Parliament of Phinbella
• House of Senate	1 deputy (proposed)
• House of Majilis	1 deputy (proposed)
Area
• Total	95.4 km2 (36.85 sq mi)
• Water (%)	negligible
Population (1730 AN)
• Total	95,120
• Estimate (1736 AN)	96,410
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Currency	Phinbellan florin (ðƒ) (PHF)
Time zone	CMT+4 (Negara Awan Time)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+840-891
Postcode	490xx
MOS-1 code	PH-SYN
Internet TLD	.syn/.phi
Vehicle registration	LS

Syōnan Archipelago

Kepulauan Syōnan (Cahaya Selatan) Native name: 昭南諸島 Nickname: Rimba Archipelago
Other names	List Pulu Cahaye Selaté (Syōnan Phineaner) Sonam-jedo (소남제도) (Taesongean) Zhāonán Qúndǎo (昭南群島) (Jing/Tieyan) Ligao Islands (Istvanistani) Kapuluan ng Ligaw (Tigalog) Quần Đảo Chiêu Nam (Chinamese/Banhnamese) Sydlysøer (Shandānø'kaílander/Humlebækish) Brændt Fyrretræsøer (Shandānø'kaílander/Humlebækish) Lǜshānsōng Qúndǎo (綠山鬆群島/绿山松群岛) (Jing/Tieyan) Maeda-shotō (前田諸島) (Sangunese)
Geography
Location	Austral Strait, Sea of Storms
Total islands	Over 30
Area	95.4 km2 (36.8 sq mi)
Coastline	398 km (247.3 mi)
Highest elevation	250 m (820 ft)
Administration
Phinbella
Administered under the Department of Infrastructure, Transportation, Cities, Regional Development and Local Government
Region	Phinbellan Euran States
Directly-administered territory	Territory of Syōnan Archipelago
Demographics
Demonym	Syōnan Islander
Population	95,120 (1730 AN)
Pop. density	1,000/km2 (3000/sq mi)
Languages	Syōnan Islands Phineaner, Gangwol Phineaner, Hiliorian Phineaner
Ethnic groups	Syōnan Islanders, Yapreayans, Phineaners, Irish, Sam-Sam people and Taemhwanians
Additional information
Time zone	Negara Awan Time (official) (CMT+4)
Postcode	490xx
Vehicle registration	LS
Tieyan name
Traditional Tieyan	昭南群島
Simplified Tieyan	昭南群岛
Literal meaning	'Light of the South' Archipelago
Transcriptions Standard Tieyan Hanyu Pinyin Zhāonán Qúndǎo Jingdaoese romaji Shōnan Guntō Cantonese Jyutping Ziu1-naam4 Kwan4-dou2 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Chiau-lâm Kûn-tó
Territory of Syōnan Archipelago
Traditional Tieyan	昭南群島準州
Simplified Tieyan	昭南群岛准州
Transcriptions Standard Tieyan Hanyu Pinyin Zhāonán Qúndǎo Zhǔnzhōu Cantonese Jyutping Ziu1-naam4 Kwan4-dou2 Zeon2zau1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Chiau-lâm Kûn-tó Chún-chiu
Chinamese name
Chinamese	Quần Đảo Chiêu Nam
Hán-Nôm	群島昭南
Taesongean name
Hangul	소남제도
Hanja	昭南諸島
Revised Romanization	Sonam-jedo
Sangunese name
Kanji	昭南諸島
Hiragana	ショウナンショトウ
Katakana	しょうなんしょとう
Transcriptions
Romanization	Shōnan-shotō
Phineaner name
Phineaner	Kepulauan Cahaya Selatan

Syōnan Archipelago (Sangunese: 昭南諸島, translit.: Shōnan-shotō, Phineaner: Kepulauan Syōnan; Taesongean: 소남제도; RR: Sonam-jedo) or Cahaya Selatan Archipelago (Phineaner: Kepulauan Cahaya Selatan; both names literally "Light of the South" Archipelago), officially the Territory of Syōnan (Cahaya Selatan) Archipelago (Sangunese: 昭南諸島準州, translit.: Shōnan-shotō Junshū, Phineaner: Wilayah Kepulauan Syōnan [Cahaya Selatan]; Taesongean: 소남제도준주; RR: Sonam-jedo Junju) is a Phinbellan archipelago located between the Austral Strait and the Sea of Storms, about 575 kilometers from the capital of Shandānø'kaí, Høkō, about 610 kilometers from the capital of Paminorshan Free State, Rey and about 370 kilometers from Port Tartar'os in Akuma-jima Islands. It is also a Phinbellan directly-administered territory located in the Phinbellan Euran States region. The dual name of the archipelago's territory has the same literal meaning in the Phineaner and Sangunese which means "Light of the South" and both names have been set as the official name since the islands' incorporation into Phinbella in 1729 AN (or in RP 2620). The capital of this territory is The Settlement located in Sandakan Island, also the largest settlement in this territory. Apart from The Settlement, there are also other settlements such as Pyramiden, Indah Jaya, Burnt Pine, Bantam Village, Poon Saan and others.

The Syōnan Archipelago has an land area of 95.4 square kilometers (36.85 sq mi) consisting of more than 50 islands and coral reefs, among which is Sandakan Island which is the largest island of this archipelago, and the other inhabited islands are Daat Island, Nepian Island, Rukai Island, Bidong Island, Io Island, West Sands Island, Panjang Island, Maeda Island, Pang Island, Bantam Island and others. It has a population of 95,120 people most of whom consist of a distinct Eurphineonesian or mixed ethnic group known as the Syōnan Islanders (Phineaner: Orang Cahaya Selatan or Orang Pulu) who mostly speak a Phineaner dialect as their first language, where it forms 22.2 percent of the population of this archipelago. The islands were first inhabited in -116BP by a group of Phineonesian whalers from the Gangwol region where they use this archipelago as their base, but they had already left the islands after two decades of living there, where they gradually moved to the coastal area of Shandānø'kaí. However, permanent residence began on April 14, -80BP when many residents of the Springwind Islands and Tannyeugwa Settlement, descendants of the Ulu Kuril Ship mutineers, as well as Phineaner and Yapreayan workers were relocated from their hometown to this archipelago, most of them working copra plantation in these islands. In -50BP, these islands were under the rule of Shandānø'kaí as a occupied territory until handed over to the federal government in 1729 AN after integrated of the Euran states.

The Eastern Eura Act of 1729 by the Senate of the Lakes recognized Phinbellan sovereignty over the archipelago while Desaremix was established as a realm, and the Phinbellan Syōnan Archipelago Act of 1731 made the Syōnan Archipelago a full part of federal jurisdiction and not a jurisdiction between the three territories in the Phinbellan Euran States. The Syōnan Archipelago Act establishes the Syōnan Archipelago as a free economic zone, however there are no restricts military use in the archipelago, and since then, there still have military base but used by Phinbellan Armed Forces since the handover. This territory is administered by the Phinbellan Department of Infrastructure, Transportation, Cities, Regional Development and Local Government as a federal directly-administered territory, but does not belong to the administrative group of Phinbellan Maritime Territories. However, the islanders have a degree of self-government through the local shire council.

The evergreen Syōnan pine is the official tree symbol of the archipelago, usually depicted on the territory's traditional flag rather than its official flag, and this pine tree is also found in Phinbella proper (except dependent territories), particularly in the coastal and suburban areas.

Names

These islands have two names with the same meaning, each in two different languages, namely in the Phineaner and Sangunese languages, each meaning 'light of the south'. The name Cahaya Selatan is the earliest name given to this archipelago where a Phineaner traveler from Manschūhōria found this archipelago in -123BP, where the position of this archipelago is in the south of the Sea of Storms. Meanwhile, the name Syōnan (Sangunese: 昭南, translit.: Shōnan) was given in -80BP by the new settlers descended from the Ulu Kuril Ship mutineers.

Apart from these two official names, there are other nicknames given to these islands. In Tieyan or Jingdaoese, it is also called Zhaonan Archipelago (昭南群島, Zhāonán Qúndǎo) which has the same meaning, but sometime Sino-Keltian and Jingdaoese people there also call this archipelago as Lushansong Archipelago (綠山鬆群島, Lǜshānsōng Qúndǎo; lit. Green Mountain Pine Islands). While under the control of Shandānø'kaí, the islands were known by two names, namely Sydlysøer and Brændt Fyrretræsøer in the Shandānø'kaílander language, a variant of the Humlebækish language. The Chinamese name for the island is Chiêu Nam (Quần Đảo Chiêu Nam; Chữ Hán: 群島昭南) and the local Istvanistani name is Ligao Islands (or in Tigalog: Kapuluan ng Ligaw, lit. 'Islands of Lost/Wild'). Another Phineaner nickname for this archipelago is 'Kepulauan Rimba' (lit. the Jungle Archipelago), this nickname was given in conjunction with a figure who was born in this archipelago, it is believed that the family lives on an island that is in this archipelago but far from its administrative center.

Apart from the name Syōnan, these islands are known as Maeda Islands or Maida Islands (Sangunese: 前田諸島, translit.: Maeda-shotō), the name was also given by some Sangunese residents, it is possible that the name of the archipelago was known as Syōnan-Maeda Archipelago, but that name was used until RP 2600. The local Phineaner dialect name of the territory is Pulu Syōnan (Chahaye Selaté) or simply as Pulu Chahaye Selaté. Signs in the archipelago also display the Phineaner language translation.

The form of the Syōnan [Cahaya Selatan] Archipelago, confirmed from RP 2600, was formalized by the Syōnan Archipelago Act of 1731.

Geography

Children playing on Io Island's beach

The Syōnan Archipelago are located 575 kilometres (357 mi) southeast of Høkō, Shandānø'kaí, 370 kilometres (230 mi) east of Port Tartar'os in Akuma-jima Islands, 610 kilometres (380 mi) northeast of Rey, Paminorshan Free State, 755 kilometres (469 mi) northeast of the city-state of Desaremix and 3,780 kilometres (2,350 mi) southwest of Phinéas Padolski. Its closest point to mainland Eura is 504 kilometres (313 mi) from Bandar-e-Shahrezad-Mohameddin in Paminorshan Free State.

Syōnan Archipelago located between the Austral Strait and the Sea of Storms, has a land area of 95.4 square kilometers (equivalent to 36.8 square miles), it consists of more than 50 islands, coral reefs and atolls. Most areas in the archipelago are covered with pine trees, coconut trees and other plants such as pandan trees. The archipelago has a coastline of 398 kilometers (or 247.3 miles). The largest island in this archipelago is Sandakan Island, and other islands such as Daat, Nepian, Rukai, Bidong, Io or Ivo, Pasir Barat (West Sand), Panjang, Maeda or Maida, Pang, Bantam which are inhabited, as well as uninhabited islands such as Horsburgh, Copper, Patagonia, Goldwater, Gooseberry, Direction, Big Rusukan, Small Rusukan, Pandan, Taiping Island, Jelebeh, Rimbabara, Liyubud, Batu Penyu, Mantanani, Louise, Nakōdo, Hillsborough, Perry, Cyberpunk, Scaevola Islet, Middle Mission Isle, Kembang-Thorn and Langgor.

The highest point of this territory is Mount Bukhara which reaches 248 meters above sea level, located in the southwest-central quadrant of Sandakan Island. Most of the area in the archipelago is suitable for agriculture, the hilly areas especially on Sandakan Island and Pandan Island are also used, especially for fresh vegetables and strawberries, while Rukai Island is used as a tea plantation area.

The coastline of this archipelago is diverse, most of it is white sand and steeply sloping, but the rest of the coastline is cliff-faced and almost most of the coastline in this archipelago including cliff-faced ones are protected by coral reefs from the surrounding sea. There are almost ten coral reefs in this archipelago, and the largest reef in this archipelago is a coral reef that stretches from Pang Island to the west coast of Sandakan Island and ends around Nepian Island. The coastline of the Pandan Island is also protected by a coral reef around it. Although protected by coral reefs, most of the coastal area is filled with overwater settlements, but it is safe to use as an area for recreational swimming. However, these islands do not have safe harbor facilities, with only a few jetties on each island, with two loading jetties on Sandakan Island. All goods that are not produced in the country are brought in by ship, usually they are sent to Pasir Bogak jetty.

The Settlement is the main settlement of this archipelago, where it is located mainly along the southeast and south coast of Sandakan Island where there is a shopping center, post office, bottle shop, telephone exchange and community hall, as well as a mosque and a church. Settlements also exist in this archipelago mainly on the inhabited islands and also in most of the areas on the largest island, the settlements mostly consist of widely separated residential houses especially on almost half of the inhabited islands, the rest is in the form of settlements on the water in coastal area, knownly as the kampung air where it is inhabited by the Sam-Sam community and some Kagayans.

Climate

Territory of Syōnan Archipelago
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     175     28 20     144     26 19     52     25 12     32     18 5     19     12 3     10     7 −4     6.1     1 −13     20     1 −6     51     11 4     63     21 13     100     30 18     104     32 20 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source: Lembaga Meteorologi Phinbella
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     6.9     83 69     5.7     79 66     2     76 54     1.3     65 40     0.8     53 37     0.4     45 25     0.2     33 9     0.8     34 20     2     53 39     2.5     70 55     3.9     86 64     4.1     89 67 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

The Syōnan Archipelago is a Phinbellan territory located in the Southern Hemisphere together with the Phinbellan Euran States and Desaremix, however, this archipelago has a humid continental climate influenced by the monsoon (Köppen Dwa) which is rare in the region, this climate is characterized by summer the hot and humid monsoons, and the dry and cold winters due to the anticyclone of the Paminorshan Coastal Mountains. The four seasons here are as distinct as in the region of Phinbellan Euran States. The annual rainfall is abundant in January, but only slightly decreases in February. Summer occurs at the end of the year, while winter occurs in the middle of the year. Average monthly temperatures range from 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) in January to −6.8 °C (19.8 °F) in July.

Government

The Syōnan Archipelago is a Phinbellan federal territory which are directly-administered from Negara Awan, and the governance of the archipelago is based on the Syōnan Archipelago Act of 1731, heavily dependent on Phinbellan federal law. Under the act, the islands have internal self-government through local councils; Phinbella as a realm within the Order of the Holy Lakes is responsible for Phinbellan external affairs, retaining authority "to protect the interests of Phinbella and the Order of the Holy Lakes, and to ensure the good governance of the entire territory". These archipelago are administered from Negara Awan by the Phinbellan Department of Infrastructure, Transportation, Cities, Regional Development and Local Government through a non-resident Administrator appointed by the President of Phinbella, the position of administrator in these islands has just been created after the act came into force.

The capital and administrative center of the Territory of Syōnan [Cahaya Selatan] Archipelago is The Settlement, which is located on Sandakan Island, the largest island in the archipelago, also the largest settlement in the archipelago.