Shona Islands

The Shona Islands are a small volcanic archipelago in the Caselbia Ocean. The capital is Migazi on the island of Jachu. The archipelago consists of 13 larger islands and around 40 smaller ones. Only 9 islands are populated, of which Jachu is by far the most. Sixty-five percent of Shonai live in Migazi.

Etymology
The name shona is said to derive from the Old Letkuno word for a small wave, *zhúm. Toru is the modern Letkuno word for 'island arc'.

History
The Shona Islands remained uncolonized until 4680 when Sitke Fotra, noted explorer, landed on the island of Kita Biwa near what is now the settlement of Nufi Fojo, in search of copper deposits. Despite the islands being relatively sparse in mineral resources, the fertile volcanic soil made excellent grounds for growing crops and the exploration party stayed here founding most of today's settlements on the islands.

By 4690 the islands had developed a substantial population of around 10,000 mostly subsisting off the land and fishing in the nearby waters. A volcanic eruption on the island of Lugtipe in 4692 caused some damage to farms in the southern half of the island chain due to ash clouds and killed three people.

In May 4703 the islands were voluntarily occupied by members of the Batedoan armed forces during a short-lived conflict with the Republic of the Seven Star Islands over fishing territories. Despite the conflict being resolved by October that year with no loss of life, Batedoan forces were present on the island until 4747, their legacy including new airstrips on the islands of Kita Biwa and Kisha.

After reaching a peak of around 64,000 in the 4840s, the population has since declined slowly over the following century reaching a low of around 29,000 in 4932 before climbing to the current total of around 31,000.

The island has not yet recovered from the economic crisis of 4988 and unemployment levels have been fairly constant at around 25% since then. The archipelago is particularly at risk of changes to global climate and sea levels and current President of Shona Tsanfe Shetkeno, elected in the election of 5004, has pledged to try and influence the international community to lower carbon dioxide emissions.

Geography
The Shona Islands are an island arc formed by the extinct Shonai hotspot under the Caselbia Ocean; as such they have very fertile, new soil and are prosperous farming lands. The last eruption of a Shonai volcano was in 4922. The tallest volcano in the Shonai archipelago is Mount Jachu at 2,418m tall. This mountain is protected under Mount Jachu National Park, the largest protected area in the Shona Islands.

The islands are divided into two main groups: Shegnepu, the northern chain, stretching from Feke to Lino; and Chenla, stretching from Tsanfe to Lugtipe. The largest and by far most populous island is Jachu, where over 21,000 Shonai live.

The archipelago is spread between 35N and 42N giving it a warm, temperate climate, with warm summers and cool winters, and much rainfall all year round. Daily maximum ranges from between around 25C in July to 10C in January, with little variation across the islands. The more southerly islands experience up to 1300mm of annual rainfall; the most northerly only 900mm.

Divisions
The island is divided up into 10 districts.



Politics
Politically the Shona Islands are a democratic republic and have been since the island nation's founding in 4680, making them one of the world's oldest continuous democracies. The Parliament Hall is located in Katshe on the slopes of Mount Jachu, the tallest peak in the archipelago. Each district sends three representatives to the parliament, apart from the Capital District which sends only two, for a total of 29 seats.



The current President of the Shona Islands is Tsanfe Shetkeno, a district governor for Jepfeta and leader of the Green Party.

The Shona Islands are part of the Collectivity of Nations, International Association of Island Nations and the Sea Level Summit. They have an embassy in Carrai ono Vaitzo. The Shona Islands does not maintain diplomatic relationships with most nations due to their small population, instead preferring to hand over most diplomacy to Batedoa due to historical relationships.

Transport
The Shona Islands are serviced by two short-range airstrips on Kita Biwa and Kisha and the larger Migazi International Airport. Transport to the other islands is mainly by boat - ferry services operate from each island every afternoon. The ferry service is public, and working on the boats is a major employer in the islands, employing over 4,000 people.

Road transport on the islands is limited - there are only 950 vehicles in the entire archipelago - and as a result the roads are no more than dirt tracks outside of the towns. However due to the small size of each island, bicycles are common and the Shona Islands enjoys the highest rate of cycling proficiency in the world with over 94% of people capable of riding a bike.

The Shona Islands do not have their own spaceport or runway; instead the Sifa Kala Spaceport in northern Batedoa operates atmospheric shuttle flights to and from Migazi International Airport.

Culture
The culture of the Shona Islands derives mostly from traditions of the ancient Shonai culture, which developed shortly after the arrival of the first settlers. Indeed many celebrations to honour the history of the islands take place every year including Tseshi Fejo, the festival to celebrate the the ancient Shonai pantheon. The Shonai flag represents the sun and the ocean waves, showing the importance to Shonai culture of the sunlight for farming, and the ocean for fishing.

Language
The Shonai speak the Letkuno language, a Kathin language descended from Old Letkuno. The language has not changed very much since the founding of the Shona Islands and so many educated Shonai are able to read ancient literature without much difficulty. Unlike many Kathin languages, Letkuno is written in the Latin alphabet instead of the Hangul alphabet. Shegnepu Shonai speak the Northern dialect, and Chenla Shonai speak the Southern dialect. A third, less distinct dialect is spoken on the island of Lugtipe.

Cuisine
The Shona Islands is particularly famous for its delicacy luntesatline (red rice fish) which consists of smoked sweet-flavored fish (normally fresh bluefin tinzi) served on lunte, a species of dry-land rice grown primarily on Fifo and Toru Lansha, with fresh local peppers and tomatoes. This dish is famous all over the world for its delicious taste and is served in restaurants on every continent.

Literature
Modern Shonai works are fairly small in number due to the Shona Islands' small population but the islands have a strong tradition of poetry particularly with themes of nature. It is estimated that approximately 40% of Shonai adults have written a published poem. The most famous modern Shonai author is Tune Shognupo.

Music
Shonai music is usually light in style. The most famous Shonai genre is tenje kotnenu (music story) which features long, spoken, epic poems with fiddles and harps in the background as well as simple percussion. In recent decades this genre has received something of a revival thanks to solo artist Tagsopi Kinlu. In modern times Shonai musicians are regarded in the rock world as being particularly adept, despite only two groups having reached the global top 100. Modern Shonai groups include Leshe Latchu and Suttune.

Health
The Shona Islands are considered to be in the top ten percent of healthy nations. Free healthcare is provided for each citizen from birth until death, as well as any foreigners or residents present in the country when healthcare is needed. The Shonai health service was donated three of the world's fastest helicopters by the Federation of Kyrine in 4974 and with these emergency healthcare can get to the furthest islands in less than an hour even in unfavourable conditions. The life expectancy of a Shonai citizen is now 94, higher than the vast majority of countries.

Education
The Shona Islands have a 100% literacy rate, amongst the forty-five nations who can claim this. Schooling in the Shona Islands is separated into three stages: the rinru tapjuta (primary school), from ages six to thirteen; the tacheru tapjuta (secondary school) from ages thirteen to seventeen; and the fontseru tapjuta (tertiary school) from ages seventeen to twenty, where students learn vocational material instead of more academic content taught in the years below. In addition to more practical subjects, students are taught mathematics, Letkuno, and Otomodaino until the age of eighteen. There are seven primary schools, three secondary schools and one tertiary school in Migazi. Some Shonai choose to study tertiary overseas, particularly in Batedoa, and similarly many Batedoans come to study in the Shona Islands. Approximately 6,000 of the total population of Migazi are students or workers at the tertiary school.

Economy
The Shonai economy is particularly vulnerable to external disruption as was evident during the economic crisis of 4988. Its main sectors are fishing and rice farming which make up approximately 60% of its GDP. It also exports a significant proportion of the world's sulfur, as it is mined continuously from regenerating deposits which lie in several solfataras on Lugtipe. The remaining proportion of its GDP is from tourism which is fairly popular with around 50,000 tourists coming from other Kathelbian nations each year due to the islands' pristine natural environment and warm climate. Scuba diving is also popular in Migazi harbour as numerous undersea wrecks are easily accessible.