Kingdom of Matai

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Kingdom of Matai
Kauāna 'o Matai


Flag

Coat of arms

Location of Matai in North America.

CapitalPonapekē
DemonymKoese • Mataian
Official languagesEnglish • Koese
GovernmentElective constitutional monarchy
- MonarchMatahi Talaņi
- Prime MinisterWinslow Beaumont
LegislatureParliament
Time zonePTZ

Matai, officially the Kingdom of Matai (Koese: Kauāna o Mātai) was an unrecognized micronation which claimed sovereignty over a small area of land located in the southern part of the American state of California. The Kingdom of Matai was both an elective and constitutional monarchy, and consisted of five provinces and a single autonomous territory. It was formally established on 14 March 2016.

Etymology

Matai's name originates from the Samoan word fa'amatai, which is the traditional form of government in the Samoan Islands.

History

Prehistory

A depiction of the Santa Barbara Presidio. This particular image appeared in Alfred Robinson's "Life in California."

Evidence suggests that area in and around Matai was first inhabited by the Native Americans approximately 13,000 years ago. With the arrival of the Spaniards in the year 1542, the area was named Santa Barbara. The first permanent residents of the town were Spanish missionaries and soldiers, who were instructed to construct the Presidio, now a California Historical Landmark. The town came under rule of the Mexico in 1822 following the Mexican War of Independence. Mexico's rule was short-lived, however, and Santa Barbara became part of the United States after John C. Frémont and his soldiers swiftly gained control over the city during the Mexican-American War.

Mykonia-Cintrale

After a trip to the Czech Republic and Austria in 2008, Matahi Talaņi was greatly inspired by the cultures and languages he was exposed to, and created his first country around the year 2012. The country was named Mykonia-Cintrale, and claimed a fictitious island located in the Baltic Sea. The nation took influences from both Germany and Russia. Talaņi continued to rule Mykonia-Cintrale until late 2013.

Malavnia

Over a year after the dissolution of Mykonia-Cintrale, Malavnia was established by Talaņi. It took heavy influences from Talaņi's trip to the Czech Republic, as well as Mykonia-Cintrale. It existed between 2014 and 2016, and was plagued heavily by inactivity due to Talaņi's waning interest in micronationalism.

Geography

Matai

Climate

Matai has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb). Temperatures below 4 °C (40 °F) are very rare, as are temperatures above 32 °C (90 °F).