Socialist Republic of the Kerguelen Archipelago
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Socialist Republic of The Kerguelen Archipelago Le République socialiste du l'archipel des Kerguelen | |
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Flag | |
| Motto: Victory Belongs to the Most Persevering Victoire Appartient à la Plus Persévérante (French) | |
| Anthem: Marche Slave (Slavic March) | |
| File:Far south Indian Ocean, 1,195 miles north of Antarctica, 2,476 miles west of Australia, 2,041 miles north-east of Mauritius | |
| Capital and largest city | Port-Aux-Francais |
| Official languages | French, English |
| Demonym(s) | Kerguelenite |
| Government | Socialist Parliamentary Democracy (Republic) |
• President | Emmett Wallace |
• Vice Executive (Vice President) | Sebastian Fulger |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Establishment | September 4th, 2015 |
| Population | |
• Census | 46 (winter) 110 (summer) 200,000-500,000 (potential) |
| Currency | franc |
The Socialist Republic of the Kerguelen Archipelago, more commonly known as the Kerguelen Islands, Kerguelen, or the Kerguelen Archipelago (IPA: kɜrgəlɛn or kɜrgələn) is a Socialist Parliamentary Democracy, it's capital being Port-Aux-Francais. Emmett Wallace has decided to leave as just one district until they expand. Kergueland is a fairly large micronation, at 7,215 square kilometers it is slightly smaller than Puerto Rico. It was a territory of France at one time, and hopes to maintain good relations, as France is widely considered a strong nation. Kergueland's climate is generally chilly, with strong winds throughout the year. Kergueland's population is mostly made up of scientists and fishermen, but with a rich history, tourist attractions like Mont Ross and plenty of building space, Kergueland could become a recognized nation.
History
Discovery
The Kerguelen Islands first appeared on Phillip Bauche's map as Ile de Nachtegal in 1754, 18 years before its official discovery in 1772 by Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec. Charles de Boisguehenneuc landed the next day and claimed it for the French crown. On Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec's second expedition, he had his lieutenant leave a note, telling any passerby about the claim of the island to the French crown. Captain James Cook set sail for the Kergueland islands in 1776, who verified and confirmed the passage of de Kerguelen by discovering and annotating the message left by the French navigator. Soon after, the archipelago was visited by hunters who hunted the populations of whales and seals there to the point of near extinction. Since the end of the whaling and sealing era, most of the islands' species have been able to repopulate the area again.
Etymology
It is universally believed that the Kerguelen Islands are named after Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec
The 1800s
In 1800, the British ship Hillsborough spent eight months whaling around the islands. During this time Captain Robert Rhodes of the Hillsborough made a map of the islands. In 1825, the British sailor John Nunn and three crew members from the Favourite were shipwrecked on Kerguelen until they were rescued in 1827 by Captain Alexander Distant during his hunting expedition. For the 1874 transit of Venus (when Venus crosses directly in between the sun and Mars, Saturn or Jupiter and creates a small black dot on the sun, like a sunspot), George B. Airy at the Royal Observatory of the UK organised five expeditions to different parts of the world. Three of these were sent to the Kerguelen Islands. Stephen J. Perry led the British expeditions to the Kerguelen Islands. The Kerguelen Islands were officially annexed by France in 1893.
1900s to the present
In 1940, the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis landed at the Kergueland islands in 1940. During their stay the crew performed maintenance and replenished their water supplies. This ship's first fatality of the war occurred when a sailor, Bernhard Herrmann, fell while painting. He is buried in what is sometimes referred to as "the most southerly German war grave" of World War II. The Kerguelen Islands have been occupied since 1950 by scientific research teams, and there is a satellite tracking station. Until 1955, the Kerguelen Islands were part of the French colony, Madagascar. That same year they became Les Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (French Southern and Antarctic Lands).
The Bethany Treaty
The former leader of the defunct nation Bethania did not agree with terms set by Kerguelenite Emmett Wallace. The treaty states that "all municipalities of Bethania and their protectorates will hereby be ceded to Kerguelen on the date of September 5th, 2015. In return, Bethania and all it's municipalities will become districts with equal power to all earlier established districts, and will be treated as such."
Government
See Also: The Socialist Republic of The Kerguelen Archipelago's Bill of Rights
Kerguelen is a Socialist Parliamentary Democracy, with the President serving a 6-year term, with a maximum of 1 term. The current Parliament is headed by Sebastian Fulger and is made up of Socialist Democrats, Liberals, Communists and Conservatives, listed in descending order of prominence. Called sectors by the Kerguelenite government are more commonly called departments. So far Kerguelen has established The Sector of Kerguelenite Foreign Affairs, The Sector of Kerguelenite Defense, The Sector of Kerguelenite Transportation and The Sector of Kerguelenite Education and Research.
Foreign Relations
Main Page: The Sector of Kerguelenite Foreign Affairs
Kerguelen does not have any relations with any other micronation, but we hope to change that in the near future. Kerguelen believes that The Korea Republic (South Korea) holds any and all jurisdiction over all of Korea, including Korea DPR (North Korea) and does not recognize North Korea. They believe that Russia holds no valid claim over any of the former USSR countries. Kerguelen also recognizes Kosovo.
Territories of Kerguelen
Kerguelen has one territory, the archipelago itself. The capital of that district is Port-Aux-Francais
Military and the Police Force
Main Page: The Sector of Kerguelenite Defense
The Kerguelenite government hopes that France can have Kerguelen as their protectorate. Under The Socialist Republic of The Kerguelen Archipelago's Bill of Rights, the Kerguelenite parliament can only ask for 5% of the budget of any country that is protecting them. This would mean that Kerguelen's plan of recruiting 100 men and women, training them and giving them uniforms, gear and weapons, the cost would be a little less than 5,000,000 dollars, which is less than 1% of the French military budget. Kerguelen's planned police force -shortened- is for there to be about 1,000 police officers employed.
Transportation
Main Page: The sector of Kerguelenite Transportation
Kerguelen's planned public transportation system is to have an underground train system, going all around Port-Aux-Francais and Kerguelen. Right now, the only way to get to Kerguelen is by ship, but The Sector of Kerguelenite Transportation hopes to get a small airport there by the year 2024.
Climate
All (unless clarified) temperatures, wind and wave measurements come from the Port-Aux-Francais base Kerguelen's climate is a tundra, being chilly and extremely windy. The average annual temperature is 4.9 °C (40.8 °F). The warmest months of the year are January and February, with average temperatures between 7.8 and 8.2 °C (46.0 and 46.8 °F). The coldest months of the year are August and July with an average temperatures between 2.1 (35.8) and 2.2 °C (36 °F). Kerguelen receives frequent precipitation, with snow and rain throughout the year. Port-Aux-Francais receives the average annual precipitation of around 708 mm (27.9 in), although the west coast of Kerguelen receives an estimated three times as much. The west coast of Kerguelen receives almost continuous wind at an average speed of 35 km/h (22 mph), but wind speeds of 150 km/h (93 mph) are common and can even reach 200 km/h (120 mph). This is due to the island's location, in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Forties. Waves range from 12–15 meters (39–49 feet) high, but there are still safe docks for ships.
| Climate data for Port aux Français, Kerguelen | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) |
22.3 (72.1) |
21.0 (69.8) |
23.0 (73.4) |
16.8 (62.2) |
14.5 (58.1) |
13.4 (56.1) |
14.4 (57.9) |
15.8 (60.4) |
19.1 (66.4) |
21.3 (70.3) |
21.6 (70.9) |
23 (73.4) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 11.1 (52) |
11.5 (52.7) |
10.5 (50.9) |
9.0 (48.2) |
6.7 (44.1) |
5.2 (41.4) |
4.7 (40.5) |
4.6 (40.3) |
5.3 (41.5) |
7.0 (44.6) |
8.6 (47.5) |
10.1 (50.2) |
7.8 (46) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.8 (46) |
8.2 (46.8) |
7.3 (45.1) |
6.1 (43) |
4.2 (39.6) |
2.8 (37) |
2.2 (36) |
2.1 (35.8) |
2.5 (36.5) |
3.9 (39) |
5.3 (41.5) |
6.8 (44.2) |
4.9 (40.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 4.4 (39.9) |
4.7 (40.5) |
4.1 (39.4) |
3.2 (37.8) |
1.5 (34.7) |
0.4 (32.7) |
-0.3 (31.5) |
-0.4 (31.3) |
-0.2 (31.6) |
0.7 (33.3) |
2.0 (35.6) |
3.4 (38.1) |
1.9 (35.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | -1.5 (29.3) |
-1.0 (30.2) |
-0.9 (30.4) |
-2.7 (27.1) |
-5.9 (21.4) |
-8.3 (17.1) |
-8.0 (17.6) |
-9.5 (14.9) |
-7.7 (18.1) |
-5.0 (23) |
-3.7 (25.3) |
-1.2 (29.8) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
| Average Precipitation mm (inches) | 72.2 (2.843) |
49.5 (1.949) |
57.5 (2.264) |
59.6 (2.346) |
59.9 (2.358) |
75.9 (2.988) |
62.9 (2.476) |
63.4 (2.496) |
62.3 (2.453) |
59.3 (2.335) |
51.9 (2.043) |
55.1 (2.169) |
729.5 (28.72) |
| Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerguelen_Islands#Climate | |||||||||||||
Geography
The Kerguelen islands are an emerged part of the submerged Kerguelen Plateau, which has a total area of about 2.2 million square kilometeres. The plateau was built by volcanic eruptions associated with the Kerguelen hotspot. The major part of the volcanic formations visible on the islands is characteristic of many effusive eruptions (Lava flowing on the ground as opposed to the explosion made by an explosive eruption), which caused a trap rock formation to start forming above the level of the ocean about 35 million years ago. Other forms of volcanism are present locally, such as the volcano Mont Ross. Various veins and extrusions of lava are common all over the archipelago. No eruptive volcanic activity has been recorded in historic times. The islands are part of a submerged microcontinent called the Kerguelen sub-continent. The microcontinent emerged above sea level for between 100 million years ago and 20 million years ago. The Kerguelen sub-continent may have had tropical flora and fauna about 50 million years ago. The Kerguelen sub-continent finally sank 20 million years ago and is now one to two kilometers below sea level. Kerguelen's sedimentary rocks are similar to ones found in Australia and India, indicating they were all once connected. Scientists hope that studying the Kerguelen sub-continent will help them discover how Australia, India, and Antarctica broke apart.
Economy
Most activities on the Kerguelen Islands focus on scientific research – mostly earth sciences and biology. The former rocket range to the east of Port-aux-Francais is currently the site of a radar. Since 1992, a satellite and rocket tracking station has been operated by the French government. Agricultural activities were limited until 2007 to raising sheep on Longue Island for consumption by the occupants of the base, as well as small quantities of vegetables in a greenhouse within the immediate vicinity of the main French base. There are also feral rabbits and sheep that can be hunted, as well as wild birds. There are 5 fishing boats and vessels.
Islands part of the Kerguelen Archipelago
The list below is of the most important islands in the Kerguelen Archipelago (other than the main island), listed in alphabetical order:
1.Île Australia (also known as Île aux Rennes – Reindeer Island) 2.Île de Castries 3.Île Foch 4.Île Saint-Lanne Gramont 5.Île Haute 6.Île Howe 7.Îles Leygues 8.Île Longue 9.Île Mayès 10.Îles du Prince-de-Monaco 11.Îles Nuageuses 12.Île Violette 13.Île de l'Ouest