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Facts and Figures of Colonial Waikiti
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General History of Colonial Waikiti
The Waikiti archipellago was originally settled by a native population, prior to recorded history. It was subsequently mapped by Europeans during the age of discovery. The first European settlements were mainly by pirates and privateers, seeking a place to refill their fresh water supplies, bury their ill-gotten gains, and make repairs to damaged vessles. Early in the Victorian era, Waikiti was finaly officially colonized and the collection of islands was officially named Colonial Waikiti. The Colony was never terribly successful, with little in the way of local industry, and a lack of suitable farmland. Never a popular posting for officials from the old country, assignment to Colonial Waikiti was often viewed as either a punishment, or a final posting prior to retirement. A rather obscure, small, quiet colony, Waikiti was itself eventually forgotten (or misplaced). According to folklore, the official telegraph relay station responsible for keeping Waikiti in touch with the Empire suffered a fault. During the week's time it took to repair the faulty telegraph mechanism, the schedules were misplaced and the telegraph operator retired. The system repaired and a new operator on staff, somehow Waikiti was overlooked. The colony stopped hearing from the motherland, and the motherland stopped hearing from Waikiti. Thus, the small colony gained its independance through coincidence, indifference, and an unlikely series of events. Today, Waikiti regards itself as a 'former colony'. Having been forgotten by their motherland, they have opted to return the favour and no longer remember the name of their founding nation. The name 'Colonial Waikiti' remains, and the tiny island nation is still overseen by a Governor. There are few rules, the residents of Colonial Waikiti enjoy their indepandance and a quiet, relaxed island life. Size of Colonial Waikiti The established size of Colonial Waikiti is approximately 145 acres. The colony is 768 meters from east to west and 768 meters from north to south, for a total of 589,824 square meters. Spread across three regions, 143,616 square meters is zoned as strictly residential rental land. An additional three regions (196,608 square meters) is zoned as mixed use, residential or retail/commercial. Of the remaining area, 184,064 square meters is set aside as public land. This includes the Waikiti beach, Mall, and marina, Poliwai Park and the open waters of Waiki Atoll, the Minaki Aerodrome and Business Centre, and the region of Tangiwai. The remaining 65,536 square meters of Tangiroa are currently under development. Geology of Colonial Waikiti A South-Pacific archipellago, Colonial Waikiti is a collection of islands in Polymicronesia. The region was named for the first island to be settled, Waikiti. Waikiti and its immediate neighbor Waiki Atoll were both formed through volcanic activities, and these geological forces continue to shape the islands to this day. The Minaki island was formed through coral reef actions, as was the Berala island. Murulla appears to be the remains of an extinct volcano. Tangiwai was formed through volcanic activity, and the mountain seems to be stirring. Kaiwai, Ranui, and Tangiroa were all formed by coral reefs. Aside from stirrings at Tangiwai, we have not experienced any eruptions in recorded history, signs of activity are frequent - most recently, an earthquake caused minor damage along the Waikiti beach area, and steam was seen rising from the centre of the subsea crater for several weeks. Native folklore holds that the volcanic eruption which resulted in Waiki Atoll was violent enough to crack Waikiti itself, leading to the formation of the narrows and opening the crater to the sea. Population of Colonial Waikiti The peoples of Waikiti are made up of former colonists, some of the original native population, and recent arrivals -- ex-pats who have left their own homeland in favour of the relaxed, peaceful, slow pace of life in a tropical island paradise. Waikiti is also a port-of-call and part-time home to a small transient population of tourists, regular guests, and friends. Currently, Waikiti has a population of approximately 25 full-time residents and an additional 10 or 15 part-time residents and regular visitors. Industries of Colonial Waikiti Waikiti's top industry is tourism. Retail activities can be found at the Waikiti Mall, an historic building which was originally constructed to house a garrison of the empire's soldiers. Colonial Waikiti is home to a few inventors, tinkerers and clothiers, and the retail centre showcases the fruits of their labour, along with those of friendly foreigners. Laws and Government of Colonial Waikiti There are very few laws and little government on Colonial Waikiti. The private residential areas are subject only to the rules outlined in the Covenant. A handful of additional rules are in place to cover the public areas of Waikiti; these rules can be summed up very simply: There is a small volunteer group of avatars who help enforce these rules on the public lands. This group, known as the "Waikiti Warriors", have been deputized by the governor and have the authority to eject troublemakers from the area. The government of Waikiti is comprised of three avatars -- a Governor and two Lieutennant Governors. Their primary responsibilities are to assist the residents with any problems that may arise, to keep the Colony lands in good order, and to ensure the covenant is upheld. Colours and Symbols of Waikiti The Colonial Waikiti flag is a stylized depiction of a tropical sun shining its rays down onto the rolling ocean waves. The colours of the flag are as follows: the background is Purple, the sun is Silver, and the waves are charcoal. Another symbol of Waikiti is the stone Tiki head: when first settled, Waikiti was found to have a number of large stone 'heads' scattered around. These heads may have been crude representations of Magdu (a godfigure worshipped by the Waikiti natives). |