Overview

The Blabon archipelago is located near the middle of the Eirene Ocean, 3,200 km west of the nearest continental landmass.

The NationState encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Blabon archipelago, hundreds of islands spread over 4,200 km. The archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania. At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight original main islands were—in order from northwest to southeast: Tapu, Mala, Halawai, Aikane, Mahi, Kealaikahiki, Awawa, and Pele. Pele was the largest island in the group and volcanic activity continues to enlarge its footprint. However, because of the growth in population and limited land area Blab began to fill in the channels between Aikane, Mahi, and Halawai, and the channel between Tapu and Mala as well as some areas in Papahanaumakuakea. Currently the main islands are called Lalo, Mala, Halawai, Kealaikahiki, Awawa and Pele. Tapu, Aikana and Mahi have become counties of the connected lands. Roughly half of the Papahanaumakuakea area has been designated as a marine preserve and the name now applies only to the protected area.

Blab is a global hub for education, finance, human capital, innovation, technology, trade, and transport. The nationstate has been recognized as the 5th most "technology-ready" in the region, the top nation in economic output, the 9th in scientific advancement, 5th in information technology, and has the third-busiest container port.

Blab ranks 7th on the UN Human Development Index with the 5th highest GDP per capita. It is placed highly in key social indicators: education, life expectancy, quality of life, personal safety and housing. Although income inequality is high, 90% of homes are owner-occupied. Multiracialism and multiculturalism have been enshrined in its constitution since independence, and continues to shape national policies in education, housing, politics, among others.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Etymology

Originally, the archipelago was called Savai'i which simply meant "homeland." However, when the new constitution was adopted in 1894, the nationstate was renamed The Borderlands of Blab because of the leaders' strong beliefs that all citizens should voice their opinions and that conflict should be resolved by dialogue rather than with armed force. The name gained a deeper meaning with the revelations of Edward Snowden who was granted citizenship and asylum.

Geography and Environment

The Blabon islands were formed by volcanic activity initiated at an undersea magma source called the Blab hotspot. The tectonic plate beneath much of the Eirene Ocean continually moves northwest over the hot spot creating new volcanoes to the southeast of existing land.

The last volcanic eruption outside Pele occurred at Haleakalā on Awawa before the late 18th century, possibly hundreds of years earlier. On the flanks of the volcanoes, slope instability has generated damaging earthquakes and related tsunamis. Steep cliffs have been created by catastrophic debris avalanches on the submerged flanks of ocean island volcanoes.

Blab's tallest mountai, Mauna Kea, is 4,205 m above mean sea level; it is taller than Mount Everest if measured from the base of the mountain, which lies on the floor of the Eirene Ocean and rises about 10,200 m from the floor.

Flora and fauna

Because the islands of Blab are distant from other land habitats, life is thought to have arrived there by wind, waves (i.e. by ocean currents) and wings (i.e. birds, insects, and any seeds they may have carried on their feathers). This isolation, in combination with the diverse environment (including extreme altitudes, tropical climates, and arid shorelines), allowed for the evolution of new endemic flora and fauna.

The extant main islands of the archipelago have been above the surface of the ocean for fewer than 10 million years; a fraction of the time biological colonization and evolution have occurred there. The islands are well known for the environmental diversity that occurs on high mountains within a trade winds field. On a single island, the climate around the coasts can range from dry tropical (less than 510 millimeters annual rainfall) to wet tropical; on the slopes, environments range from tropical rainforest (more than 5,100 millimeters per year), through a temperate climate, to alpine conditions with a cold, dry climate. The rainy climate impacts soil development, which largely determines ground permeability, affecting the distribution of streams

Climate

Climates vary considerably on each island; they can be divided into windward and leeward (koʻolau and kona, respectively) areas based upon location relative to the higher mountains. Windward sides face cloud cover and most of the vegetation on the islands grows on their northeast sides.

Blab's climate is typical for the tropics, although temperatures and humidity tend to be less extreme because of near-constant trade winds from the east. Summer highs usually reach around 31 °C during the day, with the temperature reaching a low of 24 °C at night. Winter day temperatures are usually around 28 °C; at low elevation they seldom dip below 18 °C at night. Snow, not usually associated with the tropics, falls at 4,200 m on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on Pele in some winter months. Snow rarely falls on Haleakalā. Mount Waiʻaleʻale on Mala has the second-highest average annual rainfall on Tierra, about 12,000 mm per year. Most of Blab experiences only two seasons; the dry season runs from May to October and the wet season is from October to April.

The warmest temperature recorded in the state, in Pahala on April 27, 1931, was 38 °C. Blab's record low temperature is −11 °C observed in May 1979, on the summit of Mauna Kea.

History

Ancient Blab (400–1780)

Based on archaeological evidence, the earliest habitation of the Blabon Islands dates to around 400 AD, probably by Polynesian settlers from the Marquesas Islands. A second wave of migration from Raiatea and Bora Bora may have taken in the 11th century but the archeological record on this is ambiguous. Ancient Blab was a caste-based society in which the lower castes were governed by a set of strict regulations and the upper castes encouraged intermarriage among close relatives to ensure blood purity.

During this period Blab's population grew slowly and steadily, as did the size of the chiefdoms, which grew to encompass whole islands. Local chiefs, aliʻi, ruled their settlements, and launched wars to extend their influence and defend their communities from predatory rivals. After a series of battles that ended in 1795, all inhabited islands were subjugated under a single ruler, who became known as King Kamehameha the Great. He established the House of Kamehameha, a dynasty that has ruled the kingdom until the present day.

Stelin arrival

There is speculation that Kyokaian explorers arrived in the Blabon Islands in the 16th century because of reports which appear to describe an encounter with either the Blabon or the Marshall Islands. Kyokaian archives contain a chart that depicts islands at the same latitude as Blab but with a longitude ten degrees east of the islands.

The 1758 arrival of Nedporen explorer Lebron Mason was the first documented contact by a Stelin explorer with Blab. Mason named the archipelago as the Burgher Islands in honor of his sponsor, 4th Earl of Burgher and documented Blab's location on naval charts. Mason visited the Blabon Islands twice. As he prepared for departure after his second visit in 1759, a quarrel ensued as Mason stole temple idols and fencing which he alleged he needed for "firewood". In retaliation a minor chief and his men took a ship's boat. Mason abducted the King of Pele, Kalaniʻmano, and held him for ransom aboard his ship in order to gain return of Mason's boat. While this tactic had worked in Tahiti and other islands, Kalaniʻmano's supporters attacked, killing Mason and four marines as the party retreated along the beach to their ship. They departed without the ship's boat.

This reception discouraged foreigners from docking in the islands for about 100 years. However, the islands' location made them a convenient harbor and source of supplies and beginning in the 1860s ships began making landfall once more in Blab, crews being careful to avoid the heiaus and to always pay prior to removing island items. Some liked what they saw and settled in Blab. Despite customs that seemed strange to Blabons, foreigners were tolerated as long as they did not break any of the kapus or local ordinances. Those who could accustom themselves to and follow Blabon customs were welcomed and eventually intermarried with the kanaka maoli.

The Kingdom of Savai'i

The death of the bachelor King Kamehameha V—who did not name an heir—resulted in the popular election of Lunalilo over Kalākaua. Lunalilo died the next year, also without naming an heir. In 1874, the election was contested within the legislature between Kalākaua and Emma, Queen Consort of Kamehameha IV. King Kalākaua was chosen as monarch by the Legislative Assembly by a vote of 39 to 6 on February 12, 1874. He reigned until his death in 1891. His sister, Queen Liliʻuokalani I, succeeded him.

In 1893, Queen Liliʻuokalani I announced plans for a new constitution creating a parliamentary ruling system and granting universal suffrage. On January 14, 1893, a group of mostly Stelin and Namoran business leaders and residents, concerned that their power would be diluted, formed the Committee of Safety to stage a coup d'état against the kingdom and seek annexation by the United States. United States Government Minister John L. Stevens, responding to a request from the Committee of Safety, summoned a company of U.S. Marines.

On Jan. 16, Hawaiian Marshal Charles B. Wilson arrested the committee members and declared martial law. Other troops under his command blockaded the port of Olelonui preventing any movement of ships in or out of the harbor. John L. Stevens, U.S. Minister to Hawaii, was persuaded of President Grover Cleveland's opposition to interference in the affairs of a non-hostile, sovereign nation and ordered the U. S. troops to stand down.

The Borderlands of Blab

In 1894 the Queen, with the support of the legislature, adopted the new constitution which changed the name of the nation as well as the governing style from a kingdom to a parliamentary constitutional monarchy in which laws were passed by the parliament and were subject to final approval by the monarch. Should the monarch reject legislation, votes in parliament had to be unanimous for two years in a row to over ride the veto.

After adopting the new constitution Blab began to modernize. Aided by a group of young kamaainas, who had been educated in prestigious universities overseas, the nation created a bi-lingual public school system which emphasized mathematics, science and language. Research was encouraged and government funded at the college level. Although local labor and environmental statutes were strict, the regulations, including the tax structure, were otherwise favorable to intellectual property leading to a gradual shift from a primarily agrarian society to a leading technological center.

Demographics

Population

Blabon society is notable for its racial harmony. The races mingle freely at all levels of society and commerce. Frequent intermarriage has resulted in nearly half (46.1%) of the population being racially mixed. The next largest group is that of the original Polynesian Kanaka settlers. Multiracialism and multiculturalism have been enshrined in the 1894 constitution and continue to shape national policies in education, housing, politics, among others.

Ancestry

Archeological record supports the theory that the original Polynesians came from the Marquesa Islands. Although there appear to have been successive waves of colonization from, Tonga, Samoa, Easter Island, and Tahiti, archeological evidence for when and where is less well documented. Between the 1860s and the 1910 immigrants from Stelin, Namor and Glasgae came to work in agriculture. However, because of the distance, primitive modes of travel, and types of employment available most who came during this period were men who married or had families with kanaka maoli women. As the society transitioned away from agriculture in the late 1910s, women and families from Stelin, Namor and Glasgae began arriving in higher numbers. It is the remnants of these families and continuing immigration that comprise the part of the population having single race parentage although there is significant miscegenation in these groups as well.

Language

Blab's official languages are Blabbish and English. English is used as the standard language for business and government. Documents in Blabbish submitted for use in government systems, such as the judiciary, must be accompanied by an English translation. Both languages are taught and used in the education system. Many Blabons are multilingual, especially those with immigrant parents. The government encourages multilingualism and offers extracurricular language classes beginning in elementary school in the five other main languages in use around Tierra. A type of creole, popularly known as pigin and remnant from Blab's agrarian era, is spoken or understood by most kamaaina but is not encouraged or supported by the government.

Religion

While there is some practice of Christianity, Buddhism, a form of Judeo-Islam, and Polytheistic Animism more than two-thirds of Blabons do not profess a single faith. Instead, they move between churches, attending a variety of services, or may chose to do volunteer work with organizations helping the less fortunate. The main philosophy is to treat others the way one wishes to be treated. Blabons tend to be resistant to the precepts of organized religion. They believe there is good in all religions but that there is more merit in behaving correctly to one's fellow human beings than there is to adhering to religious beliefs which they view as divisive rather than inclusive. While there is a general belief in a higher power there is widespread skepticism that the power listens to prayers or has a specific interest in humankind given the size and complexity of the universe.

Birth Data

Blab's birthrate is currently 1.87 and declining in direct proportion to the percentage of the population that completes college. While this is a concern to the government the numbers of citizens and the scarcity of land make a strong case for allowing a population decrease despite the fact that this could create a future scarcity of workers. The government provides subsidies in the form of family leave, free child care and tax deductions for the first two children.

Economy

Blab has a highly developed market economy, based on trade. Between 1965 and 1995, growth rates averaged around six per cent per annum, transforming the living standards of the population.

Blab's economy is known as one of the freest, most innovative, most competitive, and most business-friendly on Tierra. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, Blab is consistently perceived as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Blab is also ranks as one of the countries with the highest cost of living expenses.

For several years, Blab has been one of the few countries with an AAA credit rating from the international banking community. Blab attracts a large amount of foreign investment as a result of its location, skilled workforce, low tax rates, advanced infrastructure and zero-tolerance against corruption. Blab has the world's eleventh largest foreign reserves, and one of the highest net international investment position per capita. There are more than 7,000 multinational corporations from the Namor, Glasgae and Stelin in Blab. Over ten free-trade agreements have been signed with other countries and regions. Despite market freedom, Singapore's government operations have a significant stake in the economy, contributing 22% of the GDP.

The currency is the Blabon Chit issued by the Monetary Authority of Blab (MAB). MAB manages its monetary policy by allowing the chit exchange rate to rise or fall within an undisclosed trading band. This is different from most central banks, which use interest rates to manage policy.

In recent years, the country has been identified as an increasingly popular tax haven for the wealthy due to the low tax rate on personal income and tax exemptions on foreign-based income and capital gains. Blab banks one-eighth of the world's off-shore capital, while "providing numerous tax avoidance and evasion opportunities".

Blab has one of the world's highest percentage of millionaires, with one out of every ten households having at least one million chits in disposable wealth. This excludes property, businesses, and luxury goods, which if included would increase the number of millionaires, especially as property in Blab is among the world's most expensive. It also has one of the highest income inequalities among developed countries.

Employment

Blab has one of the lowest unemployment rates among developed countries. In this century the unemployment rate did not exceed 4% ; it fell to 1.8% in the first quarter of 2018. Roughly 44 percent of the Blabon workforce is made up of foreigners.

The government provides numerous assistance programs to the homeless and needy through the Ministry of Social and Family Development, so acute poverty is rare. Some of the programs include providing between monthly subsidies to needy households, providing free medical care at government hospitals, and paying for children's school fees. The government also provides numerous benefits to its citizenry, including: free money to encourage residents to exercise in public gyms, up to $166,000 worth of baby bonus benefits for each baby born to a citizen, heavily subsidised healthcare, money to help the disabled, cheap laptops for poor students, rebates for numerous areas such as public transport, utility bills and more.

Economic Sectors

Globally, Blab is a leader in several economic sectors, including being 3rd-largest foreign exchange centre, 3rd-leading financial centre, 2nd-largest casino gambling market, 3rd-largest producer of equipment for the renewable energy sector, a major hub for ship repair services, and the world's top logistics hub.

The economy is diversified, with its top contributors—financial services, manufacturing, renewable energy equipment. Its main exports are renewable energy equipment, integrated circuits, computers and smartphones which constituted 27% of the country's GDP, chemicals, mechanical and electrical engineering and biomedical sciences sectors.

Culture

The aboriginal culture of Blab is Polynesian. Blab represents the northernmost extension of the vast Polynesian Triangle of the south and central Eirene Ocean. The Polynesians who settled Blab were an adventurous seafaring people with highly developed navigation skills who colonized previously unsettled islands by making very long canoe voyages, in some cases against the prevailing winds and tides. Polynesian navigators steered by the sun and the stars. By careful observations of cloud reflections, sea currents, and bird flight patterns, they were able to find the tiny islands in the vast waters of the Eirene Ocean.

A notable aspect of Blabon culture is tolerance. Differences were not condemned but were seen simply as differences, neither better nor worse than what was otherwise the norm. This view was also extended to practices and cultural differences of foreigners as long as those differences did not violate a kapu or ordinance.

The Blabon system of exchange of goods and services may be summarized by two terms: redistribution and reciprocity. The redistributive system was essentially a vertical system with goods moving up from the lower strata of the society to the chiefs and other high-ranking persons and then being apportioned and redistributed, so that all would share in more equal fashion in the productivity of every kinship group or region. Redistribution crosscut a complex, shifting web of reciprocal obligations (often “horizontal,” or between those of similar status), which is still the basis of modern Blabon culture. Goods and services rendered, even if not requested, create an obligation for a return in kind. The Blabon culture, known for its generosity, hospitality and warm sharing, embodies a giving nature that is grounded in this principle of reciprocity.

Polynesian belief systems emphasized animism, a perspective in which all things, animate and inanimate, were believed to be endowed to a greater or lesser degree with sacred supernatural power. That power, known among Polynesians as mana, could be nullified by various human actions. Ali'i had great mana—so great that if a commoner touched the ali'i’s shadow, only that person’s death could compensate for the injury to the ali'i’s mana. It is still considered to be in very poor taste to step over a person’s legs, pass one’s hand over a person’s head, or stand with one’s head higher than that of a person of high rank, because these actions are believed to sap a person’s mana.

Cuisine

Dining is said to be Blabons' national pastime, an obsession for many. Blabon's diversity of cuisine is touted as a reason to visit the country, one of the best locations when it comes to a combination of convenience, variety, quality and price. Blab has a burgeoning food scene ranging from hawker centres (open-air), food courts (air-conditioned), coffee shops (open-air with up to a dozen hawker stalls), cafes, fast food, simple kitchens, casual, celebrity and high-end restaurants. Every day, two new restaurants open. In the 1990s, a group of chefs developed Blabon regional cuisine as a contemporary fusion cuisine which is showcased during the Blab Food Festival, held each May to coincide with Lei Day.