Samara
The Island of Samara is an island off the east coast of Zargothrax that is partially recognised as independent, and partially as part of Zargothrax. The island is officially ruled by a cat named Sawalif Samara; however it is generally known that the human daughter of Sawalif's late owner, Akilah Samara, is truly responsible for governance. In 2023, King Shapur XIV granted the island independence, which was recognised by Kerlile in February 2024; however the island's independence is not recognised by the majority of states.
History
Cat laws and independence
In 2023, King Shapur of Zargothrax began to implement a number of laws granting members of the felis catus species equal legal status to that of homo sapiens. Meanwhile, Thraxian laws continued to discriminate against women. Lord Amjad Samara had no male heirs, and therefore chose to use these laws to leave his estate and titles to his pet cat, Sawalif. It is believed that his intention was to make a point about gendered inheritance, but instead King Shapur recognised Sawalif as the heir and ruler of the island.
Following this, Amjad's daughter Akilah began to broadcast livestream videos online of Sawalif "passing laws" via tapping pieces of paper with different options with his paws. Residents of Samara could request "hearings" by submitting a question and options to be displayed to the cat. One resident submitted a query which included among the options "declare independence", which was chosen by Sawalif. Akilah quickly stopped the broadcast and did not make any further requests for recognition of this declaration. However, of his own initiative, King Shapur granted the island independence shortly afterwards.
For the first several months following "independence", nobody on the island took any actions to change laws or act upon their newfound status in any way. However, once it appeared clear that no repercussions from the Thraxian government were imminent, the island has slowly begun to set up their own institutions. Sawalif continues to make live "decisions" each weekday on Akilah's social media accounts under the username @qita_qanun.