Far’awae
Far'awae Province Propinsi Far'awae | |
|---|---|
Province | |
 Bendiau Town on Bendiau Island | |
 Flag | |
| Nickname(s): The Isles of Peace | |
| Country | Slokais Islands |
| Establishment | 01 January 1999 |
| Capital and largest city | Sendau |
| Ethnic groups | |
| Demonym(s) | Far'awaeian |
| Government | |
• Governor | Joash Bondar Pi'neh INP |
• Speaker of the Northern Isles House | Liani Susanti Darmadi INP |
| House of Elders | |
| Far'awae Provincial House | |
| National representation | |
| 3/643 | |
| Population | |
• 2020 census | 258,890 (29th) |
| Postal | FA |
Far'awae is a province of Slokais Islands located between Northern Isles and Pharitaya. Far'awae was founded in 1999 being formed from Northern Isles Province due to pressure from Indegenious activists citing the 1972 Executive Self-Representive Govermeant Act. The largest city and seat of govermeant is Sendau home to 98,690 people and is the historical center of the Far'awae Sultante.
Etymology
The province is named for the historical Sultanate established in the 14th century by Islamic traders who converted a local king. The name Far'awae means "holy place" in the Riaunan language. The name rose to popularity in the 1980s by activists seeking to re-claim the history of the Kingdom which had been illegally couped in 1884.
History
Far'awae has historically been home to water-based nomadic groups who hunted in the seafood-rich shallow sea. Around the 1100s, groups of pirates who plundered the Kingdom of Pharitaya built their camps on various islands, although originally welcomed by locals they became hostile after the pirates began to toll local fishermen. According to legends, the Far'awae Kingdom was formed at this time to drive the pirates away, although it's likely it may have existed prior. In the 1400s, Islamic traders from Pindai made an established contact in the royal capital of Sendau. Conversions grew quickly as Muslims received favorable treatment from the increasingly aggressive traders who sought the island's resources. Upon the conversion of the King, the Far'awae Sultanate was established.
The Sultanate engaged in trade with surrounding states including the State of Pindai and the Kingdom of Ambonar. This trade network allowed goods to travel from as far as Serriel into Mainland Hespierda, the city of Sendau becoming a key exchange of culture and language as the city soon outgrew the small island it sat upon, leading to a vast land building between the 1550s and 1600s. In 1634, Sultan Abdul Jalil Sari established relations with Costeno who had established colonies across the Outer Islands. Conflict rose however as the future Sultan's arrested several missionaries in the islands. Due to a lack of response from the Empire directly, a group of settlers launched an assault on Sendau. Although they initially captured Sultan Tuan Mu Sari, at his palace his son Hussein Mu Sari led a peasant revolt that restored the Sultanate to power by 1707.
In 1876, the San Fernando Dominion upset with the execution of Catholic missionaries began to place trade restrictions on the Sultanate. This led to several years of growing tensions between dominion-backed planters. In 1883, a small force of Dominion troops landed on Karimun Island seeking to collect tax from local farmers, when the force was assaulted, the San Fernando Dominion launched a full-scale invasion of the islands recruiting many poor farmers from other parts of the colony in exchange for land. In 1884, Sendau was captured with the Sultan being forced to dissolve the Sultanate and give control to a coalition of politicians and landowners.
Geography
Far’awae is made up of 3 main island groups, Karimun, Sendau, and Kam'ne. Sendau is the largest and most populous island with over 100,000 living mainly in the southern half. Karimun is the southernmost island of the Province containing the Femensara ethnic group and the famous Kezunah Jingra volcano that last erupted in 1905. Kam'ne is the northernmost island and is the center of the mining industry with bauxite being the most prominent.
Demographics
Far'awae has the highest Indigenous population of any province with 60.3% identifying as Indigenous, the largest group being Riaunan making up 40% of the total population. In addition, Far'awae had the highest number of those classified as "other" with many being recent aging immigrants from Pharitaya and Haesan. Mescaldo are the third largest ethnic group, many arriving as farmers in the 1920s and 30s. Far'awae also has small populations of Ren, Blancos, and Kaijanese from other parts of Slokais.
Religion
Far'awae has the third-highest percentage of Muslims in Slokais and the highest outside of Kaijan, with 55% identifying with the faith that has long been in the Province. Christianity is the second largest faith with 17% identification, primarily among the Mescaldo community, Celestialism also had a small historic population due to the province's closeness with Haesan.
Language
Far'awae officially has 5 languages, English, Spanish, Slokasian, Riaunan, and Arabic. Riaunan and Arabic were used historically in the Far’awae Sultanate, although both declined during the 1900s. All 5 languages are taught in some capacity within public education, although Slokasian and English remain the primary communication languages.
Economy
Tourism and Industrial Fishing are the largest industries due to Far’awaes aquatic surroundings and limited arable land space. Additionally, the province's location allows for large numbers of tourists from other Eastern Hesperidan states who stay at the many large resorts built in the past several decades. Concerns have been raised however that tourism has caused locals to be priced out with homelessness growing in recent years.