United Island

The United Island (U.I.) is a nation-state located on a large multi-biome island located in the negative 30,000s block of world coordinates. It was the only known player-made nation-state in the world until February 3, 2017, when the city of Staufenberg seceded from the country. The U.I. is composed of five provinces and one Federal District, all on the same island continent.

The continent was first settled by players on December 14, 2016, in modern-day Eden. The various biomes and towns were unified on December 19, when the First Continental Congress in Eden declared the continent a single nation-state, giving it the name "United Island." Since then, the U.I. has been continuously developed as various towns and settlements have been established across the continent. The United Island Congress still governs the nation from the capital of Island City, under the direction of President MayorSamuel.

Prehistory
The continent of the future United Island was generated on December 14, 2016, along with the rest of the world. The majority of the land was uninhabited prior to player settlement, with a few exceptions. Two NPC villages were generated on the continent: Big River on the Euphrates River Delta, and the lesser known village of Brownfeather near the eastern coast. In addition, two jungle temples were discovered in the Jungle Province. Expansive subterranean mineshafts have also been found deep beneath the continent. These two discoveries may point to a larger NPC civilization, which likely collapsed at some point in the past.

Settlement and Formation
The first player-created town, Eden, was founded in the interior forest of the continent on December 14, 2016 by MayorSamuel and 1lightningstrike. This first settlement often interacted with Big River to the south, and soon a paved road was constructed between the two villages. Perhaps the greatest project of the early settlers was the construction of the Euphrates Canal to open up the Euphrates River as a navigable waterway. The second settlement, Staufenberg, was founded in the Great Western Plains by S1CS on December 15.

On December 18, MayorSamuel claimed to have received a divine revelation from Bailey north of Eden. This alleged revelation was recorded in the Book of Bailey, which became the foundation for the world religion Bailism, known officially as the New Church of Bailey. Bailism rapidly spread from Eden to other small towns across the continent, and remains the dominant faith in the United Island today.

On December 19, four settlers convened across the river from Eden to form the United Island Congress. Malachi_Brown, MayorSamuel, backpack5689, and kit_kat_27 established the continent as a sovereign state: the United Island. They also voted on the first thirteen propositions of the state, outlawing crimes such as griefing, murder, and stealing. Eden was declared the temporary capital city of the infant nation.

Development and Expansion
Following the formation of the United Island as a sovereign state, various player-made settlements gradually began cropping up across the country. The village of Horseland was founded by MayorSamuel on December 21, 2016 in the Eastern Province. Construction of the future capital city, Island City, began on the east coast.

Widespread infrastructure also began developing across the continent; paved highways were constructed between towns. Portions of the Transcontinental Railroad were completed, running east-west across the continent. This provided high-speed transportation between emerging towns such as Eden, Horseland, and Island City. S1CS resisted attempts to provide Staufenberg with rail access. The city of Havana was founded on the north coast of the Jungle Province by MayorSamuel and backpack5689 on December 30. On January 2, 2017, Slothville was established on the south coast by Synyster_Sl0th.

Also on January 2, the killing of Balaam the donkey by Synyster_Sl0th sparked outrage across the nation. This lead to Congress passing Proposition XX, known as Balaam's Law, on January 3.

Secession of Staufenberg
By late January, tension was beginning to mount between the city of Staufenberg and the United Island government. On February 3, 2017, United Island President MayorSamuel accused S1CS of abusing his powers by spawning in cobwebs. S1CS confessed but refused to compromise. Additional conflict simmered after S1CS griefed and stole sections of the Transcontinental Railway in violation of Propositions I and X. MayorSamuel claimed he was forced to kill S1CS to retrieve the stolen materials. The case of S1CS v. MayorSamuel, judged by Malachi_Brown, determined that both parties were guilty and no further prosecution was administered.

At this point, S1CS was threatening secession and civil war unless MayorSamuel resigned as president. Congress responded by ignoring his demands and passing Proposition XXII, which labeled secessionists guilty of treason. The final blow to Staufenberg-U.I. relations was delivered when MayorSamuel acquired and destroyed 55 pieces of gunpowder from Staufenberg. On February 3, 2017, Staufenberg seceded from the United Island under the direction of S1CS. The next morning, Proposition XXIII was hastily passed during an emergency session of Congress, recognizing Staufenberg as an independent nation in order to avoid war.

Post-Secession
Following the secession, the Interior Province was dissolved and replaced with Balaam Province and the Delta Province. The Forest and Jungle Provinces also gained territory. On February 5, President MayorSamuel signed the Citizenship Act into law. The executive order defined U.I. citizenship and non-citizenship. On February 6, the U.I.'s border wall surrounding the city was completed.

On February 16, 2017, a battle broke out between Staufenberg and the U.I. when S1CS stole resources from Synyster_Sl0th's skeleton spawner in Slothville, in violation of the Citizenship Act. Synyster_Sl0th then exercised his legal right to kill S1CS, in accordance with Proposition IV (Castle Doctrine). This escalated to a horse pursuit heading west toward Staufenberg. One horse belonging to Synyster_Sl0th was lost in this chase. President MayorSamuel and Synyster_Sl0th then headed a partially successful assassination attempt against S1CS, resulting in temporary U.I. control of Staufenberg. This victory was short-lived, however, when S1CS drove the Islanders outside his borders. This conflict is now known as the Battle of Thursday.

Geography
The United Island was founded on a large multi-biome island. The island is situated northwest of a much larger continent, referred to as the Mainland.

The continent on which the United Island is situated contains three main climate zones: the temperate Forest of Eden in the north-central region of the country, a large tropical rainforest on the west coast, and a series of temperate and semi-arid grasslands in the central and eastern regions. Many of the provincial borders were determined based on these biomes. Much of the coastal regions retain a warm, tropical climate.

Balaam Province
Main article: Balaam Province

Named after Balaam the Donkey, Balaam Province is the second-smallest province by area. It is almost entirely covered by the Great Western Plains, a vast expanse of flat grassland. The province is bounded to the east by the Forest Province, to the west by the Jungle Province, and by the city-state of Staufenberg in the south. The province claims a small coastline on Sugarcane Bay in the north. Balaam City serves as the provincial capital.

Delta Province
Main article: Delta Province

The Delta Province sits on the southern Euphrates River Delta, a region of low-lying plains and meandering river systems. The smallest province by area, the Delta Province is bounded to the northeast by the Eastern Province and to the northwest by the Forest Province. It is surrounded by the Ocean in all other directions. It consists entirely of a tribal reservation, protecting the native inhabitants as guaranteed by Proposition XI. The reservation surrounds the NPC village of Big River, which serves as the provincial capital.

Eastern Province
Main article: Eastern Province

The Eastern Province, located in the eastern region of the United Island, is the third largest province by area. Most of the Eastern Province is covered by the Great Eastern Plains, a vast expanse of flat grassland with a few meandering rivers throughout. The province is bounded to the east by the Federal District, to the west by the Delta and Forest provinces along the Euphrates River, and the Ocean to the north and south. A large peninsula extends from the mainland in the south, which contains tribal land belonging to the NPC villagers of Brownfeather.

Forest Province
Main article: Forest Province

The Forest Province, located in the north-central region of the United Island, is the second largest province by area. The Forest Province is bounded by the Delta Province and Eastern Province along the Euphrates River to the east, Balaam Province and the city-state of Staufenberg in the west, and the Ocean to the north and south. Much of the province is covered by the temperate Forest of Eden, although the southern portion lies in the Great Western Plains. The country's largest lake, Lake Aary, is situated in the northeast quadrant of the province. In addition to the Euphrates River, the Forest Province is home to a large system of shallow lakes and waterways in the western Forest of Eden. A small region of plains lies along the northern coast.

Jungle Province
Main article: Jungle Province

The Jungle Province, located on the west coast of the country, is the largest province by area. It is a large and sparsely populated wilderness, almost entirely covered in a lush tropical rainforest, with dozens of lakes and river systems. Despite satellite imagery and extensive mapping of the coast, much of the interior remains unexplored. The province contains both the northernmost and southernmost points in the United Island, as well as the westernmost point. It is bounded by Balaam Province and the city-state of Staufenberg to the east. The largest island in the country, Puma Island, is situated just off the west coast of the Jungle Province.

Federal District
Main article: Federal District

The Federal District is not technically a province, but an administrative municipality located on the east coast of the country, designed to keep the capital, Island City, nonpartisan among the provinces. It is almost entirely a large, flat beach, with patches of plains near the western border. The District is bounded by the National River to the north, the Eastern Province to the west, and surrounded by the Ocean on all other sides. Much of the southern peninsula of the District is not yet urbanized.

Government
The government of the United Island can be classified as a presidential constitutional democracy. MayorSamuel currently serves as president of the nation and Speaker of the United Island Congress. The Congress, which was formed on December 19, 2016, consists of seven members who can propose new laws and vote on those propositions. If a proposition receives majority vote, it is added to the United Island Book of Law and becomes national law. As of February 9, 2017, twenty-four propositions have been proposed, seventeen of which remain national law. Since December 28, Congress convenes in the United Island Government Center in Island City.

Religion
Historically, religion in the United Island has been dominated by the New Church of Bailey, otherwise known as Bailism, since its origin on December 18, 2016. Bailism remained the official religion of the nation from its founding until December 29, when Proposition XVII banned the government from establishing any national religion. Since then, public opinion of the New Church of Bailey has been in steady decline. Still, the majority of Islanders identify with the Bailist faith. Atheists and the nonreligious form the second-largest religious group (or lack thereof), accounting for nearly the remainder of Islanders. Significantly less widespread religions in the country include Tribalism and the Neoreligious Unity Committee.

Religion by player
This is a list of players, active and inactive, sorted by the religion with which they most recently identified.

Cities

 * Big River, Delta Province
 * Brownfeather, Eastern Province
 * Eden, Forest Province
 * Havana, Jungle Province
 * Horseland, Eastern Province
 * Hutt's Canopy, Jungle Province
 * Island City, Federal District
 * Jungle Village, Jungle Province
 * North Eden, Eastern Province
 * Slothville, Eastern Province
 * Sýnoros, Forest Province
 * Tesla, Eastern Province

Updated February 17, 2017