Benahoare Republic

Benahoare is a constituent republic of Atlantic Commonwealth.

Benahoare Republic
Island of La Palma
Constituent Republic of Vekllei
Part of the Atlantic Commonwealth
Capital	Tedote
Population	125,064
Area	708.32 km²
Languages	English, Portuguese, Canarii Benahoarita
Vekllei Accession	2020, as part of the Canary Delegation

The Benahoare Republic is a constituent republic of Vekllei in the Atlantic Ocean, at the western reach of the Canary archipelago. Its central and most distinctive geographic feature is a massive cauldron, and the southern half of the island contains a range of active volcanos. The island is roughly pear-shaped, and densely forested with Canari Pines.

Benahoare is an ancient civilisation at a confluence of continents and culture. It was known to early Portuguese navigators as La Palma, but retains its melodious Canarii name in today in the Commonwealth period. The island stands as a fine example of the remarkable cultural synthesis found throughout the Atlantic Commonwealth, and when the Treaty of Tordesillas drew its fateful line through the Canary archipelago in 1494, it inadvertently preserved one of Europe’s most sophisticated indigenous civilisations.

The Benahoaritas had spent centuries trading pottery, goat cheese and intricate basketwork with Berber merchants from the Moroccan coast. Like other Canariis they arrived there some 1,500 years ago from the Sahara, and are closely related to the Berbers of Northwest Africa. Over time, they developed a complex society that established strong connections with North African commercial networks. Their terraced agricultural systems, still visible today cascading down the volcanic slopes, supported a population that grew steadily over succeeding centuries.

Portuguese colonisation arrived in 1585, at first following the lusotropicalist model developed in Goa rather than the harsh extraction typical of the Guinea coast. The Benahoaritas’ existing syncretic Catholic influences, acquired through centuries of Moroccan trade connections, was encouraged and eased their integration into Portuguese imperial Christianity while prohibiting Islamic worship introduced by the North Africans.

The island is home to a number of unique religious practices, including the famous “whistling masses” conducted partially in the ancient Silbo Benahoarita language that carries across mountain valleys. Benahoaritas still carry a lot of North African influence in their customs and costumes – elaborately embroidered headscarves and flowing robes that serve both practical and ceremonial purposes, worn with silver jewellery that betrays unmistakably Berber influences in its geometric patterns.

The local economy thrives on specialised agriculture – the famous Benahoare bananas, grown on precipitous terraces passed down through forty generations – as well as the physical sciences and astronomy. The capital, Tedote, is small for the Canaries but has a splendid new Commonwealth University campus nearby. It also serves as a gateway to the villages and homesteads that fringe the island’s famous volcanic cauldron.

There is a rail line that circles most of the coast operated by the Benahoare Railway Company, and another that follows the mountain range and cauldron. The republic is a sublime hiking destination and has countless trails through its valleys, ranges and pine forests. Most visitors to the island come for these walks. Ferries link the island to the rest of the archipelago.

Benahoaritas speak a dialect of Canarii in day-to-day life, supplemented by Silbo whistling where necessary and English at work and school. Portuguese is commonly spoken in households, and contributes many loanwords to their Canarii dialect.

Climate

Somewhat mediterranean, arid and cloudier than most of the other canaries.

Public Holidays

• New Year’s Day 1 Jan
• Epiphany 6 Jan
• Republic Day 6 Feb
• Good Friday
• Easter
• Commonwealth Day 1 May
• Canary Day 8 Jun
• Our Lady of the Snows Day 5 Aug
• Assumption Day 15 Aug
• All Saints Day 1 Nov
• Feast of Imm. Con. 8 Dec
• Christmas Day 25 Dec