Karu Republic

Karu is part of Vekllei Kalina

Karu Republic
Constituent Republic of Vekllei
Part of the Kalina Commonwealth
Capital	Pitera
Population	2,246,392
Area	230 km²
Languages	English, French, Antillean Creole
Vekllei Accession	1930, as part of the Alford Agreement

The Karu Republic is a constituent republic of Vekllei in the Caribbean. Shaped like a butterfly, the republic comprises two main islands known as Grande Terre and Basse Terre, meaning “great” and “low lands” respectively. A number of other islands of various sizes surround these two. The republic is south of Antigua and Allia in the Commonwealth Kalina island chain, just north of Kabuli.

The island was home to Island Caribs when Columbus discovered it in the late 15th Century, but the Spanish never colonised it. The French arrived in 1653 and named in ‘Karu,’ from a diminuitive version of the Arawak word “Karukera,” meaning island of beautiful waters. The republic lives up to its name, and is famous for its spectacular scenery including volcanic peaks, dazzling wildflowers and waterfalls. The island remained a French colony until just after the Second World War, when it independence movements triumphed and Karu joined the West Indies Federation. It followed the rest of the federation in the uniting with the British Atlantic Territories in 2020, forming Vekllei.

Although English now accompanies French as the medium of instruction, most Karuns speak French or Creole day-to-day. The island is home to a rich, French-Carib fusion culture that is very exotic to many Vekllei people and the island is a popular place of pilgrimage for domestic tourists seeking to tour the country. It is famous for its rum and food, and has a reputation as a land of drink and dancing. Local girls wear a kind of madras costume known as madras et foulard, and both Afro-Carib Jazz and Rumba are popular in clubs.

Most Karuns are Creole of white and black ancestry, but there is also a substantial Karun Mestizo population (French-East Asian) along with Europeans and Tamils. The vast majority are Roman Catholics. They have an easygoing culture, and the republic is not particularly industrious for its size. The Karu economy is dominated by municipal goods and smallholdings, light agriculture, and services. The capital of Pitera has a historic public workshop district that allows local artisans to prototype products in the automatic schema format. The islands of Karu produce a great many tropical fruits and drinks, including bananas and cocoa. A lot of local agriculture simply supplements the commons economy and represents a local food source.

There is a campus of the Commonwealth Univesity of the West Indies, but more ambitious students often seek to study in Antigua directly. There are a number of unusual facilities on Basse Terre, including a gravity research complex of the ASRE and the Karu Research Hospital, specialising in tropical diseases. The capital of Pitera is trim and pretty, and with nearly two million inhabitants, very busy.

Trains link the two main islands, and ferry services leave regularly for the peripheral islands and archipelagos. There is an airport outside of the capital, and most large towns are serviced by trams or intercity local railways in the Vekllei fashion. Visitors should start in the capital, where Hotel Meridian has a fine grounds and golf course, before embarking for a series of local inns across the islands in the contemporary tradition.

Public Holidays:

• New Year’s Day 1 Jan
• Mardi Gras Feb
• Easter Monday
• Commonwealth Day 1 May
• Ascension Day
• Whit Monday
• Republic Day 14 Jul
• Assumption Day 15 Aug
• All Saints Day 1 Nov
• Armistice Day 1 Nov
• Christmas Day 25 Dec