Java Republic

Java is part of the Verde Commonwealth

Java Republic
Constituent Republic of Vekllei
Part of the Verde Commonwealth
Capital	Java
Population	514,720
Area	859 km²
Languages	English, Forro, Angolar, Principence
Vekllei Accession	1945, as part of the British Atlantic Territories

The Javan Republic is a constituent republic of Vekllei off the Atlantic coast of central Africa. Its sister republics, Principe and Bioko, are arranged to its northeast, and its closest continental neighbour is Latin Africa to its east. The three islands comprise the eastern grouping of the Verde Commonwealth.

Java is roughly oval in shape and its interior is dominated by tall volcanic mountains. The slopes of these mountains are heavily forested, and form microclimates of considerable biodiversity. The island is bisected by the equator, and is typically tropical and maritime.

The island was the site of the Portuguese colonial sugar economy in the 15th Century, which exploited enslaved African labour from Central Africa. The decline of this industry was supplemented by the expansion of the Portuguese slave trade. The rise of cacao production in the 19th Century coincided with the abolishment of slavery in Portugal, but it resulted in little practical improvement in the working conditions in the plantation system, which was dominated by indentured labour. The island was infamous for the brutality of its foreign and absentee plantation owners, and conditions only worsened upon Portugal’s entry into the Second World War. After the war, the islands were ceded to the United Kingdom, and working conditions saw some improvement.

Today, Java has had perhaps the most dramatic transformation in the postwar period. Although financial aid was common during the Atlantic Commonwealth period, the federal Vekllei system has invested heavily in infrastructure and education. The island is currently undergoing the process of federalisation, and has yet to transfer to the moneyless system of the rest of the country. Major land reform, and a sweeping urban renewal project managed by the Bureau of Public Works hopes to see Java reach near-parity with the Verde Commonwealth by 2070.

Javan culture has deep roots in the lusophone African continent, and those bonds persist today. Although English is taught as a working language in schools, the majority language is Forro, a kind of Portuguese creole shared with other East Verde islands. The majority live in the capital, also called Java, where the cacao industry makes up the majority of exports. Under federalisation, the labour-intensive cacao plantation system is declining and being replaced by undersea hydrocarbons and utilities targeting the Central and West African markets.

Javans are mostly African or mixed-race, and are typically Roman Catholics. Many others come from the western islands of the Verde Commonwealth. Soccer is unquestionably the national sport, and there are dozens of teams within Java. Passenger rail service has just started operation between the capital and the town of Ordella.