The Waves

The Waves, officially the Republic of The Waves (Creole: Ty Republik o’ty Onja), is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The seven island country, whose capital is Rockington, lies 1,800 kilometres (1185 miles) east of mainland Southeast Africa. Other nearby island countries and territories include Zanzibar to the west, Comoros, Mayotte, Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius to the south and Seychelles to the north.

Known for its beaches, coral reefs, diving, nature reserves and rare wildlife, The Waves is a major tourist hub, connected to the world by four international airports and home to The Agian Mountain Range, rainforests of the San Agia and El Caldero National Parks and white-sand beaches including Silverbay and Infiesta.

The Waves, with a population of 12,403,126, has the 27th largest population of any African state and is a member of the African Union

Etymology:
The islands were named ‘The Waves’ for the unusual shape of San Agia, the country’s largest island.

  

Topography
ABC

Geology
ABC

Flora and fauna
Like Madagascar, The Waves' isolation from other land masses has led to the evolution of animal species absent on neighbouring continents.

Lemurs are found in abundance in the San Juan and South San Luis National Parks.

As part of the islands’ town twinning scheme, The Waves Conservation Foundation has worked closely with Monterey Aquarium, California on an initiative on the Northshore coast to introduce southern sea otters to The Waves. This was officially launched in October 2009 after a coastal kelp forest had been established over the previous nine years.

A number of other mammals, including the Golden Serval (the islands’ national animal) known by islanders as the ‘cougar’ and the Agian Fossa, are indigenous to The Waves. Over 2000 species of birds have been recorded on the island including various species of hornbill, of which, Agian yellow-billed hornbill is the islands’ national bird. Fruit bats

Fish: inhabiting the islands’ surrounding waters and bays as well as freshwater lakes and rivers. Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin. Indian Mackerel, Grey Mullet, Red Snapper, shellfish (crab, prawn), octopus.

Protected areas
The San Juan National Park occupies the central and north-western part of the island of San Juan and is the largest protected area of the islands. The park consists of tropical rainforest, coastal forest, marshland, and mangrove.

ABC is a protected Rawona town on their native San Juan.

Climate
The combination of south-eastern trade winds and north-western monsoons produces a hot rainy season (November–April) with frequent but relatively non-destructive tornadoes and mesocyclones, and a relatively cooler dry season (May–October). Rain clouds originating over the Indian Ocean discharge much of their moisture over the island's eastern coast; the heavy precipitation supports the area's rainforest ecosystem.

First human settlement
The Waves was uninhabited throughout most of early recorded history. The close relationship between Agian Creole and Old Malay and Old Javanese languages of this period would suggest that Austronesian seafarers from Maritime Southeast Asia were the first to visit the uninhabited islands. It is thought that Malays from Borneo eventually settled on Madagascar between 400 and 500 AD. Arab navigators, on trading voyages across the Indian Ocean, visited of the islands, although they did not settle in any great numbers. Arabs were trading the highly valued coco de mer nuts, found only in Seychelles and The Waves, long before European discovery of the islands. By 1000 AD, the original Austronesian settlers had mixed with Bantus (from Mozambique and Tanzania) and Arabs, amongst others and an Agian identity had developed.

Chiefdom of Agia
The earliest records of what is now regarded as The Waves’ indigenous population date back to the reign of the final Grand Chief of the islands - Chief Rawona - and the subsequent division of chiefdom in the 16th century. Upon the death of Chief Rawona, his chiefdom was divided into the seven islands for each of his sons - Hanoba, Panaka, Ulabi, Utumi, Olaya, Jasamba and Nakao. These are now the native names for islands and form the demonyms for the remaining indigenous peoples of the chiefdom. The period before British arrival to the islands is known as the Chiefdom Era.

European arrival
The earliest recorded sighting by Europeans took place in 1506 by the Portuguese Admiral Vasco da Gama. His navigator, Ahmad ibn Mājid, had incorrectly identified the islands as the Comoros Islands, which they had visited the previous year, and being deterred by San Luis’s perilous rocky shores, it was decided that they would not land.

The earliest recorded European landing was in March 1602, by the crew of the flyboat Fortuna under Captain Rockington (1560-1621) during the First Voyage of the English East India Company led by Sir James Lancaster, whose fleet would travel on to the Nicobars, Aceh, Sumatra and Java – a voyage for which Lancaster received a knighthood from the newly-crowned King James I. Rockington’s arrival was met with great hospitality from the population of the local chiefdom, who welcomed the tired sailors with fresh water and a feast of fish, coconuts, birds, turtles and giant tortoises. Many of the crew were suffering from a vitamin C deficiency, known as scurvy, for which the local medical practitioner prescribed and supplied a puree of baobab and mango. Rockington and his crew remained on the islands for 17 months, in which time, the captain was introduced to, and received courteously by, all seven tribal chiefs. The Waves became an unofficial protectorate of England during James I’s reign and landings on the islands by English merchant fleets, as well as English naval ships, were regular. Trade between English merchant ships and the native communities, particularly sugar exported to England, was extensive in the 17th Century and as a result, the development of infrastructure, culture and language over this period as widespread throughout the islands. Various attempts by French, Portuguese and Dutch fleets to conquer the islands were thwarted by fierce collective responses from all seven chiefdoms, with the support of English merchant traders, naval sailors and privateers.

A transit point for trade between Africa and Asia, the islands were regularly used by pirates until the British took control and official administration in 1659 when a Stone of Possession was laid on San Luis by Captain Alfred Fairfax (1611-1682). The islands were named ‘The Waves’ for the unusual shape of San Agia, the country’s largest island. Towards the end of the 17th century, pirates arrived in the Indian Ocean from the Caribbean and made a base in both Madagascar and The Waves, from where they preyed upon vessels approaching and leaving the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, as well as trade ships travelling between India and such East Africa ports as Mombasa and Mogadishu. The Pirate Round. Down west coast of Africa. Under Cape of Good Hope. Through Mozambique Channel.

The Waves were an ideal location for intercepting and raiding Mughal trade ships, especially the lucrative traffic between Surat and Mecca, carrying Muslim voyagers on the Haj pilgrimage. Other pirates struck toward the Malabar and Coromandel coasts to rob Mughal merchants or richly laden East Indiamen. Pirates also might find East Indiamen at Réunion Island.

Spain contested control over the islands between 1794 and 1810. Jerimiah A. Smith (1765-1833), British administrator of The Waves during the years of war with the Spain, declined to resist when armed enemy warships arrived. Instead, he successfully negotiated the status of nonalignment to Britain which gave the settlers a privileged position of neutrality. The Waves eventually assumed independence and full control, formalised in 1814 at the Treaty of Paris, with Smith becoming the first Chief Minister of The Waves.

The Argentine Declaration of Independence (1816) allowed for Argentine nationals to settle on The Waves. With this great influx of Argentine nationals arriving to The Waves, population expansion of the early 19th century was rapid. This growing diversity accounts for the Hispanic names of many settlements.

Scramble for Africa. 1881 to 1914. Due to international treaties, The Waves remained unaffected by the invasion, colonization and annexation suffered by mainland African states.

Resting place of British Explorer Kingsley Solomon Bryson (1850-1919).

Upon the British conquering Italian East Africa (1941) (modern day Somalia and Eritrea), many Italian nationals returned to Italy or traveled to Australia and USA, however The Waves’ neutrality, and offer of Italian settlement, allowed for Italians to gain residency in the islands. There has been a large Italian contingent on the islands ever since.

The Republic of The Waves
ABC

Population
ABC

Ancestry
ABC

Languages
The official and most widely spoken language is English, however, Spanish is also broadly spoken. Agian Creole, similar to Malagasy, amalgamates English with Austronesian languages, and is taught in numerous schools and spoken by many inhabitants, particularly in rural areas.

Religion
The Waves, uniquely for the island countries of the Indian Ocean, is a reasonably secular country. There is no official religion in The Waves, however, approximately one fifth of the country's population practice traditional religion that focuses on deities, nature and the continued presence of ancestors. Almost 10% of inhabitants are Christian, with Protestantism slightly outnumbering Roman Catholicism. Today, many Christians integrate their religious beliefs with traditional ones related to honouring the ancestors. Islam is also practiced on the island. Islam was first brought to the island by Arab and Somali Muslim traders, who established several Islamic schools in San Agia and San Diego. While the Arabic culture would spread across the island, the Islamic religion failed to take hold in all but a handful of communities. Today, Muslims constitute 6% of the population of The Waves and are largely concentrated in coastal communities of San Agia, San Diego and San Pedro. The vast majority of Muslims are Sunni and the central hub of Islam in The Waves is Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim Islamic Centre – which incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian and earlier Mughal architecture. The mosque was built, almost entirely of red sandstone and white marble imported from India, in 1784. More recently, Hinduism was introduced to The Waves through Gujarati people arriving from the Indian subcontinent. Many Hindus in The Waves speak Gujarati or Hindi at home; however, it is rare that English is not spoken fluently.

Taxation
ABC

Cost of living
ABC

Cuisine
Local food blends influences from Africa, India, South America and Europe, resulting in a unique, diverse culture. Agian cuisine is largely based on rice, vegetables, and meats. Traditional Agian meals consist of steamed, fried or boiled rice accompanied by number of side dishes. Commonly used ingredients include coconut, salt, garlic, ginger, chilli, lemongrass and cinnamon.

Agian coconut nougat, known on the islands as Turrón de Coco, is confectionery made with sugar, honey and egg whites and coconut. Various other kinds of nougat are also widely eaten.

Customs and etiquette
ABC

Agian mythology
ABC

Literature
ABC

Music
ABC

Broadcasting
The Waves has several local public television channels, WBC 1, 2 and 3, the three core channels of The Waves Broadcasting Corporation and also three local private channels; W4, Télé Kréol, broadcasted predominantly in Agian creole and Agia24. The Waves also receives British, Italian and Argentine channels from these countries. Satellite and cable services are also available.

The islands have several local public radio stations, such as RadioWave, Agia FM, Route 7 and San Luis Sounds. BBC broadcasts are also received from Britain.

Newspapers
The three main daily newspapers are the Waves Daily, the Daily Despatch and the Agian Chronicle, dedicated to local government views and current affairs and topics. Foreign newspapers and magazines are readily available in most bookshops and newsagents. The papers are mostly written in English and Agian Creole. Waves Life is an Agian glossy magazine published by Matthews & Gaspari Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is directed towards the Agian upper-middle class, and those interested in society events. It was founded in 1922 by Albert Matthews and Piero Gaspari. Wave Life also has editions in Agian creole.

Tourism:
The Waves Concours d'Elegance is the most prestigious motor show on the islands, exhibiting some of the most exotic domestic and foreign cars The Waves has to offer. The event, held in Rockington Hills, San Agia, is used as a charity fundraiser with over 10,000 spectators attending each year.

The San Agia International Film Festival is an annual film festival that has been held in Rockington Hills, San Agia every June since 1964.

Onjas World is a theme park complex in Lugano, Santa Maria which comprises the theme park itself as well as two hotels, and a leisure and retail centre including shopping, dining, and entertainment facilities. The park is serviced by the Onjas World Station.

Health:
Health in the Waves

Public schools
Public schools

Private schools
Private schools

Colleges and universities
Colleges and universities

Political system
ABC

Local government
ABC

Politics
The Waves is part of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and the Commonwealth of Nations. The politics of The Waves take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, in which the President is the head of state and the Chief Minister is the head of government who is assisted by the Council of Ministers. The Waves has a multi-party system.

The President functions as a ceremonial figurehead, elected by the National Assembly, as set out by the Constitution of The Waves. The current office-holder is Francesco Pierno (1954-). The President's official residence is the State House.

The Chief Minister is the head of government of the Republic of The Waves. He presides over the Council of Ministers which advises the President of the Republic and is held to account by The National Assembly. The current Chief Minister is Alberto Russell (1968-). The official residence of the Chief Minister during his term in office is Rockington House. The Chief Minister's Office is located in Parliament Green, between Downtown Rockington and Upper Rockington.

The National Assembly is made up of 40 members who are elected by their representative district.

Conservative Democratic Party (CDP) is a centre-right political liberal-conservative party.

National People’s Party (NPP) is a centre-left social-democratic party.

United Liberal Party (ULP) is a social liberal party form in 1982 formed in a merger of the Islands’ two liberal parties – The National Liberal Party (NLP) and The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)

The Waves Revenue Service is responsible for the collection of taxes, the payment of state support, and the administration of employment and wage regulations.

Law and criminal justice
The Waves’ legal system is based on English common law.

The Waves has a four-level legal system. The lowest level courts on The Waves are the Maiden Courts. Appeals are made to either the District Courts or the Magistrates Courts. Appeals from the District or Magistrate Courts are made to the High Court of The Waves. Final appeals are made to the Court of Appeal of The Waves.

Maiden, District and Magistrate judges are appointed by the Minister for Justice of The Waves, and for those of the High Court and the Court of Appeal are appointed by the Chief Minister of The Waves.

The Agian Home Forces (AHF) is a division of the Agian Military that is empowered by the Agian Government to enforce law, protect property, and limit civil disorder within The Waves and its surrounding waters. The forces consist of the police force, the ranger force and the sea patrol. The Commander-in-Chief is the Chief Minister of The Waves, while operational command is taken by the Grand General of the Home Forces of The Waves, a position currently held by César-Auguste Andreoli. In case of emergency, any civilian in The Waves can contact the AHF by dialling 555 from any telephone. The service is headquartered in ABC, San ABC.

The Waves National Police Service (WNPS) is the civilian national police force responsible for law enforcement in The Waves. The WPNS has significant responsibilities such as co-ordinating and leading on counter-terrorism matters and protection of senior parliamentary, excluding that of the President, who is guarded by a personal army unit - The Presidential Guard or The ‘Paulets’. The overall operational leader of the force is the Inspector General of Police who is answerable to both the Home Office and the Department of Justice. The post of Inspector General was first created in 1825 when the duty was separated from the role of Home Secretary. The post was first held by José Da Costa, who reformed the force from being government enforcers to public servants. With this increased affability came a dramatic fall in crime rates across the islands. The current Inspector General of Police is Biaggio Gardo. The force is headquartered on ABC Street in ABC, San ABC. The two uniforms of the Waves National Police Service are the Combat Uniform, used in operational environments, and the Ceremonial Uniform, worn during formal and official state occasions. Pertaining to each island, the police service is organized into seven primary geographic divisions, each headed by a Chief Superintendent. These are: Samuel Luigi Shellito K-9 Unit (Patrol trained German Shepherds, narcotics and explosive detection trained Labrador Retrievers and Bloodhounds. Dive Team (SCUBA). Bomb Squad. Tactical Unit (SWAT). Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Criminal Intelligence Unit, Serious Crime.
 * Chief Superintendent of San Agia:
 * Chief Superintendent of San Luis: Henintsoa Pereyra Díaz
 * Chief Superintendent of Santa Maria: Iselín Chazarreta
 * Chief Superintendent of San Juan: Giorgio Virgili
 * Chief Superintendent of San Pedro: Joanne Morley
 * Chief Superintendent of San Diego: Rogelio Hogg
 * Chief Superintendent of St Ignacio: Oscar Olmi

The Waves National Police Service uses the following ranks:

Inspector General Chief Superintendent Superintendent Inspector Sergeant Corporal Constable Cadet

The National Sea Patrol (NSP) is the military’s maritime tasked with maritime law enforcement operations, with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters. It operates under the Agian Home Forces and is commanded by Patrol Commandant, Fabio Gago. The service is headquartered in ABC, San ABC with various stations positioned around the coast of the islands. The two uniforms of the Agian Army are the Combat Uniform, used in operational environments, and the Ceremonial Uniform, worn during formal and official state occasions.

The National Ranger Force (NRF) is charged with protecting and preserving areas of the islands’ National Parks. The aims of the National Rangers are the conservation, search and rescue and stewardship of the islands’ park. The current Chief of the National Ranger Force is Harry Pérez. The service is headquartered in ABC, San ABC. The two uniforms of the Agian Ranger Force are the Duty Uniform, used in operational environments, and the Ceremonial Uniform, worn during formal and official state occasions.

According to the 2012 Global Peace Index, The Waves is one of the world's most peaceful countries due to its low crime rate and high level of socio-political stability.