Malacos
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Sovereign State of Malacos  Capital: Arbac
Population: 1,102,000 (2020) Motto: Viridis insulae de mercatura ac divitea |
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Malacos, officially the Sovereign State of Malacos and sometimes known as the Trader Republic of Malacos, is an island country in the western Asperic Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Latina and TA111, and contains the largest island (Malacos proper) in the Maloccan Islands, which are shared between Malacos and Latina. The islands are very diverse in geography, with a tropical climate. The country, which is composed of 9 main islands, covers 3680.553 km² (1421.069 mi²) with a population of approximately 1.1 million inhabitants. The country is dominated by the trading port of Arbac, which is the capitaland to a lesser extent the city of Cessarack on the north coast. The state has a long history of merchant trade, and is controlled by two trading councils in Arbac and Cessarack composed of major trading families, all of which have roots dating back over a century. The council is Arbac has supremacy over the council in Cessarack, and elects a new Consul each year. The Consul serves as the head of state, but lacks significant power without the backing of the council(s). As a former Ingerish colony, Malacos is part of the Ingerish Commonwealth (IC).
Malacos was inhabited by a now-vanished indigenous population of small size until the early 5th century, when they were killed by a combination of internal warfare and the arrival of the Hellanesians. Malacos had been known to Hellanesians, the Romantians, and the Mazanic since the late 4th century, and the Hellanesians established a small trade colony on the island from around 505 to 703, when the Mazanic invasion of Arion resulted in the abandoment of the settlement, which had not been extensive. A hurricane in 720 killed any remaining settlers until the Ingerish used it as a port on the way to the Lyc and South Archanta in the early 1500s. Slaves (and later, indentured workers) and Ingerish populated the island, centering around the populous port town of Arbac in the south. Early on, powerful merchants and those wishing to become one travelled to Malacos to make their fortune. Those that were successful formed the first Trader's Council in 1582, in Arbac. The council in Cessarack followed in 1647. Despite initially being private organizations, the councils became powerful enough to exert control over the Ingerish Consul assigned to the territory. The influence of the councils was such that the Ingerish government was forced to grant them partial governance of the territory for fear that the council's would declare independence and deprive Ingrea of valuable goods. Throughout the 18th century, the councils gained further power as Malacos became increasingly important and more populous. The increase in population brought new traders, some of whom were successful enough to demand membership on the councils, which was reluctantly granted. There were two main waves of new trader arrivals and acessions to the councils, in 1745 and 1812. This would lead to factionalism between the two groups that continues to define politics in Malacos today. As ships were able to travel longer distances and other ports that were more connected to trade opened up, the importance of Malacos declined throughout the late 19th century, and so although it did not degrade into total obscurity, it never achieved a level of economic success like Khaiwoon. Malacos gained full independence from Ingrea in 1887. The main language of the island is Ingerish, but because of the diversity introduced to it by the indentured workers and slaves, there is a wide diversity of religions and cultures.
Malacos remains an important trading port, though diminished from its heydey. Fishing and mineral mining are both important industries, and tourism continues to grow in importance. Despite the wealth of the trading families, high inequality means that the country is still developing, though recent years have seen much improvement.
Etymology
The name Malacos is often incorrectly cited as deriving from the Hellanesian Malakós meaning tender or gentle, but it in fact derives from the Ingerish word Malachite, due to the large deposits found on the surface of the island. The Romantians, Hellanesians, and Mazanic all had similar names for the island.