Wikihood/Places/Pulau Syurga

The Republic of Pulau Syurga
Lavoro, famiglia, patria
Official government type	Officially a Republic, in reality a Dictatorship
Religions	Majority: Roman Catholicism Minority: Islam, Traditional Folk Religion, Elven Traditional Practice
Economic model	State Capitalism
Formal title of the head of state	Generalissimo
Known heads of state	Agostino Torratz
Location in the world	South-East Asia
Area (sea included)	150,364 km2
Climate zones	Tropical
Top 3 industries	Oil Tourism Mythril Mining
Currency	Syurgan Lira
Population	22,724,592
Allies and partners	North Syllahona, United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Israel, European Union
Opposition	South Syllahona, Iran, Russia, Syria, Palestine

Pulau Syurga, officially the Republic of Pulau Syurga is a country located in South East Asia in the Indian Ocean, west of Indonesia and south of India and Sri Lanka. Pulau Syurga is a military dictatorship which is ruled by the despotic Generalissimo Agostino Torratz.

History

Portuguese Syurga (1521 - 1882)

In 1520, Portuguese admiral Maximino Costa, working under the orders of King Manuel I of Portugal, sailed to the islands of Pulau Syurga in order to establish a trading post which would allow easy access to Indian goods. After arriving at the port city of Luporna, Costa and his crew were initially welcomed by King Darma of Luporna. Trouble arose a month after, however, when disputes between a member of Costa's crew and a Syurgan trader turned violent and lead to the death of the Portuguese sailor. As a result, King Darma forced the expulsion of Costa and his crew.

A year later, in 1521, Costa returned, with a crew of 2100 and a fleet of twenty-five ships. Portuguese troops stormed the city of Luporna, and after a month of fighting, the city fell to the Portuguese. King Darma was taken prisoner after he surrendered, but he was subsequently executed a week later on the charge of "attempted insurrection." Over the following months, Portuguese troops moved throughout the island nation, crushing all forms of resistance they could find. By the end of 1521, Portugal had assimilated Pulau Syurga into its empire. Despite a series of revolts by the native population, military challenges from the Dutch East India Trading Company, and repeated raids on the port city by Chinese pirates, Portugal kept its grip on Pulau Syurga for 361 years.

Portuguese control of Pulau Syurga ended on 1882 as the empire suffered a series of declines as it lost vital territories in South America and Africa. Seeing the colony as a waste of money to maintain, Portugal sold Pulau Syurga to the Italian Empire.

Italian Syurga (1882 - 1943)

From 1882 to 1943, Syurga was under the control of Italy. Unlike Portugal, which saw Syurga as a trading post, the Italian Government saw it as a settler colony and encouraged Italian civilians to settle. Under the Italian Empire, Syurga went through a period of rapid "Italianization," where the Italian language was forced upon the native populations, and cities were rebuilt in Italian styles of architecture. Italian farmers settled in new villages in the countryside, and urban centers were rapidly industrialized.

Italian occupation saw great resistance from native Syurgans. As Italian forces expelled native populations from their homes to make room for Italian settlers, guerilla groups fought back, targeting government officials and civilians in a long line of assassinations, kidnappings, assaults, and attacks. Fighting intensified after the accession to power in Italy of the dictator Benito Mussolini. Under a period of "pacification," resistance to Italian rule was violently crushed and the government instituted a policy of Syurgan-Italian integration.

Not all Syurgans opposed Italian control, however. The Battaglione di Syurga fought on behalf of Italy during the Second World War. During the war, anti-imperialist sentiments rose, and with Italian attention in Europe, the Syurgan National Front arose to resume the period of resistance which had been crushed a decade earlier. With Allied backing, the Syurgan National Front launched a series of attacks on Italian administrative centres with the assistance of the Soviet-backed Communist Party.

After the surrender of Italy to the allies in 1943, and the establishment of the German puppet state in North Italy, Syurga was cut off from its Italian administration. Shortly afterward, the colony was occupied by Japan.

Japanese Syurga (1943 - 1945)

At the point of Japanese invasion and occupation, Syurga was in a state of total war. Syurgan resistance fighters and Italian partisans fought against Japanese invaders, while Italian fascists and Syurgan loyalists aided the Japanese. Under Japanese occupation, urban centres were heavily fortified and civilians were moved into detention camps. As the Syurgan National Front and the Syurgan Communist Party battled against Japanese forces, tens of thousands of Syurgans in the camps suffered starvation, slave labor, and oppression.

Syurga was torn apart by fighting; and in upon liberation by US forces and Japanese surrender in 1945, it was left in absolute disarray as it was independent for the first time since 1521.

Post-War Stability (1945 - 1952)

Upon declaration of independence in August 1945, the Syurgan National Front took power. Raharjo, leader of the National Front was appointed as the first president of the Republic of Pulau Syurga. Raharjo gained fame during the Second World War as one of the most prolific and valiant resistance fighters, and gained the reputation of a folk legend through tales of his heroic endeavors. Raharjo was a unifying figure who appealed to all across the spectrum, and gained the support of people of differing ethnic, religious, political, and linguistic backgrounds as the father of the nation.

President Raharjo governed Pulau Syurga as a democratic nation which had a government which consisted of various parties. Despite ideological differences, the Syurgan National Front and the Syurgan Communist Party had been able to cooperate in this early period of independence.

Civil War (1952 - 1955)

On June 6th, 1951, President Raharjo died suddenly at the age of 43. He was immediately succeeded by his Vice President, Limantoro Torratz. Unlike his predecessor, President Torratz did not care for national unity. After purging the old National Front leadership, Torratz passed a series of reforms to increase the level of federal government control. On January 3rd, 1952, Communist troops, backed by the Soviet Union, attempted to launch a coup against Torratz's government, which was countered by the military.

With the support of the CIA and MI6, Torratz used the military to launch an anti-communist purge in response to the coup attempt. This led to a series of gruesome massacres and a period of civil unrest which eventually claimed the lives of over a million people. What followed was a period of civil war, where Western-backed nationalist troops fought against Soviet-backed Communist insurgents.

The war ended on April 1955, resulting in a victory for President Torratz's troops. Torratz, a former freedom fighter in the fight for independence, dissolved the title of President and established a new position as the Supreme Leader of the Republic.

1955 to Present

Under the rule of Limantoro Torratz, Pulau Syurga went through a period of modernization as he financed upgrades to the nation's infrastructure. Despite his strict control over the nation's government, under Torratz's leadership, Pulau Syurga saw a rapidly growing economy and a strong level of support from a majority of the population. Limantoro and his wife, Italian-born Franchesca Torratz, became national figures who were known for their lavish and extravagant lifestyle. Allegations of corruption were present, but media criticism was quickly stomped out by the government.

Under Limantoro Torratz, Pulau Syurga enjoyed strong relations with the west, which included the trade of natural resources and various consumer goods. During the Cold War, the Republic of Pulau Syurga was seen by the West as a shining beacon against Communism.

On March 17th, 1988, Limantoro Torratz died at the age of 69. Succeeding him was his son, Agostino Torratz.

Agostino Torratz lacks the charisma of his father and is noted to be twice as cruel. Under the rule of Generalissimo Torratz, Pulau Syurga is considered a hotbed of political corruption and human rights abuses which include allegations of murder and torture against the leader himself. Torratz's regime has been accused of the disappearance of over 6000 political dissidents, the murders of over 4500, and the torture of 60,000.

Despite international criticism and sanctions, Agostino Torratz keeps close control over the nation of Pulau Syurga, and rules over it with an iron fist. In the rapidly developing world of the 21st century, who knows what lies in the nation's future?

Language

Pulau Syurga's official spoken languages are Malay, English, and Italian. Malay and English are the most widely spoken, with Italian being common mainly among the older population. The language of business, government, and education is English. Pulau Syurga's constitution is also written in English.

More than 400 languages are spoken in Pulau Syurga. Many of these are spoken by Indigenous ethnic groups, but also minority groups such as Mandarin, Hindi, Common Elvish, and Deep Speech.

Ethnicity

Pulau Syurga is an incredibly ethnically diverse country, due to its long history of trade and immigration. It is a human-majority nation. The largest human ethnic group are the native Syurgans, who make up 40% of the population. This is followed by a 15.5% Eurasian and 10% European population. Other large populations include Chinese, Indians, Malaysians, Indonesians, and Filipinos.

Pulau Syurga also has a prominent elven population, which is concentrated mainly in the urban areas, especially the capital city of Luporna. The country notably has a small community of North Syllahonans, due to its special relationship with North Syllahona.