Susla

Sur Isla de San Antonio Սփր Իսլա դե Սան Անտոնիո
Viceroyalty
Flag Coat of arms
Etymology: Southern Island of Saint Antonio
Motto:  Սփր դել Մփնդո / Sur del Mundo (South of the World)
Location of Susla (green) within southern Sur
Country	Creeperopolis
Department	San Juan
Human settlement	c. 4500–3500 BC
Creeperian annexation	28 December 1430
Current status	25 December 1949
Capital and largest city	Punto Sur 53°36′S 67°48′W
Official languages	Creeperian
Ethnic groups	85.57% Creeperian 10.38% Rakeoian 3.19% Sequoyan 0.86% Other
Religion	Creeperian Catholicism
Demonym(s)	Susleño
Government	Viceroyalty
• Viceroy	Mauricio Llano Valera
Area
• Total	935 sq mi (2,420 km2)
Highest elevation	3,921 ft (1,195 m)
Population
• 2020 census	4,282
• Density	4.58/sq mi (1.8/km2)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	CQS₵82,766,778
• Per capita	CQS₵19,329
HDI (2022)	.697 medium
Time zone	AMT–5 (CAS)
Driving side	right
ISO 3166 code	SL
Website	www.susla.gob.cr

Sur Isla de San Antonio (Creeperian script: Սփր Իսլա դե Սան Անտոնիո; Creeperian pronunciation: [suɾ ˈisla ðe san anˈtoɲo]), commonly known by its nickname Susla (Սփսլա; [ˈsusla]) and sometimes referred to as Quinüita (Քփինշիտա; [kinˈwita]), is an island and viceroyalty of Creeperopolis. It is located between the department of Nuevo Amanecer to the west, the department of San Juan to the north, the Senvarian Sea to the east, and the country of Rakeo and the Asequi Strait to the south.

The island was first inhabited by the native Suslans sometime between 4500 and 3500 BC, arriving either from the Surian mainland or from Rakeo. The Creeperans landed on the island in 1430, claiming it for Creeperopolis, and conquered it entirely in 1434, killing almost all of the native Suslans in the process on the orders of Armando Rivera Obregón, the island's first viceroy. The island was invaded in 1460 by Armando Figueroa Rosales as the final battle of the Juañero Civil War fought between rival factions of the ruling class of the Captaincy General of San Juan. Following the fall of the captaincy general to the Empire of Sequoyah in 1518, the island became a refuge for Creeperans fleeing the former captaincy general's territory before returning to Creeperopolis. Susla briefly came under Senvarian control in 1519 before returning to Creeperian control in 1527. The island was used by the Creeperian Navy as an anti-piracy port from 1527 to 1763. In 1838, the Creeperian Armed Forces utilized Susla as a jumping point for the Creeperian invasion of Rakeo, after which, Susla's administration was transfered to the Captaincy General of Rakeo. Upon Rakeo's independence in 1918, Susla remained a part of Creeperopolis which led to a territorial dispute between Creeperopolis and Rakeo over the island's sovereignty. Rakeo relinquished all claims to Susla in 1962 following its defeat to Creeperopolis in the Surian Fishing War.

The viceroyalty of Susla consists of 32 islands and islets. El Punto, the highest point on Susla which reaches an elevation of 3,921 feet (1,195 m), is a part of the Puntos Altos mountain range which spans the middle of the island. Several lakes and rivers are located on Susla, predominantly on the north side of the island. The Vázquez–Luján Recreational Area covers around 20 percent of the island in the southeast. Most of the island's terrestrial life inhabits the Cerro Verde forest and several maritime species inhabit the waters around Susla. The Susleño economy is primarily sustained by tourism and fishing.

Punto Sur, located on the Susla's southern shore, is the viceroyalty's largest and capital city. Four other municipalities are also located on the southern shore and another located on the northern shore. Susleño politics was dominated by right-wing political parties during both the First and Second Parliamentary Eras, and during the post-civil war era, it has been dominated by the far-right Creeperian Initiative, the sole-legal political party in Creeperopolis. Mauricio Llano Valera, a member of the Creeperian Initiative, has served as the viceroy of Susla since 2017. As of 2020, Susla has a population of 4,282, a plurality of whom are military personnel stationed at the Armando Rivera Obregón Military Base.

Etymology

When the Creeperans first landed on the island on 28 December 1430, they named it South San Antonio Island (Creeperian: Sur Isla de San Antonio), as 28 December was the feast day of Antonio the Hermit in Creeperian Catholicism. The island was referred to by this name in official documents, however, during the late-1400s, soldiers stationed on the island gave it the nickname Susla, a portmanteau of the first words in its name, "sur" and "isla". Susla has since become the most common manner to refer to the island due to its popularity among soldiers and due to its brevity, however, the government continues to use the name Sur Isla de San Antonio. The island is also infrequently referred to as simply San Antonio.

The native Suslan name for the island is unknown as there is no consensus. According to a 1895 report published by archeologists and historians funded by the University of Nuevo Xichútepa, one stone carving at the Punto Primero archeological site written in the now-extinct Suslan language dated to the 13th century may infer that the native Suslans referred to the island as kinwita (𛱙𛱖‎𛱘𛱔‎𛱟, literally "the island"), rendered in Creeperian as quinüita. Some historians disagree with the 1895 report; Armando León Guardado, a professor of linguistic studies at the Casa de Martínez University, argued in a 1999 thesis that such a name was not recorded by Creeperian explorers in the 1430s through interactions with the Suslans and that kinwita is not a proper noun.

In Rakeo, Susla is officially referred to as Quinüita. Official usage of Quinüita to refer to Susla originated during the 1950s due to Rakeoian government officials promoting the Dwaashin conspiracy theory which asserted that Rakeoians and Suslans were the descendants of an "extinct, pure Tierrasurian civilization" The Rakeoian government utilized the University of Nuevo Xichútepa's report to justify usage of "Quinüita" as it aligned with the Dwaashinist belief that Creeperans were inferior to Rakeoians and Suslans. Although the Rakeoian government has since abandoned promotion of Dwaashinism, common usage of Quinüita to refer to Susla continues.

History

Early human settlements

Ruins of a 10th century structure at Punto Primero

The earliest humans arrived on the island of Susla sometime between 4500 and 3500 BC. The earliest definitive archeological evidence for human habitation—a burial site of six incomplete skeletons along the northern coast—is dated to around 3600 to 3500 BC. An archeological site, known as Punto Primero, consisting of series of wooden structures, wooden boats, and stone tools has also been found along the northern coast. The site has been dated to around 4500 BC, however, the radiocarbon dating results have not been universally accepted by all archeologists. Modern consensus among archeologists is that the first humans on Susla arrived during the Prehistoric-Creeperian diaspora, however, a minority of archeologists argue that the first humans arrived from modern-day Rakeo.

Little is known about the native Suslans who inhabited the island as they did not have written historical records outside of very few carved inscriptions; the Suslans passed on their history orally, and by the time the Suslans went extinct, almost all of their history was not written down. The Suslans never organized themselves into a centralized state, instead living in an assortment of villages which may have been united under a loose confederation. The Suslan population never exceeded 5,000. It is unknown if the Suslans had regular contact with other people groups before the 300s AD, when the earliest evidence of contact with the Manca—a group of tribals Sequoyans which existed in modern-day Nuevo Amanecer and Eastern Sequoyah—has been identified. The Suslans also maintained contact with Rakeoians, Sequoyans, and possibly the Cheyall throughout the early 2nd millennium due to the island's position between the island of Rakeo and mainland Sur.

Susla genocide

Main article: Susla genocide

On 28 December 1430, a fleet of Creeperian explorers led by Commander Gonzalo Vázquez Luján landed on the island of Susla and named it Sur Isla San Antonio after Saint Antonio the Hermit, whose feast day was on 28 December. Vázquez Luján landed on the island while on a commission by Creeperian King Miguel III to explore, settle, and colonize modern-day Nuevo Amanecer and Eastern Sequoyah. Vázquez Luján claimed the island for Creeperopolis and appointed his second-in-command, Commander Armando Rivera Obregón, as viceroy of San Antonio. When Vázquez Luján left Susla and continued east towards the mainland, Rivera Obregón and a garrison of 50 soldiers remained on the island to trade with the natives and establish a settlement on the island's southern coast which they named Punto del Sur (modern-day Punto Sur).

Armando Rivera Obregón, who ordered the Susla genocide and killed almost all native Suslans

In January 1433, when Vázquez Luján and 100 soldiers set off on an expedition across northern Sequoyah, Rivera Obregón left his position as viceroy of San Antonio to administer the Captaincy General of San Juan in Vázquez Luján's place; Rivera Obregón appointed Pedro Bolívar Castro as interim viceroy. Sometime during 1433, relations between the Creeperans and the native Suslans broke down for unknown reasons resulting in the native Suslans attacking Punto del Sur and killing all 55 Creeperian soldiers and officers in the settlement, including Bolívar Castro. When Rivera Obregón returned to the island in September 1433, he and his fleet came under attack by the Suslans, and he decided to leave the island and return with more soldiers to retake the island.

On 7 April 1434, Rivera Obregón returned to Susla with 400 soldiers and proceeded to indiscriminately attack and kill all the native Suslans in order to repress the population and recapture Punto del Sur. The Creeperans recaptured Punto del Sur by 9 April and had killed around 500 Suslans. Rivera Obregón ordered his soldiers to continue killing Suslans across the island to "completely subjugate" the population, and all of the Suslans' villages across the island had been destroyed by June 1434 and the Suslans were forced to flee to El Punto, the island's highest point. Throughout the rest of 1434, the Creeperans continued to kill as many native Suslans as they could find. The mass killings of Suslans has since been described as a genocide and resulted in the almost complete extermination of the native Suslans. Modern estimates list the death toll of the 1434 massacres as around 5,000 killed. Pockets of Suslan survivors who took refuge in the interior Puntos Altos mountain range continued to engage in hit-and-run attacks against the Creeperian settlers until the 1490s, when presumably, the final native Suslans died off.

Juañero Civil War

Further information: Juañero Civil War

Rivera Obregón returned to the mainland to administer the Captaincy General of San Juan in January 1435 after Vázquez Luján set off on another expedition. Rivera Obregón appointed Luís Rivera Sánchez, his cousin, as interim viceroy. After Vázquez Luján and his soldiers disappeared and were not located by a search party, Rivera Obregón declared himself the captain general of San Juan (governor) and confirmed Rivera Sánchez as his successor. On 17 April 1457, José Vázquez Valladares, one of Vázquez Luján's illegitimate sons, initiated a war to overthrow Rivera Obregón and become the captain general of San Juan. Rivera Sánchez swore his and Susla's allegiance to Rivera Obregón, however, Rivera Obregón was killed in action on 18 August 1457 during the Battle of Chupas and Vázquez Valladares assumed office as captain general; Rivera Sánchez refused to recognize Vázquez Valladares' authority. After Vázquez Valladares was assassinated on 5 May 1459, Hugo Simán Callejas, one of Rivera Obregón's officers, became captain general and Rivera Sánchez supported Simán Callejas' authority.

Armando Figueroa Rosales, one of Vázquez Valladares' officers, continued to fight Simán Callejas' government. On 19 September 1460, Simán Callejas was killed in action during the Siege of San Juan, resulting in many of his soldiers fleeing the mainland for Susla where Rivera Sánchez offered refuge for Figueroa Rosales' opponents. In November 1460, Figueroa Rosales led an an invasion of Susla; by 19 November 1460, he had fully captured the island and captured or killed most of the island's soldiers, including Rivera Sánchez who was executed in Punto del Sur. The capture of Susla ended the Juañero Civil War, and Figueroa Rosales appointed Saúl Méndez Pareja as viceroy.

Fall of San Juan

Susla remained a part of the Captaincy General of San Juan for the remainder of Figueroa Rosales' administration as captain general, and the island remained loyal to his successors: Javier Gómez González, Samuel Ramírez Ruíz, and Carlos Nariño Enríquez. The captain general continued to appoint viceroys to govern the island and regularly sent supplies to maintain control over the island which the Creeperans had since come to see as being in a strategic position just north of the Asequi Strait.

In 1515, the Empire of Sequoyah launched an invasion San Juan, hoping to conquer the captaincy general and that Creeperopolis would not send reinforcements to support San Juan amidst the then-ongoing Twenty Years' War between the monarchy and Protestant rebels. Upon learning of the invasion, Viceroy Miguel Huerta Payés sent 150 soldiers from his garrison of 200 to support the captaincy general. After the Captaincy General of San Juan fell to the Empire of Sequoyah on 13 May 1518, many Creeperans fled the the former captaincy general's territory and took refuge in Susla before ultimately returning to mainland Creeperopolis. The Sequoyans attempted to capture the island in September 1518, however, the Creeperian garrison managed to defeat the Sequoyan army, killing or capturing almost half of its 500 soldiers in the process.

The fall of San Juan and the September 1518 attack on the island left the remaining Creeperian forces in Susla weakened. Creeperopolis was still unable to send support to the island as the Twenty Years' War was still ongoing. On 18 February 1519, the Kingdom of Senvar attacked the island and managed to take control of all the island's settlements. Some Creeperian soldiers managed to evade captured and continued to resist Senvarian forces led by Kamachiq Llasha Michi Ñaccha from the interior mountains, as the native Suslans had done in the 1400s. Huerta Payés was among those who evaded capture and resisted Senvarian; after this point, he is no longer mentioned in historical documents. The Senvarian occupation of Susla continued until 1527 when Creeperian reinforcements led by Commander Martín Cabañeras Fuentes attacked the Senvarians and recaptured the island. The Senvarian prisoners were sent back to Senvar in exchange for the return of Creeperian prisoners from the 1519 attack. As San Juan had ceased to exist, administration of Susla was transferred to San Pedro, and Captain General Rodrigo Álvarez León appointed Cabañeras Fuentes as the island's viceroy.

Use as an anti-piracy port

During Cabañeras Fuentes' tenure as viceroy, Susla became a major port for the Creeperian Navy in combatting piracy in the Senvarian Sea. Prior to 1518, most Creeperian anti-piracy efforts in the southern Senvarian Sea were conducted from San Juan as the captaincy general had larger ports and more resources to supply navy ships. The fall of San Juan, however, forced the Creeperian Navy to begin utilizing Susla as its primary anti-piracy port in the southern Senvarian Sea. In 1530, the navy constructed the Southern Prison to imprison captured pirates; around 1,700 pirates were imprisoned at the Southern Prison from 1530 to 1763, with almost all of them dying in custody or being executed.

Following the Revolution of 1565, the position of viceroy became an elected office. Viceroy Augusto Martí León was succeeded by Pedro Rivera Tejón of the Liberal Party, becoming the viceroyalty's first democratically elected viceroy. He was succeeded by Agustín Payés Murillo of the Conservative Party in 1575. His elected began a period of Conservative domination in Susla, where from 1575 to 1770, the Conservatives won thirty-five of forty viceroy elections. The Conservatives held high popular support in Susla due to the island's status as a de facto penal colony, as almost all voters in Susla were soldiers and military officers; the Creeperian military remained a highly conservative institution throughout the First Parliamentary Era.

The prison closed in 1763 after the government determined that the cost to run the prison was too expensive, however, instead of transferring all 197 prisoners incarcerated at the time to a mainland prison, Viceroy Miguel Lemus Flores had all the prisoners executed by firing squad, claiming that he feared the prisoners would revolt during the transfer and free themselves. The National Parliament ordered Lemus Flores to return to the mainland to stand for trial for the prison massacre, but he refused. Lemus Flores did not seek re-election and was succeeded by Rafael Sánchez Sánchez who prevented Lemus Flores from standing trial on the mainland. King Manuel III pardoned Lemus Flores in September 1771 following the overthrow of the National Parliament. After Sánchez Sánchez's death in 1777, all of Susla's viceroys until 1834 were independents, having no affiliation to the military or any political party.

Under the Captaincy General of Rakeo

Jorge Montt Álvarez, who used Susla as a jumping point for the invasion of Rakeo

Following Emperor Adolfo III's rise to power in June 1833, he sought to reward military officers loyal to his rule by promoting them to administrative positions across Creeperopolis. In July 1834, Adolfo III directly appointed Colonel Cristóbal Valdéz Juárez as viceroy of Susla. Military officers appointed directly by the emperor would govern Susla until the end of the Adolfisto—the historiographic term given to the period in Creeperian history when Adolfo III ruled as emperor—in 1887.

In 1836, with the outbreak of the Great Surian War, military presence on Susla increased to prevent it from falling to Castillianan or Salisfordian forces, as Creeperopolis had not yet joined the war. Creeperopolis officially joined the war in 1837 in support of Castilliano. In January 1838, Chief Admiral Jorge Montt Álvarez utilized Susla as a jumping point for a land-and-sea invasion of Rakeo, during which, Valdéz Juárez assisted in the initial invasion. The conquest of Rakeo ended in a Creeperian victory in 1840, and he was appointed by Adolfo III as the first captain general of Rakeo. Due to Susla's strategic position near Rakeo, its administration was transfered from San Pedro to the Captaincy General of Rakeo in 1841. That year, on 16 March 1841, Sequoyah attempted to capture Susla to utilize it as a naval port to combat a Castillianan invasion of Sequoyah; the Sequoyan attack was repelled, and Sequoyah ultimately withdrew from the war two months later, paying reparations to Creeperopolis for the attack on Susla.

Susla did not contribute significantly to the political affairs or the economy of the Captaincy General of Rakeo, however, it was considered to hold high strategic military value. As such, all of Susla's viceroys from 1834 to 1887 were military officers, rather than politicians as was common throughout most of Creeperopolis. In 1845, Valdéz Juárez was succeeded by Brigadier Alexander Sandoval Menjívar who served until 1851; Sandoval Menjívar ultimately became the captain general of Rakeo in 1867. He was succeeded by Colonel Enrique Gutiérrez Sanjurjo who served until his death in 1866, upon which he was succeeded by Colonel Néstor Rubacalva Umaña. Rubacalva Umaña was viceroy of Susla during the democratization of Creeperopolis and he opposed all efforts to democratize the country. Following an imperial decree by Emperor Maximiliano II in early December 1887 ordering the country's devolved governments to hold local elections for offices by the end of the year, Rubacalva Umaña relented and agreed to hold an election for viceroy.

Rubacalva Umaña did not seek election as viceroy and announced his intention to retire from viceroyal administration. Domingo Chamorro Castellón was elected as viceroy as a member of the National Conservative Party and he served until 1902 when he was elected as captain general of Rakeo. Chamorro Castellón was succeeded as viceroy by Enrique Quijada Fernández of the Catholic Royalist Party. The Catholic Royalists dominated Susleño politics for most of the early 1900s, winning six of the eight subsequent elections, and the party itself considered Susla to be one of its political strongholds. Throughout the Second Parliamentary Era, Susla never elected a left-wing viceroy.

Creeperopolis–Rakeo dispute

Sovereignty of Susla has been disputed since the fall of the Captaincy General of San Juan in 1518. Sequoyah claimed sovereignty over the island since 1518, and despite the Sequoyans' failed attempt to capture the island later that year, the country's rulers continued to claim Susla until Sequoyah relinquished its claims to the island in 1960. Senvar claimed sovereignty over Susla beginning in 1519 when it captured the island from its Creeperian garrison. It relinquished its claim to the island after the Creeperans recaptured the island in 1527, but Senvar reasserted its claim in 1729 after the abolition of the Creeperian monarchy, however, it did not take any action to assert its control; Senvar effectively relinquished its claim once the country was annexed by Creeperopolis in 1839. Castilliano never made any formal claim of sovereignty over Susla, but Prime Minister Maximiliér Sauléu e Dóna considered launching an invasion of the island in 1836 should Creeperopolis join the Great Surian War on the side of Salisford; once Creeperopolis joined the war in support of Castilliano, Sauléu e Dóna's plans to invade the island were abandoned.

In 1918, Rakeo voted to declare independence from Creeperopolis, but Susla voted to remain part of Creeperopolis. Rakeo gained its independence on 3 September 1918 and the Rakeoian government under Prime Minister Samuel Molina Tassis declared sovereignty over both Susla and the Islas Conejos, both parts of the Captaincy General of Rakeo which voted to remain with Creeperopolis and were not ceded to the newly independent Rakeo. Administration of Susla was transferred to back to San Pedro upon Rakeo's independence. All subsequent Rakeoian governments continued to assert their sovereignty over Susla, which the Rakeoian government referred to as the province of Quinüita, but none were able to assert their control over the island due to every Creeperian government after 1918 reaffirming that it would assert Creeperian control over Susla by force if Rakeo attempted to exercise sovereignty. Despite Rakeo's border dispute with Creeperopolis over Susla and the Islas Conejos, the Rakeoian government continued to be relatively pro-Creeperopolis.

With the outbreak of the Creeperian Civil War in 1933, some Rakeoian military officers saw an opportunity to seize control of Susla from Creeperopolis while it was distracted by the civil war. On 23 May 1937, the plan to invade Susla was leaked publicly and was subsequently condemned by the Catholic Imperial Restoration Council (Imperial Council) which perceived Rakeo as a diplomatic ally in the civil war. In order to maintain friendly relations with the Imperial Council, the Rakeoian government proceeded to arrest, try, and execute the military officers who formulated the invasion plan and mobilized the 2,000-man strong Olla Volunteer Force to directly support the Imperial Council fight the National Council for Peace and Order (National Council) in October 1937. The incident has since become known as the First Susla Affair. Despite condemning the military officer's plot, the Rakeoian government did not formally relinquish its claim over Susla following the affair.

Following the conclusion of the Rakeoian Civil War in 1955, the Stratocratic Authority assumed power in Rakeo, overthrowing the pro-Creeperian government and assuming an anti-Creeperopolis foreign policy. The new Rakeoian government reasserted its sovereignty over both Susla and the Islas Conejos. In November 1955, the government appointed Juan Cornelio Rodríguez as the special governor of Quinüita, however, he held no actual authority over Susleño governance. Susla continued to be administered by the Creeperian department of San Juan, to which administration was transferred from San Pedro in 1950 following the end of the civil war due to San Juan's geographic proximity to Susla.

A Maroto Botín FA-11A at the Armando Rivera Obregón Military Base during the Surian Fishing War

With the outbreak of the Surian Fishing War in 1959 between Sequoyah and Rakeo, Creeperopolis remained neutral but offered its diplomatic support to the Sequoyan government. On 6 August 1960, four Rakeoian naval landing craft landed on Susla's shore as a part of Operation Pez, mistaking Punto Sur as the Sequoyan city of San Juan Diego. The soldiers which landed west of Punto Sur surrendered to Creeperian authorities after realizing their mistake, while the soldiers which landed east of Punto Sur attempted to infiltrate the Armando Rivera Obregón Military Base and sink several naval vessels docked at the base. The Rakeoian soldiers were intercepted by Creeperian soldiers, and the ensuing skirmish resulted in 9 deaths and the capture of all surviving Rakeoian soldiers. The Rakeoian government asserted that the incident, known as the Second Susla Affair, was an accident and merely a case of misidentification, not an intentional act. Regardless, the Creeperian government severed all diplomatic ties with Rakeo following the incident and refused to return the 75 captured soldiers.

Believing that Creeperopolis would soon join the war on the side of Sequoyah, the Rakeoian Navy launched a surprise attack on Susla on the night of 6 December 1960 with the tactical objective of destroying the Armando Rivera Obregón Military Base and the strategic objective of capturing the island. Although the Rakeoian Navy sunk two Creeperian ships and damaged the remaining three ships, it lost one ship and failed to secure the island. The following day, the Cortes Generales (the national legislature of Creeperopolis) unanimously voted to declared war on Rakeo during an emergency meeting summoned by Emperor Romero II. By late 1962, Creeperian military ultimately forced Rakeo to surrender prior to the country launching another attempt to invade and capture Susla.

With the ratification of the Treaty of Nuevo San Juan on 2 September 1962 which brought an end to the Surian Fishing War, Rakeo officially relinquished its claim over Susla. Cornelio Rodríguez retained his title as special governor of Quinüita until the leaders of the 1974 Rakeoian coup d'état initiated a complete restructure of the Rakeoian government, including revoking Cornelio Rodríguez title. Similarly, Susla continued to be displayed as a part of Rakeo on official maps until 1974. Since 1974, Rakeoian political and military leaders have avoided mention of Susla for unspecified reasons, several foreign analysts believe that such silence on the matter is an effort by the Rakeoian government to maintain friendly relations with Creeperopolis.

Modern era

Susla remained loyal to the Imperial Council during the Creeperian Civil War as it was controlled by the right-wing Catholic Royalist Party, however, Viceroy Daniel Santos Veracruz was removed and replaced by Colonel Leonel Castro Regalado following the First Susla Affair. Castro Regalado governed the island until 1953 when he was replaced by Vicente Iñíguez León, a member of the Creeperian Initiative, the sole-legal political party in Creeperopolis established following the conclusion of the civil war in 1949. Since 1953, all viceroys have been members of the Creeperian Initiative, including Colonel Martín Carballo García who replaced Iñíguez León upon the outbreak of the Surian Fishing War and served as viceroy until his retirement in 1965. Since Victoriano Zacatecas Salinas was appointed as Carballo García's successor, all viceroys of Susla have been civilians.

From 2020 to 2021, the Creeperian Armed Forces utilized Susla as a resupply port and as an air force command center during the CODECO military intervention in Sequoyah. Although the Sequoyan government under Admiral Diwali Wesa planned to attack Susla shortly after the Cooperation and Development Coalition's intervention began, his government surrendered before such an attack could occur. Following the Creeperian annexation of the Sequoyan districts of Navidad and San Juan Diego in December 2022, some officials in the newly established department of Nuevo Amanecer petitioned the Creeperian government to transfer administration of Susla from San Juan to Nuevo Amanecer, but as of 2024, no such transfer has been seriously considered by the Creeperian government and the Susleño viceroyal government has indicated that it wishes to remain a part of San Juan.

Geography

A satellite image of Susla

Susla's approximate latitude–longitude location is 53°00′S and 67°00′W. It is located just north of the Asequi Strait in the Senvarian Sea. Creeperopolis is located to the north and west, Sequoyah is located to the southwest, and Rakeo is located to the southeast. Susla covers a land area of 935 square miles (2,420 km²), making it the third largest island in the Senvarian Sea after Isla Conejo Mayor and Illa Onza. The island is surrounded by 32 minor islands, islets, and rocks, some of which become part of the main island during low tide.

Susla is the tallest point of the now-submerged Asequi land bridge, which remained above sea level until around 10,000 years ago. Prior to the submerged land bridge's discovery in 1953, the Creeperans who controlled the island believed that it was formed by a long-extinct volcano, a belief which, according to historian Andrés Murillo Sanjurjo, derived from native Suslan oral traditions.

Topology

The Puntos Altos mountain range during summer

Northern Susla is flat and covered with several lakes, meanwhile, central and southern Susla is mostly mountainous. Most of the island's over 20 lakes are located in the north. The majority of Susla's lakes have a surface area smaller than 10 square miles (26 km²). The two largest lakes are Lake Vázquez and Lake Luján, both named in honor of Vázquez Luján in the 1430s. The six other major lakes are Lake Obregón and Lake Rivera, located south of Lake Vázquez in the south of the island; Lake San Pedro, located northeast of Punto Norte and surrounded by several minor lakes; and Lake San Andrés, Lake Lejo, and Lake Cerco, located west of Lake Luján. Lake Vázquez contains six islands within its waters, while Lake Obregón contains one; none of Susla's other lakes contain islands within them. Lake Vázquez is fed by the Cerro Verde and Sangüia Rivers which originate in the Susla's mountains, while the Cerco and Lejo Rivers flow out of their respectively named lakes and merge to flow north into the Senvarian Sea.

Prominent features in northern Susla include the Bolívar Sound, the Ureña Inlet, the Peninsulita ("little peninsula"), Navarino Island (the largest island surrounding Susla), and the Aguarica archipelago, while prominent features in Southern Susla include the Puntos Altos mountain range, the Zacaya Rocks located south of Zacaya, Grande Island and the Conde Islets located north of Zacaya, and the Cerro Verde forest which covers much of the southern coast and the inland regions around the Puntos Altos. The island's mountain range—the Puntos Altos—is located along the southern coast and extends into central Susla. The island's tallest peak, El Punto, reaches an elevation of 3,921 feet (1,195 m).

Climate

Susla typically experiences northwesterly winds due to the island's location south of 30°S and at the end of a north-south oriented body of water. Ocean currents flow south from the Senvarian Sea, through the Asequi Strait, and to the Southern Ocean. Susla is entirely classified as a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc); it is a temperate maritime climate which experiences no dry season and cold summers. On average, Susla receives around 24 inches (610 mm) of precipitation per year, some of which falls as snow during the winter months (June through September).

The following table displays the average weather data for Susla from 1990 to 2020 and its extremes from 1890 to the present.

Climate data for the Viceroyalty of Susla 1990–2020, extremes 1890–present

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	75.4 (24.1)	72.5 (22.5)	70.8 (21.6)	69.5 (20.8)	63.4 (17.4)	58.0 (14.4)	57.6 (14.2)	58.4 (14.7)	61.2 (16.2)	64.5 (18.1)	67.8 (19.9)	72.5 (22.5)	75.4 (24.1)
Average high °F (°C)	54.3 (12.4)	54.1 (12.3)	53.1 (11.7)	48.4 (9.1)	44.4 (6.9)	41.0 (5.0)	40.1 (4.5)	41.2 (5.1)	45.5 (7.5)	49.6 (9.8)	50.9 (10.5)	53.2 (11.8)	48.0 (8.9)
Daily mean °F (°C)	48.6 (9.2)	46.7 (8.2)	45.1 (7.3)	41.0 (5.0)	37.5 (3.1)	34.2 (1.2)	35.0 (1.7)	36.7 (2.6)	39.4 (4.1)	42.2 (5.7)	45.9 (7.7)	48.3 (9.1)	41.7 (5.4)
Average low °F (°C)	42.8 (6.0)	41.4 (5.2)	39.3 (4.1)	37.2 (2.9)	32.8 (0.4)	29.1 (−1.6)	28.8 (−1.8)	30.1 (−1.1)	33.0 (0.6)	36.8 (2.7)	39.4 (4.1)	41.0 (5.0)	35.9 (2.2)
Record low °F (°C)	26.2 (−3.2)	24.3 (−4.3)	21.9 (−5.6)	19.2 (−7.1)	17.8 (−7.9)	13.9 (−10.1)	14.1 (−9.9)	15.8 (−9.0)	19.7 (−6.8)	20.5 (−6.4)	22.4 (−5.3)	24.9 (−3.9)	13.9 (−10.1)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.14 (54)	2.08 (53)	2.01 (51)	1.81 (46)	1.94 (49)	1.95 (50)	2.07 (53)	1.99 (51)	1.93 (49)	1.91 (49)	1.96 (50)	2.08 (53)	23.87 (606)
Average precipitation days	10.6	9.4	8.2	7.3	6.9	7.6	7.0	6.2	6.3	6.9	8.2	9.9	94.5
Average relative humidity (%)	81	83	84	83	83	84	88	90	87	86	85	82	85
Source: Bureau of Meteorology and Weather

Ecology

Punto Sur, the capital and largest city of Susla, with the Cerro Verde forest in the background

The Cerro Verde forest covers the southern coastline, the southern face of the Puntos Altos mountain range, and parts of the mountain range's northern face. The Cerro Verde forest contains the only significant forest cover on the island, and its trees consist of five species of conifers. Northern Susla and most of the Puntos Altos' northern face does not have any forest cover and is barren rock and dirt. Trees cover around 10 percent of the island. According to the Surian Ecological Society, Susla has not experienced widespread deforestation unlike other parts of Creeperopolis. The group found that between 1900 and 2012, "very minimal deforestation" had occurred on the island along the southern coast, while deforestation was "practically non-existent" north of the Puntos Altos.

Notable fauna which inhabits Susla include gulls, condors, owls, humming birds, foxes, and lizards, the majority of which inhabit parts of the island covered by the Cerro Verde forest. Sea lions and seals also inhabit the island, and penguins annually migrate to southern Sur, including Susla, from Tierrasur. In 1519, when the island fell under Senvarian control, the Creeperans released all of their domesticated pigs into the wild to prevent the Senvarians from using them as food. These pigs eventually adapted to live in the wild within the island's forest. Marine species which inhabit the waters around Susla include shrimp, Senvarian trout, southern king crabs, sharks, and whales.

Demographics

"Susleños" redirects here. Not to be confused with the native inhabitants of Susla, known as Suslans.

Ethnicity

Ethnic composition of Susla

  Creeperans (85.57%)

  Rakeoians (10.38%)

  Sequoyans (3.19%)

  Other (0.86%)

Susla has a total population of 4,282 as of the 2020 census. Around 1,800 of Susla's residents are military personnel stationed at the Armando Rivera Obregón Military Base, most of whom live in Punto Sur and account for over half of the settlement's population. Creeperans compose the vast majority Susla's residents, accounting for 85.57 percent of the population. Most of the Creeperans on Susla are military personnel, descendants of the island's colonizers, or post-colonial settlers from other parts of Creeperopolis. Rakeoians are the largest ethnic minority in Susla, accounting for 10.38 percent of the population. Most Rakeoians residing in Susla are descendants of exiles from the Rakeoian Civil War, however, some are Rakeoian defectors who have fled the country since the 1950s and have attempted to assimilate into the Rakeoian population to evade capture. Sequoyans account for 3.19 of the population, most of whom are immigrants. The remaining 0.86 percent is composed of Atlántidans, Castillianans, and Senvarians, most of whom are military personnel.

Religion

Susla's population predominantly adheres to Creeperian Catholicism. Susla is part of the Diocese of Nuevo San Juan. The San Antonio Basilica is located in Punto Sur, and each of the other municipalities have a chapel to hold local services. There are no places of worship for any other religious denomination, however, the ruins of a Senvarian Protestant chapel which was destroyed in 1527 after the end of Senvarian rule of Susla is located in Punto Sur.

Rakeoian defectors

Since the 1950s, Rakeoian defectors have been fleeing Rakeo due to a lack of economic opportunities, out of fear of reprisals from the Rakeoian government, and in order to avoid military conscription. Due to Susla's geographic position between Rakeo and the Surian mainland, Rakeoians fleeing the country have utilized Susla as a jumping point to flee to mainland Sur or Ecros. Most defectors arrive in Susla on rafts from Rakeo or hire smugglers to to drop them off just off of the Susleño coast.

Although some Rakeoian defectors have attempted to integrate into the Rakeoian population already present on Susla, the vast majority only seek temporary shelter in Susla as Creeperopolis has an extradition treaty with Rakeo to deport captured defectors back to Rakeo. The Rakeoian Navy regularly conducts patrols in the Senvarian Sea and the Asequi Strait to prevent defections, and the Rakeoian communities in Susla are monitored by the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA), the Creeperian secret police force, to capture any Rakeoian defectors residing in Susla's municipalities; figures of Rakeoians caught and deported from Susla have not been published by the DINA.

Government

Municipalities

A map of Susla's municipalities, settlements, geographic features, infrastructure, and notable locations

Susla's capital and largest settlement is Punto Sur, which also holds the status of a municipality. The majority of the island's 4,282 residents live within Punto Sur, with the remaining residents living in the island's five other municipalities: El Pingüino, La'Costa Gris, Punto Norte, Sandoval, and Zacaya. All of the municipalities, except for Punto Norte, are located along the island's southern coast in order to avoid the northwesterly which blow into the island's northern shoreline.

The following table lists the municipalities of Susla, their dates of establishment, their populations, and their mayors.

Largest settlements of Susla (as of 2020 census)

Municipality	Population	Established	Mayor
Punto Sur	3,011	17 January 1431	Gustavo Vides Zárate
Zacaya	569	8 March 1715	Andrés Carpio León
Punto Norte	304	8 March 1715	Alfredo Sánchez Videla
Sandoval	185	15 December 1816	Guillermo Quesada Pérez
El Pingüino	170	15 December 1816	Domingo Duarte Flores
La'Costa Gris	43	1 January 1973	Ernesto Zapata Piñón
Total	4,282

In 1714, with the establishment of municipalities to grant further democratic rights to settlements smaller than the cities which dominated the country's viceroyalties, Viceroy Antonio Lemus Castellón—who was also serving as the mayor of Punto Sur—successfully petitioned to have Susla divided into three municipalities in order to weaken the power of Punto Sur, as he would have been prohibited to hold the positions of viceroy and mayor at the same time following the 1714 reform. The municipalities of Punto Norte and Zacaya were split out of Punto Sur, despite Punto Sur containing over 90 percent of Susla's population at the time.

The boundary between Punto Sur and Zacaya was clearly defined by the course of the island's mountain range, but the boundary between Punto Sur and Punto Norte was not clearly defined; Punto Norte claimed that it controlled all of the territory north of the island's mountain range, while Punto Sur claimed that Punto Norte only controlled a 10 miles (16 km) radius around the municipality's center. The dispute was not resolved until 1816 when Viceroy Alfonso Fuentes Carpio established two more municipalities, Sandoval (which was split from Zacaya) and El Pingüino (which was split from undisputed Punto Sur territory). With the formation of new municipalities, Fuentes Carpio partitioned northern Susla in half between Punto Norte and Punto Sur, however, the Freixa Archipelago continued to be disputed until 1891 when the National Parliament awarded the archipelago to Punto Norte. In 1973, Viceroy Victoriano Zacatecas Salinas split the municipality of La'Costa Gris from Punto Sur, forming Susla's current municipal boundaries.

Politics

Mauricio Llano Valera, the viceroy of Susla since 2017

The entire island of Susla is designated as one of San Juan's sixteen viceroyalties. Susla has been administered by San Juan since 1949, prior to which it was administered by Rakeo from 1841 to 1918, by San Pedro from 1527 to 1841, and by the Captaincy General of San Juan from 1430 to 1518. Until the Creeperian annexation of Nuevo Amanecer in December 2022, Susla was the southernmost viceroyalty in Creeperopolis.

Susla is governed by a viceroy who is appointed by the captain general of San Juan with the consent of the Creeperian emperor for an unfixed term length. The viceroy of Susla also automatically served as the mayor of Punto Sur until the 1714 municipal reforms made such a dual mandate illegal. The current viceroy is Mauricio Llano Valera, a member of the Creeperian Initiative who has held the office since 4 November 2017. All of the island's municipalities are governed by a mayor appointed by the viceroy. The captain general and mayors are all required by law to be members of the Creeperian Initiative.

Susleño politics was mostly dominated by conservative and nationalist political parties during both the First and Second Parliamentary Eras. During the early 1900s, the viceroyalty was referred to by the Catholic Royalist Party as its "southernmost stronghold" ("fortaleza más sureño"), while left-wing political parties pejoratively referred to Susla as a "fascist penal colony" ("colonia penal fascista"), referencing its previous usage to imprison pirates. According to a study published by the Institute for Global Democracy in 2009, Susla was ranked as the 16th most right-leaning viceroyalty of Creeperopolis during the Second Parliamentary Era, electing mayors and viceroys from right-wing political parties by an average of 28.4 points. Since the end of the civil war, during which Susla aligned itself with the right-wing Imperial Council, the island has been administered by members of the right-wing Creeperian Initiative.

Military

A Maroto Botín C-5 at the Armando Rivera Obregón Military Base in February 2022

The Armando Rivera Obregón Military Base is located at Punto Sur and is garrisoned by units of the Creeperian Army, Navy, and Air Force. The units garrisoned at the base are the 92nd Infantry Regiment commanded by Colonel Felipe Dávalos Peña, the 43rd Naval Division commanded by Rear Admiral Gonzalo Lobos Juárez, and the 49th Air Force Squadron commanded by Major Augusto Tejón Herrera. The military base itself is commanded by Brigadier José Durán Gallegos.

In total, the military base has a garrison of 1,800 military personnel, most of whom live in Punto Sur. The 92nd Infantry Regiment operates several personnel transporters, armored vehicles, halftracks, and utility vehicles. The 43rd Naval Division operates one destroyer, one frigate, one submarine, and three patrol boats. The 49th Air Force Squadron operates ten Maroto Botín FA-16 fighter jets, one Maroto Botín C-5 cargo carrier, two Maroto Botín H-3 utility helicopters, several Maroto Botín NT-2 drones, and two Maroto Botín MB-9 personnel transport aircraft; the military base can also accommodate up to four additional medium-sized aircraft and four additional helicopters.

Infrastructure

The municipalities of Susla are all connected by San Juan Departmental Highway 12, a two-lane highway originating in Zacaya in the south and terminating in Punto Norte in the north. The southern section of the highway was paved in 1991, but the northern section from El Pingüino to Punto Norte remains unpaved. Creeperian Airlines has a special agreement with the Creeperian Armed Forces to utilize the Armando Rivera Obregón Military Base as a destination airport to service all of Susla's municipalities. The Ministry of Transportation also operates a daily ferry service from Punto Sur to Nuevo San Juan and San Juan Diego through the military base. The Punto Sur Medical Center operates two Maroto Botín HC-3AM air ambulance helicopters out of the Armando Rivera Obregón Military Base to the viceroyalty's other municipalities, all of which have one helipad specifically designated for the air ambulance service; there is no commercial helicopter service in Susla. Telecommunication services are offered by Claro.

Economy

Susla's economy is predominantly reliant on tourism and fishing, accounting for over 90 percent of the viceroyalty's economic output. Sectors such as small-scale logging operations, limited agricultural activity, and local retail compose the remaining 10 percent of Susla's economic output. According to information published by the Ministry of the Treasury in 2021, Susla ranked as one of the least diverse economies in Creeperopolis. Despite this, in 2022, Susla's economic output was the second highest in San Juan after Nuevo San Juan; its economic output was CQS₵82,766,778, giving the municipality a per capita income of CQS₵19,329, also the second highest in San Juan.

Fishing

Fishermen examining captured southern king crabs in Punto Sur.

For most of Susla's history, the island was utilized solely as a military outpost or as a joint-use military outpost and military prison. After the closure of the Southern Prison, however, the viceroyalty's government sought to incentivize economic activity in order to keep Susla somewhat economically self-sufficient should the Creeperian government be unable to maintain the island. Fishing activity in the waters around Susla began around the 1500s, but large-scale fishing operations did not begin until 1765 when the military opened its naval port to fishing vessels as a location to resupply.

In 1796, the Punto Sur municipal government built a designated port for fishing vessels to resupply at and allowed fishing companies to construct facilities on the island to store fish and sell it to island residents. Companies have to be registered with the viceroyal government to fish in the island's territorial waters in order to utilize the port and build facilities. As of 2021, three fishing companies are licensed to operate within Susla's territorial waters, which extends up to 12 nautical miles (22 km) off of the shoreline. Fishing companies primarily catch shrimp, Senvarian trout, and most notably, southern king crab in Susla's waters. Penguins and shark are also caught and prepared as a local delicacy, and, although prohibited by TCN General Assembly Resolution 008, the viceroyal government continues to permit whaling.

Tourism

The La'Linda waterfall at Lake Vázquez

Beginning in the 1970s, the viceroyal government of Susla began encouraging tourism—particularly cultural tourism, wildlife tourism, and ecotourism—in order to diversify the island's all-fishing economy. In 1974, the Bureau of Tourism opened an information and tourism center in Punto Sur, while the viceroyal government offered tours of Punto Sur's historical sites including the ruins of the Southern Prison, the Rivera Obregón Plaza, and the Sur Isla de San Antonio Military Museum. The government hired island locals to administer the cultural tours.

In 1975, the viceroyal government established the Vázquez–Luján Recreational Area which spanned parts of the the municipalities of El Pingüino, Punto Norte, and Punto Sur based around Lake Vázquez and Lake Luján. It covers around 20 percent of the island in the southeast. It opened two campgrounds along the shoreline of Lake Vázquez and constructed hiking trails around it and several of the island's other lakes. A campground around Lake Luján was opened in 1986, however, the camp is only accessible by a 14-mile-long (23 km) trail originating at the San Juan Departmental Highway 12. In 1982, the viceroyal government permitted mountaineering in the Puntos Altos, and in the following years, it has constructed trails to the base of certain mountains and cleared land to allow mountaineers to establish base camps.

One hotel operated by Hoteles Locales in Punto Sur is the only hotel located on Susla. Tourists mainly rent hostels in all of the island's municipalities during their time visiting Susla or camp at the island's campgrounds.

Other sectors

Although fishing and tourism compose over 90 percent of Susla's economic output, other small sectors account for the remainder of Susla's economic output. Logging operations occur in the Cerro Verde forest in specially designated logging areas in the municipality of Sandoval, but only 20 acres (8.1 hectares) of land is allocated for logging. Some agricultural activity occurs in the Cerro Verde forest where Cerro berry, a species of wild berry native to southern Sur, is cultivated and exported. Local retail accounts for the remaining economic output in Susla.

Education

Each of Susla's municipalities, except for La'Costa Gris, have at least one elementary school, meanwhile, only Punto Norte, Punto Sur, and Zacaya have high schools; students living in the other municipalities have to enroll in a high school in their closest municipality with one. All of Susla's elementary and high schools are operated by the Ministry of Education. There are no colleges or universities on Susla, and all college students have to study in mainland Creeperopolis or abroad. In 2018, the Nuevo San Juan University announced that it would evaluate opening a campus in Punto Sur, but as of 2024, the university has yet to make an official announcement on the matter.

Culture

Viceroyal symbols

Susla's flag is a red field with the banner of the Creeperian Army in the upper right canton, the cross of Creeperopolis in centered in the lower left canton, and the viceroyalty's coat of arms centered on the right half. The coat of arms consists of a shield depicting El Punto as a green, snow covered mountain rising out of the blue Senvarian Sea. The shield depicts a fishing vessel and a southern king crab within the sea, and depicts a sunrise in the background with yellow sun rays on top of a red background. The Imperial Crown of Creeperopolis is positioned above the shield. Both Susla's flag and coat of arms were officially adopted by the viceroyal government on 28 December 1930 to celebrate the 500 year anniversary of the Creeperian landing on Susla.

Cuisine

Southern king crab and avocado

Susleño cuisine is primarily associated with seafood. Susla's most commonly served dishes at restaurants, hostels, and in households include fried Senvarian trout and boiled southern king crab, and these dishes are frequently accompanied by shrimp as a side. Common features from mainland Creeperian cuisine such as avocados, rice, beans, and tortillas are also included in Susleño dishes. More expensive dishes uncommonly served in Susla include penguin, shark, and, despite being prohibited by international law, whale. Pupusas, the national dish of Creeperopolis, are commonly stuffed with trout or crab meat.

Public holidays

Susla celebrates twenty public holidays every year. Of the public holidays it celebrates, fifteen are national public holidays and are celebrated across all of Creeperopolis, three are departmental public holidays which are only celebrated in San Juan's viceroyalties, and two are viceroyal public holidays which are only celebrated in Susla. Susla's two viceroyal public holidays are Establishment Day on 28 December, which celebrates the date on which Vázquez Luján first landed on Susla in 1430, and Incorporation Day on 17 January, which celebrates the establishment of Punto Sur in 1431.

See also

Creeperopolis portal Rakeo portal Terraconserva portal

• List of islands of Creeperopolis
• List of territorial disputes

External links

Media related to Susla at LCN Wiki