Shaoyu Island
| Disputed island Native name: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Etymology | Akvatika derived from a genus of fireflies called "Aquatica" Shaoyu derived from "哨域" meaning "outpost region" |
| Geography | |
| Location | Kivu Ocean, near the coasts of Zloveshchiy and Monsilva |
| Administration | |
| Capital and largest city | Akvatika |
| Claimed by | |
| State | Shaoyu |
| Capital and largest city | Jincheng |
| Demographics | |
| Demonym | Akvatikan |
| Languages | |
| Ethnic groups | Akvatikan |
Akvatika Island (Slavic: Остров Акватика; Monsilvan: 哨域島), also known as Shaoyu Island, is a disputed island located in the Kivu Ocean situated to the east of Monsilva and north of mainland Zloveshchiy. Zloveshchiy has administered the island since 1825, with the island capital also being named Akvatika. The name Akvatika originates from the Velichiyeian regime, and is derived from a genus of fireflies, known as Aquatica, which originate from the island. The island is well known for its wildlife, including the Pevitsa, an endangered bird endemic to the island.
The island has been inhabited for over a thousand years, but was conquered by the Zhou dynasty in 1234. The island remained under the Zhou dynasty until 1414, when it was transferred to the seperatist state known as the Beining Heavenly Kingdom. This regime lasted until 1500, when the island got de facto independence due to the Beining Heavenly Kingdom being absorbed into the Empire of Baltanla. It wasn't until 1730 that the island would return under Monsilvan rule under the Kingdom of Great Shan. Then, in 1825, during the Monsilvan Civil War, the island was conquered for a final time by Zloveshchiy, which has controlled the island since. In 2023, the Monsilvan government recognized the island as part of Monsilvan territory.
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History
Before Zloveshchiyan colonization
The island has been inhabited by the Akvatikan people for over a thousand years, and was only discovered by Monsilvans in the early 13th century during the Zhou dynasty. In 1234, the dynasty conquered the island and began settling Monsilvan people there and attempting to force the native Akvatikan population to integrate into the dynasty's society. The island was also a part of the Beining Heavenly Kingdom which governed northern Monsilva from 1414 until 1500, when the Empire of Baltanla took control of the kingdom and the Zhou dynasty. It was during this period that Akvatika began associating itself more with its southern neighbours in modern-day Zloveshchiy.
In 1730, the Kingdom of Great Shan re-conquered the island. This time the Akvatikans were much more welcoming to their conquerors as during their somewhat independence they had struggled to maintain the infrastructure constructed by the Zhou dynasty. The Great Shan continued to administer the island until 1824, when the Monsilvan Civil War broke out and the Liberate Monsilva Movement took control of northern Monsilva, including the island. It was in 1825, when the Velichiyeian regime in Zloveshchiy invaded the island as the LMM had said it did not want to take control of it. From this point, the island was under the administration of Zloveshchiy.
The island's administration by Zloveshchiy had been uncontested from this point until after the 1978 Monsilvan protests and the founding of the Monsilvan Republic. Many Monsilvan prime ministers and politicians have claimed that Zloveshchiy's control of the island is 'wrong' or 'unjust on the people of the island', while some have claimed its 'outright occupation of rightful Monsilvan territory'.
In June 2023, Prime Minister Lin Yao-tang passed a legislation through the Parliament of Monsilva which recognized the island as Monsilvan territory.
Under Zloveshchiyan administration
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Political disputes
The island of Akvatika has faced multiple political disputes from the Monsilva since the early 1980s by Monsilvan politicians and prime ministers.
In 1982, Monsilvan prime minister Hsu Xue-zhou questioned the control of Akvatika by Zloveshchiy for the first time since the Civil War, saying "Zloveshchiy's control of [Akvatika] is equivalent to your neighbor controlling your own backyard". Hsu's successor, Qi Hu, also made a statement on the island in 1996, saying that the island is "in the wrong hands". Suen Shi-huang, who succeeded Qi Hu as prime minister made very few comments about Akvatika, and it is unknown what his stance was on the topic.
In 2018, after around 24 years of minimal discussion around the island, RNP prime minister Xu Yan, who was elected in 2016, passed the RSSI Act 2018. This Act allowed the Shaoyu Liberation Party, a party which advocates for Monsilvan administration of the island, to have a permanent 10 seat representation in the Legislative Assembly of Monsilva. The representatives are unable to vote on any legislation as they are not elected members, however they are able to join discussions and debates relating to Akvatika Island.
Xu Yan brought up the island once again in a major speech in 2022 and said: "it isn't important who or what [Akvatika] is governed by, what's important is that we don't know who [Akvatika] wants to govern them.". This statement prompted many political parties to begin releasing official positions on the island's administration by Zloveshchiy. The Reformed National Party has claimed that it is "up to the Akvatikan people to decide who controls them", but have also said "the Zloveshchiyan regime in Akvatika does not sufficiently allow the people of the island to decide who governs them".
After the 2023 federal election ended in June 2023, Prime Minister Lin Yao-tang passed a legislation through parliament which recognized the island as a part of Monsilva. Currently, the island is defined as a "territory" as the government have said that they cannot declare it a state until they are able to establish an administration there under the federal government.
