Bonavista

Bonavista
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Motto: "May She Rise and Flourish"
Anthem: O, Isles of Bonavista
Capital and largest city	Victoria
Official languages	Ingerish
• Regional languages	Bonavista Creole
Ethnic Groups (2017)	82% Black 8% Multi-racial 7% White 3% other
Demonym	Bonavistan
Government	Constitutional monarchy
• Monarch	Geoffrey VII
• Governor-General	Sir Calvin Sydney
• Prime Minister	Rachael Bonnet
Legislature	Parliament of Bonavista
Area
• Total	1,677 km2 647 sq mi
Population
• Census (2019)	123,692
• Density	74/km2 191/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
• Total	$2.15 billion
• Per capita	$17,381
HDI (2019)	0.791 high
Timezone	WUT+2
Currency	Bonavista pound (BVP)
Drives on the	left

Bonavista (BON-ə-VISS-tə) is a sovereign island country in the Sea of Uthyra between Sowal and TA332. It consists of two major islands, Bonavista and Saint Isabelle, and 34 smaller islands and cays. The permanent population is about 124,000 (2019 est.), with around two-thirds resident on Bonavista. The capital, largest port, and sole city is Victoria on Bonavista, with Port Magueriz being the largest town on Saint Isabelle.

The islands of Bonavista and Saint Isabelle were first settled by Hellanesians in 332, and were abandoned in the years following a series of volcanic eruptions from Mount Azufral between 411 and 414. No further attempts at settlement were made until the arrival of Castellanese settlers in 1585. The islands were captured by Ingerland in 1660, and remained under Ingerish control for nearly 300 years thereafter, save for a brief recapture by Castellan between 1721 and 1724. During this period, the colony operated on a plantation economy, relying on slave labour which worked on the islands' plantations until the abolition of slavery in 1831. Bonavista was granted self-governance in 1948 and full independence in 1957.

The economy of Bonavista is heavily dependent on tourism and crop exports. Bonavista is a member of the Assembly of Nations, Tarephia Cooperation Council, Ingerish Commonwealth and the World Organization of Tourism.

History

Hellanesian period

The earliest known settlers of the Bonavista islands were Hellanesians who established the small port town of Itipolis near modern-day Port Magueriz on Saint Isabelle in 332 AD. Several settlements were built across the islands over the following 80 years, with an estimated population of around 8,000-10,000. A series of volcanic eruptions from Mount Azufral between 411 and 414 destroyed much of Saint Isabelle and buried Itipolis under volcanic ash and debris. Continued volcanic activity forced the Hellanesian settlers to flee, and numerous eruptions witnessed by passing Arionic ships likely dissuaded further settlement.

Little evidence of Hellanesian settlement survived until the discovery of the ruins of Itipolis by a slave working a plantation in 1766. Subsequent excavations unearthed much of the town, and the area today is a Commonwealth Heritage Site and a major tourist attraction.

Ingerish colony

Ingerland had recognised the strategic importance of the islands after taking possession of the Cambria Colony in 1616. The multiple Castellanese colonies along the southern Uthyra posed a threat to the passage of Ingerish ships in the event of war, a threat which was realised following the outbreak of war between Ingerland and Castellan between in 1658. In September 1660, Ingerland attacked the town of Port Magueriz; the town was poorly defended and quickly fell, with the Castellanese population forcibly expelled four months later. Castellanese attempts to reconquer the islands were repelled, and in 1664 control of the islands was formally ceded to Ingerland under the terms of the Treaty of Magueriz.

Port Magueriz continued to serve as the principal town of the islands for some time after, however the confines of the terrain and the larger plantations on the island of Bonavista saw the development of the port town of Victoria, which was made the capital of the colony in 1728.

Independence

Demographic decline through the 1930s and 1940s and growing unrest led Ingerland to grant limited self-government to Bonavista on 1 May 1948, with the Bonavista Labour Party (BLP) winning the islands' first general election later that year. On the recommendation of the islands' governor, Ingerland granted Bonavista full independence on 20 July 1957. The BLP would continue to govern until it was defeated by the opposition National Party in 1971.

Geography

Mount Azufral is Bonavista's largest and most active volcano

Bonavista is located in the Sea of Uthyra around 23 km northwest of TA332 and 67 km southwest of Sowal, and comprises 36 islands, ranging in size from the largest, Bonavista, being 50 km (31 mi) long and 38 km (24 mi) wide, to tiny uninhabited islets, altogether about 1,677 square kilometres (647 square miles) in extent. They are located in a long archipelago stretching from Arbutania to Notales, and are around 353 km from mainland Tarephia at their closest point. The islands lie between latitudes 4° and 6°N, and longitudes 40° and 42°E.

Of the 36 islands, seven are populated: Asuncion, Bonavista, Caleta, Guayacan, Jinty, Lion Island, and Saint Isabelle; the majority of the population lives on Bonavista.

The highest peak in Bonavista is Mount Azufral at 1,457 meters (4,780 feet). Mount Azufral is one of four active volcanoes on the islands, alongside Mount Donavon, Mount Misfortune, and Mount Tobacco. Volcanic activity is rare, with the last eruption taking place from Mount Misfortune in 2011.

Government and politics

Bonavista is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with Geoffrey VII as King of Bonavista, who is represented as head of state in the country by the Governor-General of Bonavista, currently Sir Calvin Sydney. The office of Governor-General has mostly ceremonial functions including the opening of Parliament and the appointment of various government officials. Control of the government rests with the elected Prime Minister and his or her cabinet. The current Prime Minister is Rachael Bonnet, elected in 2019 as head of the Labour Party.

The legislative branch of government is the unicameral Parliament of Bonavista, seating 15 elected members representing single-member constituencies. The parliamentary term of office is four years, although the Prime Minister may call elections at any time.

Administrative divisions

Bonavista is divided into 12 parishes:

Bonavista	Seat	km2	Saint Isabelle	Seat	km2	Guayacan and Caleta	Seat	km2
Saint Andrew	Virgin Bay	118	Saint John	Las Cuevas	212	Saint Bartholomew	Salt Harbour	97
Saint Elmo	Calliope Town	189	Saint Jude	Bentley	67
Saint George	El Monte	144	Saint Mary	St Mary's	75
Saint Luke	Barrows	159	Saint Peter	Corena	119
Saint Paul	Godley Bay	126	Saint Thomas	Port Magueriz	132
Saint Rachel	Victoria	247

Foreign relations

Bonavista has strong bilateral relationships with Ingerland and Vodeo, represented by High Commissioners in Winburgh and Saviso. Bonavista also associates closely with other nations of the Ingerish Commonwealth and the Tarephia Cooperation Council.

Economy

Tourism dominates the economy, accounting for more than half of the gross domestic product (GDP). Agriculture and industry account for a moderate proportion of Bonavista's GDP. Agricultural produce includes fruit, vegetables, sugar cane, livestock and poultry, and industries include rum distillation, construction, and boat building. Commercial fishing is also practised in the islands' waters.

Bonavista's currency is the Bonavista pound (BVP), which is pegged to the Vodean pound (VDP) at 1.00 BVP = 0.03 VDP