Udzdanarat
8, -33.98, 76.44 | |||
Ūdzđąnąrąt Āşąrūmąnitali Hurme Horinanalarvu Mjandakum Mőbal Skūnnā S'Uffan Yzw Aşa 'Functional Anarchy of Udzdanarat' | |||
---|---|---|---|
| |||
Capital | [varies/none] | ||
Largest city | Ūzdenā (probable) | ||
Official languages | [none] | ||
• Regional languages | Arăză, Dontdū, Lkarakand, Manjaal, Pludifarn, Şaš, Utz (Northern), Utz (Southern), Utz (Telan), X, Yzixmw, Unknown | ||
Ethnic Groups | Ekuēkħukzŭ (Many), Yzix (Some), Other (Some), Şaš (Few), X (Few) | ||
Nationalities | [no recognised nationalities] | ||
Demonym | Udzdanaraty | ||
Government | Functional Anarchy | ||
• | [none] | ||
Legislature | Nunąnon (type of village court) | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 1050 km2 | ||
Population | |||
• Estimate (2015) | 50,000-250,000 | ||
• Density | 47-238/km2 | ||
HDI (1930) | 0.15 low | ||
Timezone | [none recognised] | ||
Currency | [none] | ||
Drives on the | [unrestricted] | ||
Internet TLD | [none] |
Contents
Name
‘Ūdzđąnąrąt’ is one of a number of names for the island used by its inhabitants. There is some debate about its origin and use. According to the linguist Professor Igor Tork of Econow School of Languages, 'Ūdzđąnąrąt' could be translated from the Utz language as 'built ocean island'Languages
- Main article: Languages of Ūdzđąnąrąt

Geography

Geology
Udzdanarat has a mixed geological heritage[7]. Udzdanarat itself has not been studied in great detail but it is at least partly volcanic and may also constitute part of the remains of a fragment of micro-continental plate that separated from one of the main continents around 200 million years ago. There are a wide range of differing rock types and geological structures in different areas. There is geothermal activity on the north-west island of Nħąrąt. The north-east island of Kwxō has some of the oldest rocks, with granites dating back over 200 million years. The island lies near a tectonic plate boundary and is geologically active. Numerous earthquakes have been recorded, and at least six, in 1798, 1883, 1891, 2000, 2004 and 2007, had the magnitude of 8.4 or higher[8].
Geomorphology

Climate
The climate is oceanic, with high rainfall[9]. There is a pronounced rain-shadow effect, with the west of the island being much wetter than the east. The north-east part of the main island and the outlying island of Kwxō are especially dry and warm and have a Mediterranean-type climate[10].
Wildlife
There are no large land predators on the island. Archaeologists on E'tena found that rats were briefly present in the 15th century, but were most probably eradicated by the inhabitants. The absence of predation has meant that there is an extremely high diversity of bird species, some of which are flightless, and there are large seabird colonies in parts of the island. Some of these, as well as other marine-dependent species like sea turtles, are harvested and eaten by the islanders.
Rivers, lakes and wetlands have a variety of species of amphibians and fish, some anadromous. The wetlands themselves are of many different types, with large areas of saltmash grading into coastal forest, while wetlands away from the coast consist of reedbeds, swamps, fens and bogs.
The island has a huge range of different habitats, ranging from humid sub-tropical rainforest on the lower slopes on the west side of the mountains to warm, dry areas with shrub-dominated flora in the north east. The large altitudinal range gives a succession of different zones, with areas dominated by scrub, heath and sub-alpine grasslands. The highest peaks on the island hold small glaciers.
The island has a wide range of woodland types, many with small populations of endemic plants and insects. There are a huge number of different tree and shrub species; some of the largest trees in the world grow in sheltered inland parts of the island while the mountain areas have areas of low, stunted krummholz forest. Large, old trees themselves support many other species of epiphytic ferns, mosses and lichens, as well as higher plants such as orchids. The largest trees can support up to fifty other tree species growing on their branches, high in the canopy. Most of the forests are semi-natural; there are no ungulates on the island, so there is abundant regeneration of woodland because of this lack of grazing and browsing. The forests also support many different edible plants and fruits.
The main herbivores are a number of species of ratite birds of the order Aepyornis, some of which reach very large sizes. Udzdanarat Solitaires (Pezophaps sp.), flightless bird sometimes called the 'Udzdanarat Dodo', are common in some parts of the main island[12].
History
Much of the local history of Udzdanarat is unwritten and is passed on verbally. The ethnographer Mararet Freed is the only academic to have completed research on the island's history, between 1930 and 1934. Most villages have a 'Ūlŭeškūnŏŷ', a 'mind-keeper' who possesses all the knowledge of the village's ancestors and passes this verbally to others in the village and around the island. Most usually, this person is illiterate or literate only in one of the islands many obscure scripts. This is the main reason why there is limited current information on Udzdanarat's history in the outside world[13].A significant village, Ūzdenā (Ingerish transliteration Uzdena, meaning green buildings), was founded in 1377, the tenth year of the rule of the last King of Udzdanarat (Tąpimąš Ŷūān, sometimes known as 'Tapi King'). Soon after this date, the last King died, having drunk water from a salt lake, which poisoned him[14]. Freed recorded that there have been no kings since this time. Religion, at least formal religion, also died out at about the same time, or was never established on the island.
A form of anarchy has now functioned as a reliable form of government for 637 years. Counter-intuitively, the first year of anarchy was recorded by Freed as being the first year of recorded history. This year is 1378 and Freed transcribed it as '1DA'. This calendar system is known only on the island.
Freed recorded that after the death of the Tąpi King a ‘university’ was established in the centre of Uzdena. Today it is thought that this is more likely to be some form of social archive. In this village there is a building which holds a written record of significant events on the island. The archive has been continuously updated on a monthly basis since 10DA (1388). As a result, Ūzdenā has become the place where people come to meet and pass on or seek information. Over time, this has developed into a semi-formal practice. Other villages on the island have ‘representatives’ who will travel to Ūzdenā to visit the archive and pass on information. The archive keepers are chosen from villages around the island. They must prove honesty and extreme feats of memory before becoming a keeper. There are usually around five archive keepers at any one time. Most information transfer is verbal and many debates are catalogued in the archive. The archives also contain older records stretching back to around 2000BC, many in old writing systems and alphabets which are now known only to a few individuals.
Human geography
Udzdanarat has many villages and, in fact, the entire system is based on informal administration at village level. Each village has a specialism; a form of bartering takes place between different villages.
Generally the coastal waters are too rough for small boats and there are so few harbours around the island that almost no off-shore fishing is practised.
Udzdanarat has abundant resources of wood, used for building, crafts and wood fuel. Aside from this, granite and basalt rock are used for building, along with clay and ‘island brick’, an ancient form of mud brick. In the late 19th century the only geological expedition to visit the island found abundant resources of minerals and metalliferous ores, including precious metals.
Place names
The local language is used to give place names. There are no signs or signposts on the island, but other 'indicators' always exist, usually relating to natural features and local customs. Ethnological and modern maps have used place names taken from the local language, transcribing it in a modified Romantian alphabet (which takes into account some of the different vocalisations used on the island). The Romantian alphabet has never been used on the island. Much of the east of the island, which has never been visited by any survey team, remains un-named on any map.
Infrastructure
Udzdanarat has no developed infrastructure and no hi-tech elements. There are scattered primitive wind-turbines on the island and though there may also be small-scale hydro-generation there is no electricity grid. Where needed, wood is used for heating. The island lacks any petroleum or natural gas resources, to some degree bio-fuels and bio-mass systems are used. An oil palm species (Udzdanarat Oil Palm) Elaeis sp. grown in some locations numbers and oil is used for lighting on the island[15].
Maps
More detailed maps of the island have only become available in the last fifty years. On-line mapping is derived entirely from sources off the island. It is generally based on satellite imagery (often of low quality); field survey and communication with local islanders is not thought possible. Some information has been obtained from documents held by Arksbury International University[16].
Administrative Divisions
Udzdanarat is not divided into districts, but ancient stone markers indicate areas on the island where different villages have 'knowledge'. Extrapolating from this, the Grumish ethnologist Osman Gilles described the following regions, based mainly on language differences[17].
Region Name | Ingerish transcription | Ingerish name translation | Majority language | Location | Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ūzdenā | Uzdena | Green | Southern Utz | South-western hills and lakes | c20-60,000 |
Ħ'đēg-konħ | Khutjeg Konkh | Salt Lake | Northern Utz | North-western mountains and inland coast | c15-45,000 |
Yzixal | Yzixal | Heat | Yzixmw | North-east and offshore islands | c15-45,000 |
Vaşduar | Vashduar | Deep Valley | Lkarak/Şaš/X | Southern mountains, remote valleys | c3-10,000 |
Communications
There is no real road infrastructure and almost all 'roads' are tracks or footpaths. These roads are dirt, or in large villages (and in Uzdena) are paved or cobbled, since there is no bitumen for tarmac surfacing. Areas thought to be arrow gauge railway on satellite images are probably primitive wooden structures used for haulage, carefully laid out between some of the islands main villages. Primitive cable railways may also exist. There are no airports on the island and there is no air transport. Almost all international flights avoid the island.[18].
Udzdanarat has no internet connection or telephone connection with the rest of the world. It has no TV or radio networks.
Population
There are no reliable population estimates for the island, as there is no census, but an estimate of c50,000-250,000 inhabitants was made in 2010.
Emigration
Between the 14th and 17th centuries, it is thought that Udzdanaratys left the island to settle in a few other parts of the Asperic Ocean area[19]. One such settlement lies on the island of Tąpi Rā off the east coast of Tara (founded c1350). The main town on this island still retains an extra-ordinary ancient fortress and defences. The language of Tąpi Rā, Lkarak, is written in a unique script, which is thought to have its origins in Udzdanarat. Around the 17th century, a small settlement was established on the Islas M y M off the south coast of the Ardisphere by people from an Asperic Ocean island, claimed to be Yzix from Udzdanarat (Yzw Aşa in Yzixmw), and this survives to this day[20]. In 1820 most of the population of the outlying island of E'tena was enslaved and deported to work in slate mines for the Ingerish Slate Company [21].
Early Studies
The island was visited in the 19th and early 20th century by at least 5 expeditions of ethnographers and naturalists. Two of the expeditions vanished without trace[22]. The last expedition to the island was the third Tiràlban Cultural Expedition which explored parts of the island between 1930-36. The Expedition left the island after its leader, Mungo Fields, was killed by native tribespeople.
Politics and society
The politics of Udzdanarat are not easily explained. The word 'Ūtŭkzŭ' is sometimes used to describe the legislation, or lack of it. The word has been translated as 'anarchy', and certainly there is no formal legislature, bureaucracy or paperwork. However, there are very clearly defined 'norms' which mean that, although there are no laws, certain actions or behaviours are clearly 'taboo' and are rarely if ever observed. Sanctions against such behaviours do exist in the form of the Nunąnon (village courts), which are located in every village, in the form of a person invested as Nunąnonŭ '(court-keeper)', if not a specific building[23].
Effectively, there is no suffrage, but as there is no restriction on government it has been argued that the decision to not have a government is a democratic one, and the island is therefore a 'democratic anarchy'. This is not generally the international view of the island's politics, and there have been calls for democratic elections to be held[24]. Due to the restrictions on access to the island it is not possible to communicate these views to the islanders themselves.
International Relations
Ūdzđąnąrąt is not formally recognised by and, having no representatives, does not itself recognise the Assembly of Nations. Theoretically it has no formal international representation. To some extent the island is represented in the general chamber of the AN by the political wing of the agency Telkhug Ēkdŭn (TĒ) which sits at the AN in a limited capacity, following the Ūdzđąnąrąt Speech of 1964 and subsequent negotiations. TĒ however is only represented at certain institutions of the AN and is not represented at bodies such as the International Sea Justice Court.
Because of its inaccessibility and the hostility of its people to outsiders, Udzdanarat is often thought of as a no-go zone. Between 1975 and 1984 at least 15 missionaries attempting to land on the island were killed by locals on reaching the shore[25].The maritime boundary of the islands may or may not be shown on maps. Udzdanarat is not a signatory to any maritime treaty, and marine issues are generally addressed by Telkhug Ēkdŭn. At times, TĒ have enforced a 150km limit around the island to prevent exploitative fishing by other nations; this has led to conflict with foreign fishing fleets, for example during the Udzdanarat Whale Wars, a series of fishing disputes with Østermark in the 1980s[27].
The original Udzdanarat flag was designed and flown on the island of E'tena prior to that island joining the OIOI in 1949. In 1955 E'tena adopted a new design; the original Udzdanarat flag is now rarely flown on E'tena, but is used to represent the islands internationally when required. No flags have ever been observed on Udzdanarat, although blue streamers woven from jungle vines have been photographed flying from tall forest trees and interpreted as flags. Telkhug Ēkdŭn ships and aircraft carry the brown triangle symbol shown on the Udzdanarat flag. The island has no coat of arms.
Udzdanarat has no overseas embassies. Its foreign interests, such as they are, are represented by the agency Telkhug Ēkdŭn which is based on the nearby island of E'tena. Telkhug Ēkdŭn has offices in a few locations around the world including Gobras City in Gobrassanya and St. Richards in Pretany[28]. Through TĒ embassies a number of Ūdzđąnąrątys have managed to become Udzdanaraty citizens, an arrangement that allows them recognition as a 'national' of Udzdanarat. There are around 300-400 such citizens. They are all individuals who have left Udzdanarat; there is currently no structure or policy in place that allows immigration or emigration from the island.
Communication with individuals on the island is not possible. The role of Telkhug Ēkdŭn in allowing the continued isolation of the island has often been questioned.
Culture
The expeditions of the 19th and 20th centuries showed that Udenarrat has a strong musical heritage and a wealth of poetry. An island-wide Bākąsn contest ('humour test') has been held since 365A (1650CE). Dance is also popular, and many villages have their own well-developed dance-form.
The University of Uzdena was founded in 1A (1378CE) and is known throughout the island . It is possibly the only island-wide semi-formalised institution.Udenarrat has a number of its own unique sports, the rules of which are not known outside the island. Ball games and climbing games are played. A game similar to chess is also played in many villages. During the time Freed spent on the island many islanders took up a game similar to table tennis, played with balls made from naturally growing rubber palms[29].
Freed recorded no religious restrictions, but few religious elements in culture or society. Some superstitions are very strongly held, the most significant being 'Kzūeka' the belief that anyone leaving the island has moved beyond this world and cannot return, or can return only as a ghost which must be expunged.
There are very low levels of crime. In most parts of the island it seems weapons are prohibited by custom.
Margaret Freed reported on a tribe of warrior women on the island, the Rai-Kanti (Arăză), who spoke a different language and, as well as fighting all intruders, resolved issues of conflict. In her thirty years on the island she only spoke to three women from this tribe. The Arăză language itself is spoken only by women who have achieved warrior status within this tribe. By tradition, any man who hears the language must die. It is therefore known as 'deathtongue' in other native languages on the island. Freed transcribed over 70 words for different types of pain in the Arăză language.
People of Ūdzđąnąrąt
The number of Ūdzđąnąrąts who have made their way to the outside world is quite small, and few are well known. However, there are a some exceptions, mostly from the outlying island of E'tena.
Economy and trade
At the time it was last visited the island operated a unique 'gift economy', whereby valuables were not traded or sold, but rather given without an explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards. This means that most economic statistics are fairly meaningless when applied to the island economy.There are no trade links with other nations and there is a de facto embargo on export from the island. Udzdanarat Solitaires, flightless birds closely related to dodos, and sometimes called the 'Udzdanarat Dodo' survive on the island. In the 1960s, a few male dodos were taken overseas either to zoos or to Embassies of E'tena, but no female dodos have ever been exported.
The paper value of economic exports was around $0.5 billion in 2015; this apparent amount is mainly due to the contribution from patents held for inventions in foreign economies by 'Ūdzđąnąrąty citizens', mostly living in E'tena[30]. The AAX co-operative on the Islas M y M in the Ardisphere also gives substantial financial support to the island. International payments are managed through banks in Neo Delta. Udzdanarat has no debts or loans from the Global Bank Group.
There are no imports to the main island. Islanders make their own clothing and tools. The island is self-sufficient in bio-fuels, mainly palm oil. It is self-sufficient in foodstuffs. There is abundant fresh water.
A 19th century geological expedition recorded substantial deposits of gold, silver, platinum, silica, boron, molybdenum,lead and uranium[31].
Currency
No monetary currency is used on the island. Shell-money is sometimes traded between tribes.
Military (Telkhug Ēkdŭn)
Udzdanarat has a no armed forces. Patrol boats and aircraft controlled by a military organisation known as Telkhug Ēkdŭn are based on the nearby island of E'tena, and these may operate under the Udzdanarat flag. The island has no standing army.
In the 1980s, Telkhug Ēkdŭn naval vessels took part in operations in the "Udzdanarat Whale Wars" against Østermark. These vessels displayed contemporary levels of technology and weaponry, but where they were constructed or purchased from has not been confirmed[32].
It has sometimes been claimed that Telkhug Ēkdŭn have had nuclear weapons for over 40 years, having conducted an atomic test in the Southern Ocean in 594DA (1972AD). However, this is strongly disputed by some commentators[33]. Telkhug Ēkdŭn as an organisation has never commented on this, but it is thought to be technically impossible that such an organisation could have access to this technology. However, plans of a small nucler powerplant near the Telkhug Ēkdŭn base on E'tena were leaked to the press in 2012. Funding sources and technological backing for these elements are unknown. The military airbase and port on E'tena support at least four armed warships and twenty modern air-defense jets. Reconnaissance aircraft and submarines are also thought to be based here. In 2010, jet fighters intercepted a commercial airliner around 200km east of Udzdanarat and escorted it out of claimed Udzdanarat airspace. Assembly of Nations aircraft have also been forcibly directed out of Udzdanarat airspace[34].
Common sayings in Utz (as reported by Margaret Freed)
Lugbuzŭ ūtŭkzŭ = Anarchy works.
Ħŭkz zūndāsą ŷē = Nature is life.
Ąālekŏŭ đēkū ă ą, ŭk - Do we eat fish at sea?
Ŷ ekkūnŏ eku zūndā = The forest in our minds (our imagination).
See Also
Notes
- 1. The helicopter was escorted from Ūdzđąnąrąt airspace soon afterwards by military aircraft of Telkhug Ēkdŭn. Photograph from Assembly of Nations ethnographic archive.
- 2. Carbon dates obtained from pigments in the cave paintings indicate dates of around 30,000 BCE. AIU, Gobras City. 1998.
- 3. Painted around 1937. Photograph from public domain images bequeathed by estate of Margaret Kaunbami Freed.
References
- ↑ "List of Countries Recognised by Assembly of Nations". AN. St Richards, Pretany. 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ↑ "Historic voyages of the navigators" Black, B.B. Winburgh, Ingerland. 1987. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ↑ ["L'isle qu'on appelle 'Hurme'"]. d'Argent-et-Noire, L.. Midistland. 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ↑ "Register of threatened and endangered languages". Foy, M.P. Arksbury International University. 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
- ↑ "Languages of the World volume IX: Asperic Oceanic languages: Udzdanarat". Goh, J.P. Arksbury International University. 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
- ↑ "Journal of the Tiràlban Cultural Expedition of 1904 - Revisited". McLoch, A.P. PhD thesis. Whiteadder Cosmopolitan University. 2005. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ↑ "Geology of Asperic Occean Islands - Vol 8: Ūdzđąnąrąt and Wenesinia". Darman, J.J. Annals of the International Geological Society. Gobras City, Gobrassanya. 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ↑ "Earthquake epicentres - relevance to plate tectonics" Garbold, G.K. Report to ISORC, Gobras City, Gobrassanya. 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ↑ "E'tena - Climate Records for 1972-1982 including observations of cloud-cover on Udzdanarat (1972-1973)". Chart, J. Tinker's Hole Oceanographic Institute, University of Yshon, Yshon, Shadze-Ma). 1987. Retrieved 05 January 2012.
- ↑ "Climate Change and Asperic Ocean Weather Systems" Intergovernmental Climate Panel, Global Meteorological Organisation ed. Hellman, D.B. Trevers, Verona, Paroy. 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ↑ "On the origin of species and the importance of commensalism". Irwin, W. Anta-Beranta Colonial College, Commonia. 1884. Retrieved 08 January 2009.
- ↑ ibid.. Irwin, W. Anta-Beranta Colonial College, Commonia. 1884. Retrieved 08 January 2009.
- ↑ "Living on the Island". Openge of Iction Free Press. Freed, M. Mickle Icton, Tiràlba. 1941. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ↑ "Ūdzđąnąrąt: nuestra patria". Tąly-Tāno P. Empressa Principal. Tąpi Rā. 2001. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ↑ "Provisional Economic Statistics from some Undeveloped Countries". Dang, C.X. St. Richards, Pretany. Economic Statistics of the Assembly of Nations. 1999. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
- ↑ "Mapping the Unknown - report on sources of information and strategies for mapping an area which is not visitable". Chiano, R.K. Arksbury International University, Gobrassanya. 2014. Retrieved 08 October 2015.
- ↑ "Divide and Rule of Thumb - provisional administrative districts for colonial expansion in the Asperic Ocean". Gilles, O.F. Vyeguard, Grum. 1941. Retrieved 07 October 2013.
- ↑ "The Udenarrat Triangle - a catalogue of disappearances and mystery". Voyg, P.A. Phoenix, Mecyna. 1988. Retrieved 07 April 2008.
- ↑ "Links between Harda and Tarephia - the Udenarrat theory". Gan, O.O. Jeongto, Ardisphere. 2001. Retrieved 02 November 2012.
- ↑ "Magadasca - Guía Histórico y Cultural"]. Polhatan, Z.H. El Cabo, Ardisphere. 2004. Retrieved 02 November 2012.
- ↑ ["Colonial History of Ingerland and Northern Uletha. Volume 4: the Slave Years - 1805-1899". Darbury, L. Winburgh, Ingerland. 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ↑ "The Last Voyage of Captain Cork". Jones, J.B. Gobras City Free Press, Gobrassanya. 2000. Retrieved 03 February 2011.
- ↑ "The laws of the island". Freed, M. Stachen, Tiràlba. 1955. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ↑ "Hold Elections - or Face the Music". Beethoven, Ludwig van. Chair of Independent Advisory Committee to the Assembly of Nations. 1997. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
- ↑ "Holiday on Udenarrat - NOT". Chapman, R. in Christic Missions and their Accomplishments, 1988-89. Gobras City, Gobrassanya. 1990. Retrieved 01 December 2012.
- ↑ [1]Missionary group slaughtered in Ūdzđąnąrąt - up to 40 Dead. KTV News. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ↑ "Whale Wars Escalate - Protests in Myyningham". Forbos, O. Østermark Abroad. 14 January 1988. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
- ↑ "List of Embassies to the Assembly of Nations". Aristoteles, A. AN. St. Richards, Pretany. 2015. Retrieved 03 February 2016
- ↑ "Who won? Games on Ūdzđąnąrąt". Freed, M. Stachen, Tiràlba. 1959. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ↑ "Who are these people?". ICB News. 1 September 1984. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ↑ "The 1898 International Geological Expedition to Udenuarat - report on resources found and possibilities for extraction". Bxim, X. Tarott, Kalm. 1909. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ↑ List of Armed Ships, 1986. Gadhop, A.T.(ed.) Janet's Ships of the Wold: Volume CXI 1989, Gobras City, Gobrassanya. January 1989. Retrieved 18 September 2011
- ↑ "Do they have the bomb - a weapon of destruction or a method of distraction?". Dane, T.T.(ed.) FSA Journal of Global Studies: Volume X 1991, Stanton, FSA. January 1991. Retrieved 18 September 2011
- ↑ "Anarchist Warplanes Worry Airline". Times of Khaiwoon. 12 January 1999. Retrieved 1 May 2009