Long Key
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| Flag of Long Key | |
| Motto: It is in changing that we find purpose. | |
| [ ] | |
| Region | Equilism |
|---|---|
| Capital | Alliance |
| Official Language(s) | English |
| Leader | Emperor Jason |
| Population | |
| Currency | Cuda |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Geography
The Empire of Long Key consists of four islands--Alexander Key, Barracuda Key, Shark Key, and Long Key and is located in the Equilism region of the world. Long Key is the largest and is home to the capital. The four islands form a rough-looking, slanted diamond shape with channels between them.
To the east of Long Key is Alexander Key which is home to the oldest town in the Empire, Alexander. The island is about 28,590 square miles and is circular in shape. It lies 20 miles from the eastern shore of Long Key.
Barracuda Key is known for its Great Barracuda population and fishing for them is prohibited. It holds many scientific research laboratories as well as Barracuda University, the second largest in the nation. The island is also the third largest in the Empire at 56,278 square miles and is 35 miles southwest of Long Key.
Shark Key has a very important industry--trout farming. Its ideal location with 7 naturally-sheltered bays provide perfect places for trout to be raised and harvested. Shark Key has abundant resources, including fertile farm land, large forests, gold and stone mines, and offshore oil derricks. The second largest in the Empire, at 129,995 square miles, also has the second and fourth largest cities, Layton and Hammerhead. It is located northeast of Long Key by 26 miles, making it almost directly north of Alexander Key by about 16.6 miles.
Long Key is an island of about 183,451 square miles and resembles a bent letter 'I'. The northern part of the island is known as Lower Long Key, and the southern part is known as Greater Long Key. This is because colonists settled on the southern part of the island first, near the mouth of the Keyan River. The capital of Alliance is located on the southeast corner with superb natural harbors and an excellent infrastructure. The University of Greater Long Key is the largest and the most prestigious in the nation. It has received numerous accolades for new technologies such as improved Trout Farming, improvements on Oil Derrick architecture, and the developement of the InterIsland Highway, among others. Long Key's beaches are among the world's best with breathtaking sunsets and the tropical water which makes for a very refreshing swim.
History
The year was 1698, and Michael Alexander was leaving England, with about 100 companions, for Long Key colony in order to find religious freedom. He was 28 at the time and when he arrived, he found a colony in total disarray. There was widespread crime and moral sins were everywhere. The English colony was falling apart and Michael decided to act. With his excellent leadership skills, he effectively took control of the colony with the help of his 100 companions. The population of about 10,000 people recognized their crimes and reforms began to take place soon after Michael had taken control of the colony as governor.
England began to notice a change in leadership from their colony of Long Key and sent a diplomat ordering the new leader to step down or face punishment. Michael, with the entire population's backing, refused and so the fight for independence began in 1700.
The initial fighting was glorious for the colonists who had built defensive fortifications around the four islands in key spots. The arrogant English army lost many men before even reaching the shore, thanks to the new artillery the colonists had developed. The English had more experienced soldiers, though, and broke through the colonists' defenses within two weeks. The resulting fight could be better described as a massacre, as 1,000 colonists lost their lives.
The English then secured what would later be known as Alexander Key as the colonists fled to the other three islands. The place that would later be called Shark Key received the majority of the fleeing people, where they would regather their strength. The English, still arrogant about how they easily took control of the colony, were unprepared for what happened next. Led by Aaron Johnson and Michael Alexander, 2,500 colonists snuck ashore during the middle of the night when all the soldiers were asleep and took all of their weapons and ammunition for themselves. They woke up the soldiers by firing bullets in the night sky and then proceded to demand the 5,000 English soldiers to leave or die. All agreed except a few who tried to steal weapons from the colonists. They failed and were shot. England granted them independence the following week.
The colonists were overjoyed about their independence, but Michael knew it would be a difficult task to build a strong country. Over the next 30 years, the new nation was called Long Key because of the larger population on that island and because of the size. The population boomed from about 8,000 people after the Revolution to 100,000 by 1735. The newly formed country began to cultivate the land and also started a fishing business. By 1760, Long Key had taken control of all four of the islands and was renamed The Empire of Long Key. On through the end of the 19th century, Long Key saw its population increase ten-fold, to over 1 million. This was because of the rich, spacious land of the beautiful islands, that attracted businesses and immigrants to settle there.
The nation remained neutral in the two World Wars and also during the Cold War, although it has been rumored the United States helped fund the Keyan research of new technologies, and Barracuda Key was used for a secret underwater base for submarines. No evidence has been found to support this.
Emperors
Dating back to the beginnings of the the Empire in 1700, there have been 11 emperors. Seven of which are descendants of Michael Alexander.
Emperors of Long Key:
- 1700-1745 Michael Alexander
- 1745-1766 Aaron Alexander
- 1766-1785 Caleb Alexander
- 1785-1837 Michael Alexander II
- 1837-1853 Michael Alexander III
- change in government from a monarchy to a democracy
- 1853-1879 Kyle Johnson
- 1879-1908 Tyler Smith
- 1908-1942 Rob Smith
- 1942-1981 Edward Alexander
- 1981-2002 William Alexander
- 2002-present Jason Alexander
