Yow Islands

The Yow Islands consist of the islands of the Yowien Sea. Formerly controlled by the former Old Yow Kingdom, today they are controlled by various other nations. The Yow Islands consist of Yow Kingdom Island itself, the Barbearer Islands, the June Islands, F Island, and Hontana.

History
The Yow Islands have a long storied history.

Prehistorical
The Yow Islands are the remnants of a large continent about the size of UnitedTerra called Holock. The continent was often flooded by the sea, which eventually breached the continent about a hundred years before the Hokjoks arrived.

Hokjoks

 * See F Island for more

Hokjoks inhabited many of the Yow islands and were the primary inhabitants before the Yow monarchy was established. During the reign of the Yow monarchy, they were enslaved, though for practical purposes they belonged to Feey1. Feey had not considered selling some of them to other Yowien citizens. The enslavement of the Hokjoks was a highly controversial topic in Antarctica, and many had criticized Yow for disrespecting the Hokjoks' rights.

After the war, the Hokjoks were resettled, mostly in the Puffish-controlled part of Yow Kingdom Island. Many of them now work on its extensive sugar plantations, in conditions considered better than when they were Feey's slaves. Some spread from F Island to other parts of Antarctica.

Yäulandt (10 BC - 150 AD)

 * See Yäulandt for more

Yäulandt (pronounced Yoi-lahnt) is an ancient colonial state that existed from 10 BC to 150 AD. It is documented mainly from historical records. It was located on what is now Yow Kingdom Island. The dukedom was very small, but had a thriving economy. In 150 AD a hurricane destroyed the houses and crops on the island. The next day the Penguin Empire invaded the island. They burnt down buildings, and set the crops on fire. They took back some High Penguin citizens as slaves.

Vikings
Vikings had initially inhabited the Barbearer Islands. By 1000 AD, however, the islands were deserted. Evidence points to two large earthquakes and the Vikings considered the islands to be an omen of bad luck, and shortly afterwards deserted the islands.

Hontana

 * See the history of Hontana for more.

In 1803, the Frankish first settled Hontana, creating a small colony mainly focused on the fur trade and later mining. After a series of unpopular laws, Hontana gained independence, but by 2000 a new power had seized Hontana: the USA. The Yow Kingdom, Frankterre, and Hontanan resistance drove the USA off, and the islands became a part of Yow. After the Great War, the island was returned to the USA.

Yow Kingdom (1990 - 2013)

 * See Old Yow Kingdom for more

The islands continued to be generally uninhabited except by a few terns and penguins (mainly Hokjoks) until 1990, when Alexander, the founder and first king of the Old Yow Kingdom, stumbled upon Yow Kingdom Island while fishing. He found the island a stark contrast to the colder climate of the mainland. It was abundant in trees and there was no snow on the island. Since the island wasn't claimed by any other third party, he decided to claim it for himself and set up his own country and name it the Yow Kingdom. To attract newcomers to live on the island, King Alexander started an advertising campaign in which he advertised low-cost land and low taxes. Soon, the Yow Kingdom began to boom in domestic industries such as electronics and high tech engineering. The island's strategic location near a trade route led it to become a major trading destination. It was during this time in which Yow exploited its abundant natural resources, and started aggressively expanding in the Yowien Sea.

For a few years, the Yow Kingdom continued to experience economic growth, thanks to its status as a via point. However, when the SABER was established, a large amount of nautical traffic diverted to the new port of Club Penguin, which was closer to the mainland and allowed ships to make shorter journeys. This caused foreign salt industries to boom, and Yow's to nearly collapse. Just as Alexander predicted, Yow's ports went from busy to almost dead, and by 2007 the island was now only a final destination on the SABER's northern branch. Yow began exporting through the Trans-Air Continental Route, exploiting its advantage of having more airports than Club Penguin.

Despite Alexander's plans to increase Yow's exports, they soon ran into an economic depression. King Alexander, misunderstanding the term "depression", decided the kingdom needed more fun, so he he hired a company to build an amusement park in Linox called Funtopia. The amusement park would cover 200 acres, include a water park, 10 roller coasters, and a carnival. Despite being criticized as a complete waste of money and not a proper solution for the economic problems, Funtopia did attract more tourists than expected.

Yow started to sink further into debt. In a bid to receive more aid, Yow began establishing relations with North Joseon. They agreed to lend money to Yow in exchange for using its ports and some of its technology. By 2011, however, North Joseon no longer decided to lend more money to Yow due to its foreign exchange reserves being exhausted by their loans to the Yow Kingdom, so Yow decided to borrow money from the USA. The USA agreed, but requested 50% interest. King Alexander agreed to the loan, which many Yowiens claimed was a big mistake.

Great Yowien War

 * See Great Yowien War for more details



All throughout 2012, Yow had kept borrowing money from the USA without paying a single dime back, continuing to increase their debt load. This continued well into 2013, but then a new concern was brought to light.

In early 2013, Yow expressed its interest in procuring nuclear weapons, much to the international community's dismay, as six countries had already obtained nuclear weapons, Yow had relationships with North Joseon, and Yow's citizens wanted their country to be peaceful and be a force against nuclear proliferation. Concerns grew among mainly the anti-Yow Kingdom countries of the AU and Shops Island. Worries increased when the Yowiens declared that they were studying Liquid Nuclear, something that many scientists deemed as impossible since nuclear radiation, made of electromagnetic rays, can not be liquefied. Hence, the UAN nations resolved to pass the April 2013 UAN Resolutions in order to completely stop Yowien nuclear development, and eventually create an effective blockade outside Yow's waters after their staunch protests against the resolutions. Nevertheless, Yow still wanted nuclear development to continue in secret to strike back at the nations that opposed them.

Yow attempted to launch a nuclear warhead against Shops Island. However, due to wiretapping by the SSS, Shops was able to explode Yow's rocket by colliding another rocket into it only 45 seconds after launch. Despite stopping the warhead, the fact that Yow could launch a warhead was worrying. An emergency meeting was convened with the heads of state of Shops Island, Castilla, Snowzerland, Rusca, Puffle'and, and Culldrome Isles, and it was decided that Yow would be invaded, leading to the Great Yowien War.

The invasion was a success, and the former Yow Kingdom was partitioned into multiple territories.

Post-Great Yowien War
Following the war, many of the islands (especially Yow Kingdom Island) had been turned into a desolate wasteland. With the notable exception of the northeastern Yow Kingdom Island (held by Snowzerland and Castilla), they were restored. None of the grand cities of the Kingdom were rebuilt except for Golden City, which now serves as the Culldrome Yow capital and a shared capital for the annexed Yow territory.

Culture
The Yowien islands enjoy a diverse culture, influenced largely by that of Castilla and Lisboagal. In more recent times, it has been influenced by that of Zhou and Frankterre, especially after the Great War. Yowiens enjoy watching plays at theatres and swimming at the many beaches in the country. It is very well known for its beaches, different from those in Antarctica as they were sandy and snow-free in contrast to the rocky and snow covered ones in Antarctica. Surfing is very popular, especially on Yow Kingdom Island.

Architecture
Modern Yowien architecture focuses on a primary building block: the tower. Many buildings were divided into a number of towers, each connected by hallways on the ground level, or bridges on the upper floors. Sometimes buildings were built behind the tower or skyscraper. This style can be seen in a variety of buildings, from older castles to modern skyscrapers.

Outside the major cities or in the special older neighborhoods, you could have found more older styled buildings that are of Lisboagese or mainly Castillan architectural influence. These architectural styles were found in places like the Little Lisboagal neighborhood in Golden City, the Barrio Viejo neighborhood in Golden City, and the majority of farmhouses in the countryside and villages.

The 7 Wonders of Yow

 * The Statue Of Us: The Statue was built a year after the Yow Kingdom was established. It is the symbol of the Yowiens. The statue shows a penguin wearing a viking helmet and holding a yellow puffle on his flipper in the air. The statue is made of a rock structure and covered in a thin layer of gold.


 * Golden City: The first settlement built on the Yow Kingdom. It has massive towers with a gold coloring, and is home of the Statue Of Us. It has many banks and stores, and is the reason of 70% of tourist coming to the Yow Kingdom.


 * Packlin Falls: A 1,000ft waterfall near Sall. It was the tallest waterfall in all of the Yow Kingdom. It drains off of Lane Mountain and provides over half of the water supply fro Sall. There is a looking tower at the top of the waterfall.


 * Lane Mountain: 1,000ft tall at the highest peak. It was home of 3 waterfalls: Packlin Falls, Or Springs, and Sing Creek. Lane Mountain is great for hikers looking for a great view, for at the highest peak you can see Rockhopper Island and the entire Yow Kingdom. Is located near Nilo.


 * Summer Fun Rollercoaster: The first ever roller coaster built off the mainland. It has a 1 mile long track. There are 2 loops, 4 drops, and some part are just straight forward so you go extremely fast. Is located in Linox.


 * Harrikon Temple: An ancient temple discovered in the forest near Linox. The temple has ancient art on the walls inside. They tell a story of penguins sailing here and discovering the island. The strange part is it shows King Alexander in a fishing boat drifting to the island. Only 50% of the whole temple has been seen to modern penguins.


 * Gold Mine: Where all of the Yow Kingdom's gold has come from. The mine is full of nothing but gold. Even tourist of the mine can collect gold flakes off the floor. The mine was created 2 years after the Yow Kingdom was established. The mine has a length of 30 miles worth of tunnels. It's near the Military Base.

Sports
The 2 most common sports in Yow are surfing and soccer(or football in Spanish). Surfing is the most popular because of the great beaches and waves.

Sports played in Yow include:


 * Soccer
 * Surfing
 * Baseball and softball
 * Basketball
 * American football
 * Tennis
 * Badminton
 * Swim racing
 * Track and Field
 * Cross Country

Cuisine
Food in Yow typically includes of fish and pastas. The most popular meal in the kingdom is Tuna Casserole. There are other foods like pizza, O Berry Soup, and Fish Salad.

O Berry Soup is made of boiled O-Berries and various spices. Some household families like pepper and salt in their O Berry Soup. It is a delicacy, as O-Berries are not native to Yow and are therefore very expensive.

Fish Salad is made of lettuce, fish meat, tomatoes, carrots, and some families add their own special ingredient.

There are other many foods in the kingdom, and many contain fish. The fish market in the Yow Kingdom is the fifth largest market in the kingdom. Fish is an extremely popular food in the Yow Kingdom. This has caused an ecological crisis in the Yowien Sea and Yow's rivers. Fishing is currently restricted except in the Snowzerland part of Yow.

The Castillans have introduced paella and Iberian styled prepared mullet to the menu, while the colonies from Latin Antarctica, most notably Beru, introduced Lomo Saltado, Beruvian styled french fries with cut up fish with a special sauce. Other Latin Antarctican cultures introduced Empanadas, which are hot pocket like pastries that usually have fish meat or cheese in there, sometimes vegetables. Other famous dishes introduced are Ceviche, a classic Latin Antarctican dish served in all Latin Antarctican countries, which is mostly made of onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and shrimp.

Lisboagese introduced the cod fish, typically used in most Lisboagese dishes. The Lisboagese also introduced Cream Soda made from Grapes, as well as the delicious almond pastries.

Typical ingredients used in Yow cuisine include yellow fish, crab, grey fish, mint, tomatoes, corn, lettuce, oranges, apples, onion, pineapple, and raspberries. More exotic ingredients include O Berries, Rhopper Berries, and mullets.

News
Prior to the Great War, the most common way for Yowiens to get their news was to watch Yow Kingdom News. Currently, newspapers are being used due to the communications disruptions done during the Great War.

Here is a list of well-known magazines and newspapers.


 * The Yow Times: The most common used newspaper in the kingdom, and is the only still printing. Very common among grownups and elders. Formerly called The Yow Kingdom Times, it was renamed after the Great War. It is published from Golden City.


 * Golden Things Magazine: A multi-topic magazine. It was oriented towards teenagers, including the latest dare devil stunts and pop stars.


 * Linox News: Local newspaper in Linox, it included government and local topics. And a big comics page for younger penguins to read. It was also popular in Hilnit Town.


 * Crab Fancy: An extremely popular magazine among crab fishermen in Hilnit Town. It showed the week's weather, best locations to fish for crabs, and a funny comic called The Crabby Crab.

Telecommunications
In the time of the Yow Kingdom, all of the Yow Islands were serviced by Yow Access. Many Yow residents resented the service, and often got in the way of King Alexander's attempts to promote the kingdom as technology-friendly. However, since the Great War's end, Yow Access's limited infrastructure allowed the Governance to take a foothold in the Yow Islands.

Transportation
The Yow Islands have many ways to travel, the most popular one being subway. Some of these were disrupted during the War, and are being re-established.


 * Subway: For trips 10 to 50 miles. Largely shutdown during the war, most subway services are now being restarted.
 * Waddling: For trips 1 to 5 miles.
 * Car: Can go almost anywhere that has a road. Most roads
 * Bicycle: For trips 1 to 8 miles.
 * Skate Board: For trips 1 to 5 miles.
 * Boat: For trips 50 to 2,000 miles.
 * Airplane: For trips 2,000 to 10,000 miles.

Music
Yowien music was traditionally classical, but as Yow prospered, it gradually switched to rock 'n roll and pop music; this caused several classical music players to go out of business.

The Yowien music scene has attracted many tourists to hear the music. An annual music festival held since 1997 has brought thousands of tourists to the Yowien islands each year.

Education
Education in most of Yow is very important. The basic structure of education is largely that of the old Kingdom:


 * School must begin no later than 8:30 AM and end no earlier than 3:00 PM.
 * Subjects required as mandatory courses in a district curriculum:
 * Mathematics
 * English Literature and Writing
 * Spanish Literature and Writing
 * Science
 * History
 * Subjects required as optional courses in a district curriculum:
 * Music
 * Graphic Arts
 * Dancing
 * Physical Education

Languages
The 3 most used languages in Yow are Spanish, Portugese, and English. Half of the population speak Spanish as the other half speaks English. The Spanish language was brought over from Castillan and Latin Antarctican Immigrants and consist of about 30% of the Population. The remaining 20% are from Lisboagal, who mostly came to the country in 1990 during the influx of immigrants.

Well Known Locals
There are some very famous locals in Yow, some being popular through out the whole of Antarctica. Here is a list of famous Yowiens and why they are so popular. Some are from 19th Century in the past so they may be deceased/died.
 * King Alexander
 * Founder and king of the Yow Kingdom. He was known for great knowledge of trading, but a lack of political knowledge. He was assassinated in 2012 by the Barbearer Islands.
 * Heimlich Zimmer
 * King Alexander's Royal Advisor. Heimlich was very knowledgeable about Politics, and was considered a great asset and influence to the King. After Feey1 became the King, Heimlich became quite lazy at his job. He was killed by the Snoss during The Great Yowien War.
 * Elder Jack Till
 * Is known for his great knowledge of astronomy and making incredible paintings and drawings. He is in his late sixties.
 * Scientist Linda Johnson
 * An aerospace engineer and former leader of Yow's space program. She helped design Discovery 1 and is currently working at Space Colony 1 (which now belongs to the USA). She is 41 years old.
 * Composer Miller Rudd
 * Is half, step brother of Garry Rudd. He composed Violins & Penguins, and other great concerts. He is 35 years old.
 * Sculptor Floyd Mcfrank
 * Sculpts statues of rock, and wood. He help build The Statue Of Us in Golden City. He is 59 years old.
 * Singer Mary Hop
 * Is known for her great singing and acting skills. She has performed in concerts, plays, and TV. She is 30 years old.
 * Madam Carmen Hop
 * Mary Hop's cousin and Yow Kingdom fashion/clothing costuming maker and wearing tester, she is 32 years old.

Economy
The Yow Islands have a diversified economy primarily based on agriculture, tourism, and resource extraction.

Agriculture
The islands are highly agricultural, having over 200 five-hundred acre farms. These farms are mostly owned by Lisboagese penguins, or puffles.

Currency
Prior to the Great War, Yow used a replica of Club Penguin's gold coins, as the circulation of all the real ones is tightly controlled by EBUL. Due to the partition, the currencies used vary depending on which part of Yow you are in.



Trade
Yow Kingdom is part of the SABER, though it's not a major via point like Club Penguin. The most common export is rock salt, which is abundant in Yow. Other resources have also been found, but not nearly as much as salt.

Natural Resources
Yow's natural resources include gold, silver, bronze, copper, salt, oil, and natural gas. Much of the bronze, oil, and natural gas exists in the eastern portion of the island, with the gold, bronze and silver further inland. The most well-known mines are the Yowien Mines on Yow Kingdom Island.

Geography and Climate
The Yowien Islands are north of Rockhopper Island, far away from the colder weather. It's much warmer than Club Penguin Island, at a balmy average of 15 degrees Fahrenheit. The region it is situated in doesn't encourage snow, so the only time snow falls is in the cold winter. The land is also capable of growing grass and trees, yet still liveable for penguins and puffles.