Curaçao

Curaçao is a territory of TerraMount. It used to be owned by the Batavians and the Snoss but has been occupied by TerraMount since the Giant Swiss-Terrain Cookie War. It was briefly fought over during the Great Snowzerland War III and the Great Snowzerland War IV but they were minor skirmishes and didn't play a major role in both wars. It is a small, tundra island, located near the Yowien Sea. It contains a large proportion of Batavian settler, although Snowzerland attempted to Germanify the island and a population originating from the German States also exists. There are a small minority of Hokjoks as well.

History
Curaçao was discovered by the Batavian East Ice Company in 1847. It seemed to have a large amount of Walri living on the island at the time, with lots of tusks. Walrus tusk were in popular demand and highly valued at the time for traditional medicines and making pianos and the Batavians began a colony. However there was a Hokjok confederation, known as the Yamaimo, who initially wished to help the settlers but the settlers feared that they would attack them and the local militias battled them, breaking them up into divided tribes. However the Walri soon migrated back to the North Pole, after they discovered the Batavians wanted to farm them. Only limited salt reserves were discovered and mines were built.

The settlers found it hard to make a living, with the occasional Hokjok raid and the lack of a substantial economy. Food was in short supply and many thought about going home. The Batavian East Ice Company quickly abandoned them, although it remained a Batavian territory. Then, a large reserve of salt was found in the northern mountains. Further mines were established and the large reserves were sold for cold, hard cash. Slavery was legalized in 1876 and many settlers established plantations. Many Hokjoks were enslaved against their will; Batavians would burn Hokjok settlements and kidnap or capture all penguins. The plantations grew mainly tea, cocoa, coffee, sugar cane and other highly valued products but at a cost.

However, in 1880, slavery was banned and the Hokjoks were set free. Many had become Batavified and rather than returning to their old ways, established their own plantations. They sold their crops at cheaper prices and this made them popular with merchants, but drove many richer Batavians out of business. The Batavians were furious and a court ruled that a tariff was to be placed on all products from Hokjok plantations. Slavery may had been over but discrimination was not. This law would officially be enforced until 1992. The Hokjoks would long remain an oppressed people.

Eventually the colony became unprofitable as the price of tea, sugar, cocoa and coffee went down. Salt reserves were declining and the settlers were becoming unruly. The colony began to decline as agriculture became the mainstay of the island while elsewhere industrialization was taking place. Batavia decided to keep on maintaining the colony despite declining numbers, however in 2002, decided to sell the island. Snowzerland bought it and began to revive the colony; they established a naval base, bringing over a large naval community of German speaking sailors. The fleet was kept here to keep a Snoss presence in the Yowien Sea. Germanification began with the creation of German-speaking schools, planned settlements being built in German architecture and the adoption of the Curaçao Banking Code, which made Curaçao bank secrecy heaven.

Once again, problems soon begun. The Snoss-Terrain War was going badly, with Snoss being pushed back from Iceland back to Snowzerland. A TerraMount-lead fleet attacked the Snoss fleet present. The Snoss fleet mainly consisted of outdated Cruisers and Battleships, which were equipped with massive artillery guns. However they were obsolete; with long-range missiles, stealthy nuclear submarines and air-ship missiles which can sink ships in one blow, the Snoss were at a serious disadvantage. It was a quick, easy victory for the TerraMounts; a combination of submarine attacks and air strike soon sunk the entire Snoss Yowien Sea Battlegroup, which constituted the majority of the Snoss Navy. Marines were dispatched to the island and captured it; it was defenseless and the settlers and locals could no nothing.

Swiss Ninja ceded the island at the end of the war; it was worthless to him in his eyes. TerraMount occupied the island, naming Curaçao the TerraMount Overseas Republic of Curaçao, which had no representation in parliament, it was run by a TerraMount-appointed Parliament of Curaçao and the Governor of Curaçao was not from the island but from Trans-Antarctica. The occupation was unpopular in Curaçao but very little could be done. The Curaçao Banking Code was terminated and accounts were sent to banks abroad; Curaçao bankers went out of business. The old naval port which was a haven for Snoss sailors and Curaçao workers was destroyed, the salt mines were out of business and the plantations were unprofitable. Snowzerland twice tried to reoccupy the island but failed. Then a turn of the tides came; natural gas was discovered in the rocks, coal in the mountains and oil in the sea. The island had become significant once again due to it's vast fossil fuel reserves. This stirred up jealousy between the Terrians and the newly-formed AU, who wanted their island back. A Second Snoss-Terrain War may be possible - or it could be an AU-Terrain War.