Menap Island

The State of Menap Island, commonly as Menap Island, is a large, industrious island state located within the central Culldrome Isles. The island is well known for its abundance of minerals and Porcyals. Due to this, the island has a very large mining industry, with many mines and quarries that form the backbone of the Culldrom economy. It is also known for its sizeable manufacturing industry and its heavy pollution.

First Colonial Age
In 1859, shortly after the Culldrome Isles had been founded, a colony was set up on Menap Island. The colony, named Port Eastern, was only small; it consisted of several houses, a marketplace, a town hall, a dock and a large mine. Port Eastern, located on the island's northwestern tip, was intended as a gateway to this new island colony and many flocked to populate and expand it. South of Port Eastern were the mines, which lead out onto a dirt road. The entire colony was completely dedicated to mining and produced lots of valuable minerals and sometimes Porcyals. The island was chock full of all kinds of treasures and many miners flocked to the island to have a profitable job.

However, a few months later, Ninjas from the Skulldrome Isles invaded the island and the whole of Culldrome. Everything was under their control. The Porcyals that were mined were handed over to the ninjas as they continued on for their quest to gain power. Eventually the ninjas were driven out from power by Mark the Warrior. The ninjas left, leaving the colonies destroyed. The colonists had also left, leaving the island deserted. Port Eastern was left in a smouldering ruin, untouched for many years. It was decided that the town was too expensive to be rebuilt, so it was just left abandoned.

Second Colonial Age
After the Culldrome Isles had recovered from the ninja occupation, Menap Island was colonised once more in the 1920s. This time, the colony expanded and became large. A new town was founded further south on the banks of a large natural harbour named New Port Eastern and, eventually, New Port. Again, New Port was intended as a gateway to the colony. Mines were also set up, nearly all of which were successful. The minerals that were found were sailed over to the Treshurr Isles and were then exported around Antarctica. This had made Culldrome a large economic powerhouse, but this status has been overtaken by other countries today.

As more and more settlers arrived, more and more settlements and mines opened up. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, many flocked to the island after a large Porcyal vein was found. These were often sold off to the government for high prices, making many rich. The massive coal deposits on the island fueled Culldrome's Industrial Revolution and steampunk age.

In 1948, explorers started to explore the centre of the island, where they discovered many natural hills, mountains and forests. As even more settled, Cirrus Town was founded on the highlands. The small town attracted many and it soon became the colonial capital, due to its isolation from heavy industrial activity. The population rose to about 10,000 and the economy continued to grow. With his growth, Menap Island was permitted statehood in 1949.

Golden Era
The period ranging from 1950-1990 is often referred to as the Golden Era of Menap Island. During this time, the many mines on the island upgraded to much more larger and modern ones. More quarries were built and roads linked all the mines to the seaports. Coal-fired power stations were built, which powered a large portion of Culldrome. Factories and other industrial complexes were built to manufacture goods such as cars and trucks. Many Porcyals and other minerals continued to be mined and sold.



With the rapid industrial development came a rise in pollution, in the forms of air, ground and water. Many of the inhabitants moved out as it became more of a problem, reducing the population to about 2000. Only the factory workers and miners were left on the island. Menap Island soon became a very industrious island, only dedicated to heavy industry. Despite these problems, Menap Island became the driving force of the Culldrom economy along with its neighbor, the Treshurr Isles.

Porcyal War and Beyond
As the Porcyal War broke out in 1992, the mining and production operations went into overdrive. Weapons and vehicles were manufactured to help with the war effort. In 1993, a military base was established on the island, which later became a staging base for attacks to the enemy. The base was relatively hidden, but became a point for battles towards the later stages of the war. When the war ended, the base was still retained and the industries on the island began to stagnate, but still provided much income.

Menap Island's industries managed to stop Culldrome going into a post-war recession and it continued to improve. Today, Menap Island is a very industrious island with many mines, quarries and factories. However, there are a few secluded forests in the hills and mountains of the island.

Locations
Cirrus Town is the capital of the island state. Tucked away deep in the forested mountains, Cirrus Town is the only non-polluted settlement on the whole island. The town is very quiet and peaceful. Most of the town's structures are old fashioned, with cobblestone streets and wooden houses. There is also a town hall, where many issues are discussed, and a post office for inter-city communication. There is also a small radio shack, which allows for slightly better communication.

To the south is New Port, the largest settlement on the island. It is located in a large natural harbour, making it the ideal place for ships to load or unload supplies. Much like Seacast and Pirate City, New Port is heavily dedicated to ocean trade, with all of the island's exports traveling through the town.

To the north is a large mine, called Craft Mine. This mine is one of the deepest in Antarctica, going down 6 kilometers. Many Porcyals are mined there, as well as minerals like gold, silicone and iron ore. To the south is a military base, which is used by the Culldrom Military and was established during the Porcyal War.

Geography
The outer, coastal region of the island is mostly taken up by mines and factories. However, there are some patches of grass here and there. As you get away from this region and towards the middle of the island, forests start to appear and the terrain gets varied. There are many hills, mountains and valleys, chock full of trees and grass. The mountains are not tall, so there are no snow capped mountains. There are also a few rivers and lakes scattered around the island, thought they are small and not plentiful.

Industries
The obvious main industry of Menap Island is mining. There are currently 137 different mines and quarries located on the island. The mining industry also supports Culldrom's economy, being the largest industry. The mines and quarries all transport their produce to small port towns on the coast, where they are then shipped off overseas to be refined. Mining also helps with keeping employment up, with nearly all of the island's inhabitants as miners.

The mines and quarries on Menap Island mine out large amounts of coal and iron ore. In addition, some gold, silver and silicone are mined out. Although rare, Porcyals are also found in large quantities. These minerals and produce is exported out to other countries and Culldrome has become a large exporter to countries like the USA.

In addition to the large mining industry, there are a few small manufacturing factories. Although manufacturing is more expensive on Menap rather than on mainland Culldrome, it is still very profitable. The produce is shipped off, just like the mined produce, to other countries and cities.

Trivia

 * Menap is panem backwards, which means bread in Latin.
 * Although a lot of pollution is produced, most of it is absorbed by the forests on the island.