Southern State (Moon Island)

The Southern State of Moon Island is one of the two states of Moon Island, the other being Northern State. It is a semi-independent state of Shops Island which houses the F.A.R, a Freezestonian autonomous region in the southern part of the state. The Southern State is the second richest state of Shops, and houses over 1.700 trillion WB$. The capital of the Southern State is Moon Island City, and the Southern State is the more popular state in Moon Island.

History

 * See Moon Island, Moon Island City and Wizzint for more information.

All prehistoric and early history of Moon Island's southern state runs mostly concurrently with the Northern State. The main exception is the case of Wizzint, which saw earlier exploration and colonization than the rest of Moon Island; this has resulted in the city of Wizzint being very distinct in culture and other practices from the rest of Moon Island.

Moon Island used to be one body without official districts and inner boundaries, with most administrative action being left to the population centers of Dancing Penguin City, Moon Island City and Wizzint. However, in 2012, the Shopper government (which had just annexed Moon Island) split the island in two, creating a northern state and a southern state. The northern state focused on more domestic issues, while the southern state became a hub for trade, travel and transactions. Moon Island City became a popular tourist city and seaport, while Wizzint became a hotspot for casinos and wealthy penguins from across Antarctica.

Although the distinction is not official, the southern part of the southern state is known as the Freezestonian Autonomous Region (F.A.R). It is still under the jurisdiction of the Southern State but also answers to Freezestonia and the state government of Freezestonia collects taxes from the F.A.R.

Economy
The Southern State has a very strong economy, which is quite disproportionate to its size and relevance within Shops Island; between the cities of Moon Island City and Wizzint, the state holds 1.7 Trillion WB$. This is largely due to casinos, trading ports, the tourism industry, and the black market. In terms of taxes paid vs. tax dollars received, Moon Island's southern state pays more in taxes (proportionally) than anywhere else in Shops Island. As wealth and the population are both largely concentrated in the southern state's two main cities, average incomes remain high and poverty (for locals) is low. In Wizzint, however, many foreigners and Shopper mainlanders are homeless due to bad gambling choices.