Ed Island

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Federal State of Ed Island
Ed Island
←   ← 1942–2036 →
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto "Ehre und Ruhm für die Volk auf Edsland" "Honor and glory for the people of Ed Island"
Anthem Edslandlied I Vow to Thee
Capital		Bridgestadt
Languages		English, German
Government		Single-party Parliamentary Monarchy
Hierarch
-	2008-	EDFan12345
-	2012-	Tekla
Legislature
-	Upper house	High Council
-	Lower house	Lesser Council
History
-	Established	1942
-	Disestablished	2036
Currency		Doshin (Ð)
Population		11,250,000
Total Population		14,400,000
Membership		UAN Axle Powers SATO (Suspended)
Blue represents Ed Island. Light Blue represents Ed Island's overseas territories. Blue-Grey represents Ed Island's claimed ocean territories.

The Federal State of Ed Island (German: Bundesstaat Edsland) is a sovereign nation situated in the Sub-Antarctic. Reorganized in 1932 after the devastating effects of the Wulfen War and collapse of the Republic of Ed Island, Ed Island is an Elective Monarchy where the current Hierarch is elected from the several royal families of Acher, Sudentor, Arlon, and Waldreich. The current Hierarch is EDFan12345, of the House of Sudentor.

A nation full of scientific innovation and development, Ed Island is commonly accepted to be the most technologically advanced nation in Antarctica, largely due to Ed Laboratories and the Ed Island Military impacting everyday life with fantastical technology such as compact nuclear reactors and hologram technology. As of 2016, Ed Island became the only Type I Civilization in Antarctica after successfully launching a large-scale solar power plant into orbit, as well as tapping area's of the Earth's Crust near the Mantle for geothermal energy.

History

1500s

The first permanent settlement was founded by a small crew made up of peasants and serfs living in the High Penguin Confederacy, attempting to flee from their High Penguin lords. Sailing for several days, they came across a temperate paradise that was completely uninhabited and free from High Penguins. The refugees soon civilized the island in 1521, naming it Ed Island after a prominent leader or party member. A loose government was formed to overlook the numerous small settlements around the island, led by the leaders from the initial group of refugees. Few countries took note of Ed Island's founding, the first being the Holy Penguin Empire, from which a large number of immigrants came and introduced the strong Germanic culture that persists today.

1700s

In 1726, Ed Island had narrowly avoided a near-collapse of the nation with the monetary help of the House of Lichenstien, which directly placed the family in a position of leadership over the fledgling Ed States, uniting them as an outer dependency of the Holy Penguin Empire. Due to Ed Island's distance from the Ninja Archipelago and status under Lichenstien, it was never truly considered anything more than an outer territory with little influence on the empire.

1800s

After the collapse of the Holy Penguin Empire in 1812, delegates from each of the 21 states of Ed Island gathered in Dinsmarck in the Kingdom of Acher, where each of the states pledged allegiance to the Duke of Acher and formed Imperial Ed Island loosely modeled after the HPE.

In 1878, during the Franko-Pruscan War, Ed Island invaded the Frankterran dependency of the Comona Islands and "liberated it" as a territory of Ed Island. As the majority of Frankterran troops stationed in Comona were under-equipped second-line troops, the Ed Islandian Reichswehr had a swift victory in the islands.

1900s

In 1903, Snowjave was made a territory of Ed Island, and later voted to become the ninth state of the country in 1911.

Khanzem War (1913)

When the Khanzem War broke out across Antarctica, popular opinion across Ed Island favored the Khanzem regime due to its similarly Germanic culture and general distrust of High Penguins. While Ed Island was officially neutral during the early stages of the war, large amounts of weaponry, equipment, and other forms of aid were sent to Khanzem throughout the war, as well as the production of Khanzem small arms and other such equipment in Ed Island itself. During this time, Ed Island was constantly under threat of invasion by The Good Guys for use as a staging area against Khanzem, with whom Ed Island previously maintained positive relations with.

In 1916, the monarchy that had ruled Ed Island for nearly one hundred years was overthrown in a bloodless revolution after the Sotha Decree, forming the Republic of Ed Island. A federal republic was installed with the masses electing a chancellor to lead the country for a maximum of three two-year terms. The republic was notably less isolationist than the previous government, and opted to support Khanzem more openly than before.

The Republican government became more involved in the Khanzem War, sending troops to the front lines to attempt to break the stalemate. While joint Ed and Khanzem troops began to slowly advance, the stalemate continued until Puffish troops rapidly advanced through the use of the first tanks. While Khanzem initially reacted by introducing anti-tank rifles, Ed Island attempted to copy the Puffish "moving bunker" in order to gain the same edge. The first Ed Islandian tank design, the Sturmpanzerwagen Oberwellow, was first introduced on the battlefield in early 1917, too late to have a lasting effect against the enemy advance.

When all seemed lost after the final advances of 1918 began to encircle Smackemsillyton, a plan to break out of the enemy's front was put into motion to prevent the capture of as many Ed Islandian and Khanzem troops as possible. Using an early version of what would later be known as Blitzkrieg tactics using tanks and aircraft to support ground troops, an armed advance of more than 600,000 Ed Islandian and Khanzem soldiers and armed citizens alike cut a line from the capital through the Snowman Empire towards the coast, where they would escape to Ed Island and make a final stand. Ed Island as the final remaining nation allied with Khanzem officially surrendered on November 19, 1918, twelve days after Khanzem itself.

Interwar (1919)

The Treaty of Snome placed severe sanctions on Ed Island to limit its military capabilities, though many of these were (often quite publicly) ignored. The largest restriction was the ban on Ed Island tank production, after their effectiveness in "mobile warfare" were shown during the 1918 break out.

In its later years, the Republic was notably unstable, with riots and violent confrontations occurring between Monarchists, Republicans, and other organized groups such as Communists and the Wulfen. Despite all of this, the Republic managed to remain in complete power of the island until the declaration of a separate Neumenian Reich in the northern half of the nation under the Fascist leadership of Friedrich Keller, with the Republic adopting the moniker Republic of Lower Ed.

Civil War (1934)

After the formation of the Neumenian Reich, Wulfen troops began to invade Arlon and Bridgestadt, nearly flattening the capital city in the process. The Wulfen War officially began in 1934 with fighting lasting until 1936, when a ceasefire was called due to the war developing into a stalemate. While neither nation officially recognized the other, this attempt was made to peacefully coexist with the 1934 borders intact. Both sides, knowing the peace would not last, began rapidly expanding and modernizing their forces by developing technology such as semi-automatic rifles and jet aircraft. The ceasefire lasted until 1939, when a border confrontation in Arlon ended with the deaths of four Neumenians and two Ed Islandians In mid-1941, Lower Ed forces stormed Neumania though a beach landing from Acher, and successfully captured the Wulfen capital city of Sotha. Waldreich and Anfang soon fell, with the last remnants of Wulfen forces remaining in 17th-century stone fortresses within the Amber Mountains. The war officially ended in December 1942 after Keller was said to be executed by his own men who later surrendered, though his body was never found.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the country, the Wulfen secretly fled Ed Island (and the Earth) to their base on the Moon, where they remained undisturbed for almost 100 years. The majority of Neumenian forces who fled to the moon did so during the 1936 ceasefire, with most of the remaining forces consisting of conscripts and former Khanzem soldiers who took refuge in Ed Island after the war.

During the war, Monarchist factions managed to make gains in the Ed Islandian parliament, appealing to the masses by promising to stabilize the nation through the return of the monarchy. In the aftermath of the civil war, the Republic was disbanded and the Imperial monarchy returned once more under the name of the Federal State of Ed Island. Despite its negative connotations with corruption and instability, the Republic laid the framework for the modern High and Lesser Councils, along with many new civil liberties now enjoyed by citizens of Ed Island.

Postwar (1940s)

Ed Laboratories was founded in the late 40s by famed scientist Dr. Pavelheer after the purchase of a large salt mine in eastern Arlon. Reaching almost 4km below the surface, Ed Labs was the location of numerous important developments in teleportation and other scientific ventures. Ed Laboratories was often shunned by the international community for its unethical treatment of test subjects in experiments, such as splicing their DNA with that of a crab's or turning their blood into peanut water, though the company managed to stay afloat by selling 60% of its stock to the Ed Islandian government in 1961.

In 1963, Georg Seetaucher became the first Ed Islandian in space when he launched on a sub-orbital space flight lasting five hours.

2000s

In the early 2000s after the nation of Glaw was founded, several thousand Ed Islands immigrated to the young country and noticeably impacted its culture.

2012 Intervention in Bloodstone

Main Article: Dominion

In mid-2012, EDFan12345 was personally involved in the overthrow of the Bloodstone Dominion's leadership. After infiltrating Bloodstone disguised as a corrupt EIA officer selling advanced laser arms, he aided a small insurrection in order to gain information on Bloodstone's military and weapons programs. While he initially didn't believe they could successfully overthrow the government, after a stunning victory in the city of Avalon it became apparently he needed to help achieve victory.

After the overthrow of Bloodstone's government and establishment of a temporary replacement until proper voting and elections could begin, EDFan later traveled to the Ed Islandian Stingray facility in international waters near the Ninja Archipelago to recover from injuries sustained in Bloodstone. While there, it was subject to a military strike orchestrated by Snowinian and FPE forces under the guise of loyal remnants of the Bloodstonian Military. EDFan and less than a dozen soldiers survived on a UH-24C helicopter that tried to escape, but collided with a chasing enemy helicopter after damage to the left engine. The helicopter crashed near Snowprus and everyone onboard was declared dead. Several occupants (including EDFan) had indeed survived, and made their way to the Snowpriot shore. EDFan was later placed in a medically-induced coma, hidden in an Ed Islandian-allied hospital.

Snowinian Invasion (June 2013)

In June 2013, Snowiny's military forcibly entered Ed Island when the government was struggling with the loss of the Hierarch and one of their largest military bases. Managing to conquer roughly two-thirds of the nation Robert Smith later proclaimed the island as a part of Snowiny and formed Snowinian Ed Island, boasting about the takeoever despite most Ed Islandian military forces not being present in the country. The Ed National Republic was formed in the remaining free portions of the country, but was recognized as a terrorist organization due to their anti-Snowinian activities. During this time, many laws that were said to be "anti-Snowinn" were struck down, and new ones formed that greatly limited Ed Island's international power. The Ed Islandian government remained split between the Hierarch in Bloodstone and the Councils in the National Republic, and Ed Laboratories separately defended its facilities from Snowinian occupation forces through the use of its private military force.

Out of every territory Snowiny managed to annex, Ed Island proved to be the hardest to keep under control. As civilians were permitted to own firearms and weaponry prior to the invasion (unlike in most other countries), armed rebellion was not uncommon against the Snowinn invaders. Even when Snowinn officials tried to strike down several of these laws, it only proved futile, as Ed Islandians were very passionate of the previous government and its rule.

In November, EDFan awoke from his coma and later returned to the international stage to show his survival. While he tried to make the claim that Snowiny's annexation of Ed Island was illegal, much of the blame was shifted to himself for the disaster near the Ninja Archipelago coming from "Ed Island's over-militarization." EDFan retreated to the Bloodstone Archipelago, which voted to become a territory of Ed Island shortly prior to Snowinn rule. It was there he began to rebuild Ed Island's military, aided by Bloodstone's own military forces.

Fall of Nexon (October 2013)

Main article: Fall of Nexon

Allying with Shops Island and Snowiny, Snowinian Ed Island participated in the Fall of Nexon, where the EIAC's prototype spaceplane "Arkbird" was used to bombard Nexon City from orbit using its anti-satellite dorsal laser. The National Republic and Bloodstone-based government did not participate, stating it was "another example of Snowinian imperialism against a smaller nation."

Independence from Snowiny (November 2013)

In November 2013, while Snowiny was involved in The Plague War, a joint invasion by Nationalist and Bloodstonian forces occurred with the goal of liberating Snowinian Ed Island.

Post-Snowinn Independence (2014+)

With its recovered independence, Ed Island joined The Axle Powers in an agreement with Shops Island, Munijoch and the Culldrome Isles. The agreement bonded the four nations into a pact of military, economic and political power. This agreement gave Ed Island much-needed aide to help repair many of the cities damaged or destroyed in the prior civil war.

July 2014 once again brought Ed Island to the spotlight. After rumors of Ed Island's nuclear weapons program were somewhat proven after a nuclear detonation in the Ed Ocean Territories, Ed Island was tried at a UAN tribunal for violating the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Charges were dropped as Ed Island never signed the treaty, but a close eye was kept on Ed Island's nuclear power programs.

In 2015, Ed Island entered an agreement with its Wulfen counterparts on the moon, ending hostilities with them after 70 years. The Wulfen would become part of Ed Island again and would give Ed Island access to its Helium-3 mines. In return, Ed Island would give control of the Straits Kingdom, in which the Wulfen would be able to settle on the Earth once more. Despite the overwhelming negative reception to this plan, Ed Island sees it as a step forward, to make peace with their former enemies.

Avalon Missile Crisis (2016)

In early 2016, the UAN once again tried Ed Island under new evidence of a nuclear program in the form of an intercontinental missile base in the Avalon region of Bloodstone. The recently-drained Avalon Dam was converted into a large missile base, which was discovered by PASA satellite imagery. The latest of Ed Island's infamous 'superweapons,' each modified V2 missiles at the base supposedly contained nine V1 warheads. While initially claimed to be conventional ballistic missiles, the presence of hazmat and radiological equipment confirmed their nuclear origin.

SATO, at the behest of the UAN, suspended Ed Island's membership in the organization and began amassing a 'peacekeeping force' consisting primarily of aircraft from the member nations. It was previously determined that due to Bloodstone's harsh and well-defended terrain, a land or sea force would not be able to approach Avalon as easily as an air squadron would. The conflict, later known as the Avalon Missile Crisis, marked the first time a SATO force was raised against one of its own members.

On November 1, 2016, the Lumenburg Reforms were passed that officially made gave long-overdue statehood to the Comona Islands, reverted the national flag to that of the Imperial tricolor, and set out to modernize the Ed Island Military to the standard set by the EISC. The reforms also made international relations a national focus, namely improving relations with the United Provinces and other Western Union members.

During the 2016 Antarctican elections, many Ed Islandians showed their support for the populist candidate Donal Tenorio, who ultimately lost to the liberal candidate Megg. When the election resulted in Acadia leaving the Free Republic Union, EDFan12345 publicly denounced the move, stating "Unfortunately the Acadian people suffer the consequences of yet another blunder by President Brant and his government falsely accusing our ally Dorkugal of rigging the Antarctican election."

Incorporation of Glaw (2017)

Main Article: Annexation of Glaw

When Frankterre annexed Glaw in the aftermath of the Great Yowien War, Ed Island provided the greatest vocal opposition of this, stating it was a "gross mistreatment of thousands of Ed Islandians abroad" (despite the clear Frankish and Castillan influence on Glaw's culture as well), as almost half of Glaw's population consisted of Ed Islandians, leading the two nations to be closely connected culturally.

In early 2017, approval was granted for an invasion of Francterran Glaw in order to end the so-called abuse of Ed Islandians living in Glaw. In the morning of January 14th, a combined forces invasion from both sea and air occurred, aiming to gain control of the major cities. As over half of Glaw's population was made up of Ed Islandian immigrants to the nation, the term "Heim ins Reich" (meaning "back home to the Reich") became popular among these groups to show their support for annexation of Glaw.

Shops Civil War (2026)

During the Shops Civil War, Ed Island's military was mobilized during the entire conflict. Officially, Ed Island supported the USSI as the legitimate successor to Shops, but the nation had its own goals during the war. A secret treaty was made with the USSI, stating that Ed Island would gain control of all Shopper Extraterrestrial Colonies, including Notron. During this time, it was feared that Ed Island would be drawn into conflict with Snowzerland or Castilla, due to the countries all having their own agendas and goals to take former Shopper territories. While no soldiers officially participated in the war under the Ed Islandian banner, 27 soldiers are known to have defied orders and fought for the USSI, 20 of which (who later became known as the Shopper Twenty) returned and were given both service medals and punishment for their actions. Numerous shipments of advanced laser and plasma weaponry were sent to the USSI, along with many Space Command vehicles and equipment. A single CRS cruiser, the Undying Faith, was given to the USSI for use in the war, but was destroyed by Umbara fighters from within. The wreckage was later further destroyed by an Ed Islandian Special Forces team to prevent the technology from falling into enemy hands, though it proved to be redundant after Squarium bombing later in the war.

When the war ended with the dissolution of Shops Island as a nation, the Axle Powers soon followed. Without the economic powerhouse that was Shops, the Axle countries were little more than a loose military alliance. Munijoch left the union first, with Culldrome soon following. Ed Island once again entered a period of Isolationism as it had nearly a century before, despite invitations to join both the Western Union and the Zeta Connections. Rather, the nation focused on its new territorial possessions, enforcing its claims over parts of the former Shopper lands. An unintended side effect of Ed Islands' isolation during this period was the sparing of the country from the economic instability following the power vacuum left by Shops. Due to the large influx of Shopper refugees entering the island, Ed Island sought more territory to help the nearly five million who came to the country. Ed Island also acquired all of Shops Island's space colonies as part of the agreement made years before. Many of these refugees were sent as colonists to Lunar or Martian colonies, sometimes unwillingly.

When the dust settled from the aftermath of the Shops Civil War, Ed Island officially recognized the Shops Union as the political successors to Shops Island and the USSI, and signed several treaties with the union to offer economic and military assistance if ever needed.

Greater Ed Confederation

Main Article: Greater Ed Confederation

In 2036, after the success of Ed Island and the Shops Union over Castilla in the Islandic War, Ed Island's government was fused with the nations of the Shops Union to form the Greater Ed Confederation. While each separate government operated independently as before, this confederacy gave voice to the territories. With recent hostilities brewing with Snowzerland and Castilla, along with Ed Island's lone defense of the Shops Union, it was agreed that stronger, closer ties were needed to stand toe-to-toe with the larger imperial nations, both politically and militarily. The Greater Ed Confederation was seen as both a single nation and a union by other countries, although it acted as a single political entity. Despite this, the Shops Union nations held the most autonomy within the confederacy, due to their distance from Ed Island and former status as sovereign nations. The Frosian Islands were invited to join the confederacy but declined, citing it would simply be a "repeat of Shops' governance of the nation."

Geography and Climate

At 8729 km² (5414 mi²) the island is packed with dense forests, arctic peaks, and sun-bleached beaches, each populated with a variety of settlements, from ski resorts to submarine bases, towns and villages to a huge capital city, Ed Island is a country rich in variety. Each climate zone has its own unique weather system, with dense snow falls creating picture postcard peaks to thunderstorms lighting up the night sky.

The island itself is very mountainous, with the majority of Waldreich, Anfang, and Neumenia covered in a single mountain range. Waldreich is also home to the majority of Ed Island's military bases, due to the lack of civilian population in most of the region, making it an ideal location to test weapon and military technology.

Ed Island is home to a unique mineral called Wonderflonium, which is utilized in many of Ed Island's advanced technologies. Mined from quarries across Ed Island, it possesses magnetic and explosive properties, allowing it to be used for energy production, weaponry, and other such uses. Most notably, Wonderflonium batteries power the internal generators within Keysabers.

Ed Island possesses the 4th largest natural gas reservoir in Antarctica, located in the sea between it and the Comona Islands. Much of this gas is exported or utilized for heating, as it is not needed for power generation.

Animal Life

Puffles are common all over the island, including several of the rarer hybrids such as Puffle Bats and Chicken Puffles. However, intelligent Puffles are considered to be "second-class citizens" by many citizens of the country, due to cultural differences with Antarctica. This has caused rifts with other Antarctic countries that disagree and challenge Ed Island's views. Marine life is virtually identical to mainland Antarctica, and fish are still a staple of the average Ed Islandian's diet.

Economy

Currency

Ed Island uses their own currency called Doshins (Represented by Ð). Unlike most currencies, the doshin is not artificially pegged to the Gold Coin, and instead often fluctuates with the economy.

Agriculture

Ed Island's terrain allows for very little farming; what little exists on the island is located within the northern rural areas of Waldreich, Anfang, and Neumenia. Ed Island is forced to import much-needed agricultural products, notably from Shops and the other Axle Powers members.

The Straits Kingdom, one of Ed Island's several ocean territories, possesses a large agricultural base due to its rich, fertile soil. Straits grows the vast majority of its produce for Ed Island, and little is exported to other nations.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing products is Ed Island's largest economic industry, largely in part due to the presence of Ed Laboratories.

Government

The country is headed by a Hierarch and Hierarchess (sometimes incorrectly referred to as king and queen), who make up the central governing body of Ed Island. With them, there are two High Councillors, who aid in decision-making. The other present governance is the High and Lesser Councils, which are made up of over 200 councilors combined. The Councils are divided into sub-groups, with different tasks and goals which keep the country up and running within all its aspects. These Councils meet in the Großhalle in Bridgestadt to discuss policy, discipline, promotions among ranks, and military plans. The current hierarch is EDFan12345, elected by the High Council after the previous Hierarch abdicated the throne in the midst of numerous scandals. Despite being relatively popular among the population, EDFan insists he is a poor Hierarch by allowing Ed Island to fall to a foreign nation, which has continued to haunt his rule.

Ed Island is a single-party state, being headed by the Ed National Party. Opposing political parties are banned, but each councilor is allowed to hold their own political views, as long as they do not heavily conflict with that of the country such as Communism or Anarchism. Individuals who hold such views are often disqualified from joining the Party. It is not required to be part of the National Party to become a councilor, but bureaucratic policies make it highly improbable for a non-member to do so. While in session, party members typically wear a tan uniform with a Party lapel pin. Councilors are democratically elected by citizens of their district.

Ed Island is becoming an increasingly technocratic nation, where much of the National Party is made up of engineers, scientists, and other such positions.

Crime

Due to its homogeneous culture and harsh penalties, Ed Island has a fairly low crime rate. However, crime is not unheard of; Acher typically has a higher crime rate than the rest of the country, due to the large population. Those that commit more severe crimes serve their sentences in the form of forced military conscription into "punishment units," as they are known. These units are typically used for labor in military camps and construction sites, and are identified by bright green armbands on their uniforms. Ed Islandians convicted of a felony of any type have their military rifle confiscated for a minimum 15 years, and are barred from owning other firearms during this time.

Due to Ed Islandians legally being able to weapons of their own, many crimes that do occur are foiled by fast-acting citizens.

Culture

Ed Island is generally regarded as a very alien place compared to other surrounding countries. As there is very little permanent immigration compared to other Antarctic nations, the unique homogeneous culture that surrounds the country was allowed to develop into the odd culture that persists to date. Much of Ed Island's culture is shared with other Germanic countries in Antarctica, such as Snowzerland, Alemania, and the former Khanzem regime. Much of this is due to the Wulfen, being heavily inspired by the Khanzem. Ed Island's national anthem, Edslandlied, is inspired by an Alemanian patriotic tune written in the 1800s.

The Lichenstien monarchy continues to own land within Ed Island, most of which was returned in 1943 after it was seized by Neumenian forces during the Wulfen War. In recent years, members of the House of Lichenstien have taken residence in Ed Island after the Snoss colonization of the island, adding yet another point of tension between Ed Island and Snowzerland.

When Glaw was founded in 2000, the vast majority of immigrants to the country were Ed Islandians due to its close proximity, leading the two nations to be closely connected up culturally and politically. In fact, the Glowus monarchy was considered one of the candidates for the position of Hierarch before EDFan ascended to the position. This friendship between the nations ceased after the Great Yowien War, when Frankterre annexed Glaw and formed the territory of Frankterran Glaw. The Ed Islandian government's dissatisfaction with this culminated in the ensuing conflict between Ed Island and Frankterre, where Glaw was incorporated into Ed Island. After the conflict the citizens of Glaw officially voted to become a state of Ed Island, although the validity of the vote has been called into question due to over half of Glaw's population being immigrants from Ed Island.

Entertainment

A popular form of entertainment is stunt flying. One group, the Stunt Lads, dominates this market with their extreme plane stunts, including unassisted plane landings on top of other aircraft and jumping from one aircraft to another. Additionally, the state provides many national clubs for citizens of all ages to join. The largest of these clubs is the National Vexillologist Committee, a group for flag enthusiasts. Other groups include blacksmithing, shooting, flying, and other popular pastimes.

Firearm ownership in the nation is one of the highest in Antarctica, even when excluding the mandatory service rifles kept by each individual. There are few specific types of weapons that are restricted in the nation; fully-automatic firearms require a license to own, and owning destructive devices — that is, rifles over 12.7mm or explosives — are subject to a Đ200 tax stamp for each one purchased. All other types are sold freely, provided the owner passes a government background check. Additionally, citizens may receive permits to conceal-carry or open-carry handguns, provided they pass a class demonstrating proper ability and discipline required to do so safely. Excluding the StG-3 system used by the Ed Islandian military, the Antarctican AR-15 and Ruscan AK-pattern rifles are the most popular among civilian owners, due to their availability and reliability. Government-sponsored shooting competitions are often broadcast live on television, and can see viewership in the hundreds of thousands.

In international sales statistics, Ed Island is often included with the Free Republic Union despite not being a member, due to its proximity to the union.

Language

Historically, English on Ed Island has been spoken predominantly by the upper classes, with the lower classes speaking German. In modern times, the majority of the island is dominated English speakers, whereas German is spoken in more rural areas. Along with sharing many words with the German language, Ed English is generally harsher and more guttural than Antarctican English, and is spoken in a deeper tone. Ed German is generally unchanged from the German spoken by nations such as Alemania or Snowzerland, but is spoken with the same guttural accent.

Ed Island also uses its own unique alphabet introduced in early 2013, made up of different patterns of triangular figures that each correspond to a Latin character. Rather than simply draw out the symbols with a pen or pencil, a set of four special stamps are used, each with a typical triangular or quadrilateral shape in the alphabet. Due to the time and process involved in writing in the Ed Alphabet, it is typically only used in government documents or in computer systems. Additionally, despite its prominent use in the nation and government, Ed German is typically written using the traditional Latin alphabet.

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M
N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Honor

Many Ed Islandians consider most other penguins to be inferior to them, both culturally and in fighting skill; this thinking has caused them to treat other countries in an arrogant manner. Ed Islandians display respect and admiration for honorable fighters, whether they are allies or not; it is not unusual for an Ed Islandian soldier to have such an admiration for their adversaries. Additionally, Ed Islandians respect and revere veterans and often follow their lead. Their history is rife with victorious combatants welcoming the defeated enemies' remaining forces into their own army, provided of course that they fought with honor. Due to this way of thinking, the Wulfen were not hated throughout history as enemies, rather being respected as determined fighters. Additionally, many believe that a bladed weapon is to be drawn only if it is to be used, because a drawn weapon "demands blood."

Family history and lineage are greatly valued, with each family having their own unique "battle poem" detailing the deeds and actions of its members during times of war. Every family member that participated in a war is expected to add his or her own line to this poem, usually inscribed on stone or marble pillars. Vanity Park, located in the city of Farbanti, is dedicated to such pillars. It is not uncommon for some poems to reach 20 or more lines.

The vast majority of Ed Islandians are immensely loyal to their fatherland, often sparking altercations over insults to the country made by foreigners. While it isn't outlawed, defeatism is seen as a weakness, showing that one is disloyal or even traitorous towards Ed Island in times of war.

Technologies Produced

Main article: Ed Laboratories

Ed Island is known to have a very technologically-inclined culture, being the most advanced nation in the Antarctic. Many technologies developed early in Ed Island, such as jet aircraft in the late 1920s or nuclear fusion in the early 1960s, were adopted in greater Antarctica much later, or (most of the time) developed entirely separate. The country also leads Antarctica with its advanced medical technology, having some of the most prestigious medical centers across the continent. These advancements have granted Ed Islandians the high quality of life they enjoy, bringing with it long life expectancy and low death rates.

Plastics are a rarity on Ed Island due to the scarcity of oil on the island. Oil was limited to vehicular use, and metals, wood, and bakelite replace plastic in nearly all uses other than medical purposes (where plastic IV and blood bags are a necessity). Even after trade with the Axle Powers allowed oil and plastics to be imported with greater ease, it is still a very uncommon household material. In place of gasoline engines, hydrogen engines were developed in the late 1980s to convert water into fuel.

Ed Island possesses a massive aviation industry, largely due to the Advanced Automated Aviation Plants in the nation capable of producing any aircraft design if provided the necessary blueprints and materials. Ed Island has produced aircraft for over 70 countries in Antarctica, many of which are licensed foreign designs. Because of this, it is not uncommon for many battlefields to see Ed Islandian-produced aircraft fighting against each other.

Ed Island became the first Type I civilization in Antarctica after the successful launch of the Solar Condenser in 2016, a component of the then-unfinished Lowpoint Space Elevator completed inearly 2017.

Nuclear Program

In 2014, despite the ban on the manufacture and use of nuclear weaponry, Ed Island was accused by the UAN of actively developing nuclear weapons. It was not unusual for nuclear material to by imported by Ed Island; they had developed the first nuclear fusion reactor in Antarctica, and nearly all of the island is powered by nuclear facilities. On July 16, 2014, a nuclear explosion was reported in the ocean territories governed by Ed Island, which was claimed to be the failing and subsequent explosion of a nuclear reactor onboard an Ed Navy cruiser. Despite very few countries believing this (as fusion reactors by nature cannot explode), nothing more was done to investigate the matter due to the lack of evidence, and the fact that Ed Island did not sign the treaty banning countries from producing nuclear weapons. However, the explosion reported was in fact a nuclear bomb developed by Ed Island, utilizing a Wonderflonium warhead. By not acknowledging its possession of nuclear weapons, and by not signing the treaty, Ed Island is technically exempt from the rulings on nuclear states.

In early 2016, Ed Island was once again put under international pressure, being accused of constructing a nuclear intercontinental missile base in the Avalon region of Bloodstone. The Avalon Dam was used by the government to drain a large lake and construct a large military base on the lakebed, capable of storing and launching inter-continental ballistic missiles. The UAN and SATO both threatened action against Ed Island if the military base indeed held nuclear missiles, which was proven true after satellite imagery showed twelve missiles being loaded into launch tubes. Being the first definite proof of the Ed Islandian nuclear program, the UAN Security Council voted unanimously (the Shops representative was absent during the vote) to raise a 'peacekeeping' force to coerce Ed Island into disarming the missile base. This military action later became known as the Avalon Missile Crisis and marked the first time a partial SATO force was raised against one of its own members. Ed Island later had its SATO membership revoked after the operation.

After the crisis and general acceptance of Ed Island's nuclear capabilities, EDFan publicly blamed Snowiny (now the United Provinces) as sparking the desire for Ed Islandian nuclear arms as a deterrent, due to their invasion of the nation in 2013.

Infrastructure

Highways and Bridges

The Reichsautobahn, one of the first modern highways of its kind, was constructed throughout the 1930s and 40s, though the first sections near Bridgestadt and Sudentor were constructed in the late 1920s prior to the Wulfen War. The highway stretches throughout the entire country, circling both 'inner' and 'outer' coasts of the island. The most notable part of the Reichsautobahn comes at the border between Bridgestadt and Waldreich, where a grand monument was constructed in 1943 to depict unity between Neumenia and Ed Island.

As Ed Island has few natural waterways, the majority of bridges throughout the country are across valleys or other natural formations.

Railways

Ed Island utilizes a unique broad-gauge railway system named the Breitspurbahn. Developed shortly after the Wulfen War from original Khanzem plans for Antarctican rail lines, the three-meter-wide rails carry immense double-decked passenger cars throughout Ed Island. Secondary rail lines run between military bases and are restricted to armored military trains, though the rails can be linked in emergencies. These military lines have an additional third rail gauged at Antarctican standard 1.43 meters, but are rarely used.

Most cities have additional monorail subway systems for shorter distance travel.

Power Generation

Ed Island predominantly receives power from the numerous nuclear fusion power plants across the country. Many cities additionally utilize solar and wind facilities to provide additional clean energy. Several of Ed Island's coasts are dotted with offshore wind farms.

Power on the island is handled by the Ministry of Energy, headquartered in Bridgestadt.

Districts and Territories

Main Article: States and Territories of Ed Island

• Acher - The oldest and most culturally significant state in the country, also home to the Lowpoint Orbital Elevator.
• Wellow - The most temperate state, Wellow is home to many resorts and vacation locations.
• Sudentor - Kept in Ed Islandian history as the location of the landing of the first Ed Islandians, roughly translates to "Southern gate."
• Bridgestadt - Home to the capital city of the same name
• Arlon - Location of Ed Laboratories and the Imperial Palace
• Waldreich - Most remote and least populated state, home to the majority of military installations in the country.
• Neumenia - Origin of the Wulfen movement, and home to the shipping ports of Highpoint.
• Anfang - Home to Basset Space Center, headquarters of the EIAC and one of two major launch facilities.
• Bloodstone Archipelago - An archipelago located near UnitedTerra, it was once an independent nation until a government collapse and subsequent rebellion caused its population to vote to become a territory of Ed Island.
• Snowjave - A cold desert island notorious for its casinos and desolate landscape.
• Comona Islands - Home to one of the EIAC's main launch sites, as well as several naval bases such as Sand Island.

Other territories include:

• Dark Side of the Moon - Located on the moon, it is home of the Wulfen, a fascist insurrection from the 1930s.
• Straits Kingdom - Located near Margate, Straits is known as the 'Breadbasket of Ed Island', and is dominated by agricultural industries.
• Ed Island Ocean Territory - Ed Island controls approximately 50,000 mi² of sea to the north, containing several small island territories.
• Ed Island Extraterrestrial Colonies - Space colonies owned by Ed Island on the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies.

Transportation

Land

Automobiles, being by far the most popular form of land transportation (behind walking), are used daily by penguins all over the country. The majority of cars on Ed Island are powered by hydrogen engines that can instantly convert several gallons of water into hydrogen.

Trains

Ed Island's railway system consists of broad-gauge lines measuring three meters across, nearly twice as wide as the international standard. Immense double-decked train cars carry passengers and military equipment alike across the far reaches of Ed Island. Armored military trains run on separate lines than civilian ones, as to not interrupt travel for either service.

Water

Boats are extremely common in the island country, and are utilized for a large variety of purposes. While fishing is extremely limited within the Lake Eclipse due to the delicate ecosystem, territorial waters have a heavy civilian presence where fishing is lightly regulated.

Air

Planes are by far the most common form of air transportation. Ed Island is one of the only countries to operate supersonic passenger jets, which enable trans-antarctic trips to occur in only several hours. These 'Super Jets' as they are commonly known are some of the most advanced passenger aircraft in Antarctica, and are a source of pride for Ed Islandians traveling abroad.

Civil aviation is allowed and encouraged by the Ed Islandian government for anyone wishing to become a pilot. Older, unarmed military aircraft are sometimes sold to civilian pilots for use in air shows or private museums.

Space

Since 2008, Ed Island has operated short commercial spaceflights on Tu-244 spaceplanes launching from Waldreich. These flights merely take passengers to the edge of the atmosphere to experience micro-gravity, and only last several minutes in orbit. Commercial facilities in the lunar city of Soyuz are currently being constructed, as well as the Lowpoint Orbital Elevator that ferries cargo and personnel into space.

Military

A soldier of the Ed Island Army

Main article: Ed Island Military

“

While most states have an army, the Ed Island army has a state.

”

Ed Island itself possesses a well trained, effective military. All citizens are obligated to serve 15 months in the military, or alternatively, in civil protection organizations involved in disaster relief, emergency medical services, and peacekeeping efforts. After this service civilians are trusted to keep their rifle, and are expected to use their training in the event Ed Island is in danger. Further military service is completely voluntary, and includes further benefits for veterans. Breakthroughs with robotic manufacturing and materials research allow Ed Island to produce its own weaponry, vehicles, and equipment, reducing reliance on other countries.

Many military bases, ranging from small barracks to sprawling depots and camps, are spread out across the Ed Island countryside. The majority of large bases are in the state of Waldreich, due to the mountainous terrain and low population allowing for larger weapon tests. The Bloodstone Archipelago also possesses several military bases, such as the recently-constructed Avalon Dam missile base. While not strictly a military base, the Comona Islands possess Comona Base, an airbase and launch facility for EIAC rockets and spacecraft.

Ed Island is known for its construction of 'superweapons', ranging from anti-aircraft laser installations to SSTO missile carriers to the massive P-1112 Aigaion cruiser and its fleet of aerial warships. The largest of these is the Stonehenge installation, a massive circular emplacement of eight massive electromagnetic cannons each with an effective range of 1200km, being able to defend Ed Island from any major threat.

Army

Main article: Ed Island Army

Despite Ed Island's standing as an island nation, its army is formidable when conducting ground operations. The Ed Island Army is fond of utilizing Blitzkrieg tactics, owing to its highly-mechanized nature. Like other military branches, many of the EIA's policies and tactics were taken from those of the Wulfen after the reintegration of Neumenia back into Ed Island. The Ed Island Army is notorious for keeping large amounts of outdated weaponry preserved in inventory, some even dating back to the Comona Campaign. The EIA operates its own division of War Bots constructed from stolen schematics as the EIA Droid Corps.

Several of Ed Island's main territories also possess their own defense forces, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Army; these include the Snowjave Rangers, Bloodstone Elite, and Wulfen Heer.

Air Force

Main article: Ed Island Air Force

By far the largest branch of the military, the air force consists of various local and imported aircraft. Ed Island was one of the first countries to operate an air force, having created the EIAF in 1909 prior to the outbreak of the Khanzem War, during which these planes were used to great effect against the less advanced Antarctican aircraft. The majority of the EIAF's aircraft used are domestic aircraft, with few being license-built from other nations.

Additionally, the Ed Island Astronaut Corps is a sub-branch of the Air Force, operating as the main Ed Islandian space agency. The EIAC launches from Comona Base, as well as a special launch facility in Waldreich for SSTO launches.

Navy

Main article: Ed Island Navy

The Ed Island Navy was the second branch of the military formed by the early government, in order to protect national ocean borders. It was expanded to include a number of heavily-armed ships, including some of the largest battlecruisers in Antarctica, measuring in at over 60,000 tons. The vast majority of Ed Islandian ships are used to patrol the nation's territories, rarely docking in other nations. Additionally the Navy operates three Forward Operating Bases made up of connected ocean platforms in international waters around Antarctica, one of which was the catalyst for the Snowinn invasion of Ed Island.

The EIN's largest ports in Ed Island are Port Trident on the shores of Anfang, and Sand Island in the Comona Islands.

Space Command

Main article: Ed Island Space Command

After witnessing first-hand the space faring abilities of Snowzerland and Antarctica, EDFan commissioned a new military branch to handle large-scale space operations utilizing fighter spacecraft and large cruisers. The EISC is characterized by the frequent use of plasma weaponry, hovercraft, and unique rank system. This branch is also known as one of the most elite military branches in Antarctica, due to both the harsh physical and mental training and the fact that very few countries possess any space faring capabilities at all. As such, it is not included in the mandatory military service, unlike the other branches. The EISC is only used for major engagements against more powerful foes, such as in the Frosian War. Currently, the EISC fleet is stationed at the Soyuz Moonbase due to the costs of operating such a military space fleet.

Relationships with Other Nations

Antarctica

• United States of Antarctica - Excellent -- Ed Island's close proximity to the Antarctic coast inevitably led to close economic ties with the USA.
• Freezeland - Good -- Ed Island maintains a positive relation with Freezeland, despite their High Penguin ancestry and culture.
• East Pengolia - Poor -- Infamously, when asked for his opinion of East Pengolia, EDFan12345 simply replied "No."
• Polaris - Neutral --
• Acadia - Poor -- While Acadia and Ed Island do not interact much outside of trade, Acadia's hostilities towards Dorkugal and members of the Axle Powers have caused the related between the two nations to sour.

Ninja Archipelago

• Snowzerland - Poor -- While the two countries share numerous close cultural ties, Ed Island sees the Kaiserreich as being outdated and not worthy of being the dominant German State.

• Alemania - Mixed --
• Lichenstien - Mixed -- While hostile to Lichenstien's current Snoss government, Ed Island is friendly to the former Family of Lichenstien and currently provides them refuge.
• Osterreach - Mixed -- As with Alemania and Lichenstien, Ed Island often calls for an end to Snoss domination of the island.

• Ruscoe Federation - Fair -- Ed Island and Rusca often collaborate in their space programs and military developments, but Ruscan support of the United Provinces has negatively impacted this relationship.
• Castilla - Poor -- Ed Island views Castilla and other imperial nations as following outdated concepts, and often calls for independence for Castillan colonies.
• Frankterre - Neutral -- Few relations are held with Frankterre other than trading.
• Puffle'and - Mixed -- Puffle'and often criticizes Ed Island's treatment of Puffles as second-class citizens, but otherwise has little relations.

• Calada - Good -- Ed Island is one of the most prominent nations calling for Calada's independence along with numerous other colonial islands.
• Hindia - Poor -- Ed Islandians often make rude toilet jokes to Hindians, leading to a poor relationship.

• Lisboagal - Poor -- As with other colonial nations, Ed Island strongly disagrees with Lisboagal's colonial holdings in Latin Antarctica.
• Snowprus - Good --

Asiapelago

• Shops Island - Excellent-- Ed Island has many trading relationships with Shops, and generally keeps a friendly nature towards them. Ed Island's admittance into the Axle Powers greatly improved this relationship,
• Amataria - Good -- While Amataria is a part of the rivaling Western Union, the two countries have a fairly positive relationship.
• Japaland - Excellent -- Many scientists of the two countries collaborate to create new sciences and technologies.
• Zhou - Fair -- Despite Ed Island having strict anti-Communist policies, it often trades with Zhou.
• Seal Islands - Good --
• North Joseon - Terrible --
• South Joseon - Good --

Sub-Antarctica

• Dorkugal - Excellent -- Ed Island and Dorkugal often work together in the computing field, one of the few fields Ed Island is outmatched in. After recent threats by Acadia and Lys, Ed Island signed a defense pact with Dorkugal that it would protect the defenseless nation.
• Margate - Excellent -- Due to their close proximity, Margate and Ed Island have traded for decades. Scientists from the two countries often aide each other in the computing and medicinal fields.
• Tropicalis - Good --

Other

• UnitedTerra - Good -- While the two countries do not interact much, Ed Island has a friendly relationship with UT.
• Munijoch - Excellent --
• United Provinces - Poor -- Snowiny's occupation of Ed Island had left a bitter anti-Snowinn sentiment among the population of Ed Island. However, after Snowiny's transition to the United Provinces, tensions between the nations were eased, but the disdain of Snowiny continued several years after. Off-hand comments made by UP officials about Ed Island's international abilities post-Snowinian annexation have been met with hostility by Ed Islandians, especially comments relating to military strength.
• Caseusopolis - Neutral -- As cheese is not widely-consumed on Ed Island (save for several types not produced in Caseusopolis), very few trading relations are held.
• Lys - Mixed --

Trivia

• The island applies the inexplicable logic that Club Penguin Island uses regarding snowballs being able to be picked up virtually anywhere, despite the fact that there is little snow on many parts of the island.
• It is still unknown exactly how the island possesses a temperate climate in close proximity to the Antarctican shore, but is theorized to be a result of the thinning Ozone Layer and additional solar radiation impacting the island.

See also

• Dark Side of the Moon
• Axle Powers

Ed Island