The Kingdom of Greater Hawaii
The Sun-Kissed Empire of the South Seas
Greatly admired is Her Majesty,
The Chiefess of Hawai’i,
Lili’ulani ruler of the land,
The divine Wohi ruler to the throne.
The Chiefess of Hawai’i,
Lili’ulani ruler of the land,
The divine Wohi ruler to the throne.
Overview
The Kingdom of Greater Hawaii and its colonial possessions encompass most of the Pacific Islands and parts of Indonesia, centred politically on the islands of Hawaii and the capital city of Honolulu. Its small population of 8.9 million people is spread out across countless islands in the Pacific ocean, with dense concentrations being found in the Hawaii itself and in Hawaiian New Guinea, the latter forming over one third of the Kingdom’s overall landmass. Although small, Hawaii has found much wealth in the form of gold and oil, found in its colonies on the island of Borneo and possesses a fairly robust industrial economy
Geography
Consisting of countless islandss stretched across the Pacific Ocean, the geography of Greater Hawaii is varied and difficult to summarise. Possessed of a tropical climate in most areas, much of the Kingdom and its empire enjoys warm, even temperatures throughout the year and frequent rainfall, although drought conditions do occasionally occur. The majority of the land is verdant and covered in lush rainforest, although the islands of Hawaii and New Guinea have both suffered massive deforestation due to the high density of their populations and industrial management.
The largest landmasses in the Kingdom are found in Hawaiian New Guinea and their colonial holdings on the island of Borneo. The only other nations that Hawaii shares a land border with are Dutch Indonesia and the Sultanate of Brunei. The latter, although nominally independent, is acknowledged to be firmly within Hawaii’s sphere of influence and is for all intents and purposes a client state.
The highest point of elevation in the Kingdom is Mount Kamehameha, found in New Guinea.
History
The Kingdom of Greater Hawaii was first founded as the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha I in 1795, who also established Honolulu as the kingdom’s capital in 1812. Backward, isolated and poor, it was primarily influenced by the American missionaries on the island, who were also responsible for the population’s conversion to Christianity and education. Due to presence of European doctors, principally American doctor Henry Harrison, the endemics that came with European contact were not nearly as devastating to the native population, allowing the people of Hawaii to maintain much of its army and navy.
Under the guidance of the missionaries and European advisors, the monarch of Hawaii dedicated the early years of the island’s history to the education of his subjects and reformation of the kingdom into a modern, westernised state. After successfully repelling a French invasion in 1849 by successfully convincing the British and the United States against the idea of a French presence in the Pacific, Hawaii was internationally recognised as an independent kingdom and state. With this recognition secured, it quickly started expanding its empire towards the surrounding islands in the ocean. After first claiming settling the uninhabited North-western Hawaiian islands and several other small landmasses surrounding the Kingdom, which was then dubbed the Kingdom of Greater Hawaii, the King was suddenly inspired to found a lasting Pacific Empire stretching from Asia to the Americas.
This was largely achieved through diplomacy, the Kingdom of Hawaii successfully playing off the European powers against each other to secure dominance over the Pacific. Meanwhile, most native inhabitants of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia were convinced (whether through diplomacy or force of arms) to join with the Kingdom. A non-aggression agreement signed with the Netherlands in 1857 and then the United Kingdom in 1861 resulted in a Hawaiian presence on New Guinea and later the unclaimed regions of Borneo. The United States, having no real interest in the area, was content to let Hawaii spread and reap the economic benefits of a friendly port and market in the area, focusing its attentions instead on Mexico. By the mid 1870’s, Hawaii eventually secured itself an empire that encompassed nearly all Pacific Islands and what would have been Papa New Guinea.
Although settlement of New Guinea was marked with numerous bloody battles with the native inhabitants of the island, whose cannibalism and animist practises were abhorrent to the highly Protestant Hawaiians, Hawaii has pursued a largely peaceful existence as a broadly neutral state. Enriched by a rapidly expanding economy and industry, Hawaii began to build a fleet with which to defend and patrol its new holdings. To avoid antagonising the United Kingdom and the United States, Hawaii allowed itself to be subject to the Treaty of Honolulu (1876), which restricted the size and composition of the Hawaiian Royal Navy.
As of 1880, Hawaii is considered a regional power, boasting a strong economy and navy, command of the Pacific and great cultural and scientific successes from its highly educated populace.
Administrative Regions
Hawaii is divided into numerous states (sometimes dubbed “kingdoms”) or territories, which in turn are divided into provinces.
- Greater Hawaii: The capital region, Greater Hawaii encompasses the original Hawaiian islands, as well as Wake and the Midway islands. Its capital is Honolulu, on the island of Oahu. It is on Oahu, Maui, Molokai and Lanai that the majority of the region’s population is gathered, with smaller settlements found on the other islands. Although much reduced in recent years, sugar is still the primary industry here, with larger manufacturing industries centred in Honolulu.
- Polynesia and Easter Island: Made primarily of thousands of small islands, including Easter Island, Polynesia has a very small, scattered population of only a few thousand, focused largely on Easter Island. Its economy is small and mostly based on primary industries, especially fishing, although Easter Island hosts several factories and a major shipbuilding port. Its capital is Hanga Roa.
- Tonga: Also composed of Niue, Samoa and the Wallis islands, Tonga is much like Polynesia in its economy. Its home to a significantly large German population, mostly Bavarians, holds numerous military ports. The capital city is Nuku’alofa.
- Fiji and the Solomon Islands: Fiji was rare in that it accepted Hawaiian rule relatively peacefully and thus has maintained the most autonomy of Hawaii’s colonial possessions. The King of Hawaii is recognised as Fiji’s Paramount Chief and the island is officially protected from both Hawaiian and foreign settlement. The Solomon Islands, meanwhile, are home to large British and Irish populations, primarily from neighbouring Australia, as well as small French and Russian communities. The capital is Suva.
- Tuvalu and Kiribati: With its capital in Funafuti, Tuvalu is another sparsely populated and underdeveloped state within the Kingdom of Greater Hawaii, leaving it relatively poor and poverty stricken.
- Hawaiian New Guinea: The largest Hawaiian territory in both area and population, New Guinea is the industrial hub of the empire and is home to a wide array of people, from the native Melanesian inhabitants to foreign immigrants from around the globe. Its primary industries are lumber, agriculture and the manufacture of numerous commodities such as furniture, weaponry, consumer goods such as coffee and tea and industrial parts. The capital is Port Hokuikekai, named after the general who successfully pacified the region.
- The Territories of Micronesia: Too small and poor to be formerly incorporated as a state, the islands of Micronesia are clustered together into a single region headed by a governor, who resides in Palikir. The area is site to numerous ports, which often service merchant ships and the Royal Navy.
- The Borneo Territories: A large strip of land separating Brunei from the Dutch East Indies, Borneo is mostly self-governing and is, in many ways, more of a protectorate than a colony. Through deals made with local rulers, Hawaii receives much of the land’s natural wealth and use of vital ports, in exchange for protection and development. Due to the unusual nature of the region, there is no real capital as such, with each local ruler having a number of Hawaiian officials advising them on matters of state. This happy arrangement is somewhat marred by religious strife, with the native Malayan Muslims frequently clashing with Christian Hawaiian missionaries.
Government and Politics
Officially, Hawaii is known as the Kingdom of Greater Hawaii, which in fact merely refers to the main Hawaiian Islands and, occasionally, the rest of Polynesia (with the exception of British New Zealand). Abroad, the title is used to refer to the entirety of the Hawaiian empire, with Hawaii being used to refer to the main eight islands. Sometimes the former may also be called the Hawaiian Empire. Other more poetic names include the Empire of the South Seas, the Great Polynesian Empire and the Hawaiian Empire of the Southern Pacific.
When referring to the full extent of Hawaiian territory there is no real fixed precedent as far as names are concerned. In official documents, the term “The Kingdom of Greater Hawaii, her realms, her affiliates and her territories” are often used.
As of 1880, the Kingdom of Greater Hawaii is a constitutional monarchy, with universal suffrage and a largely ceremonial monarchy. Although having relinquished much of its former powers to an elected Parliament, the Monarch of Hawaii has reserved the power to refuse Royal Assent, call and dissolve parliament and may also submit bills of his own for review by the government. In addition, only the Monarch may declare the nation to be at a state of war and no treaty with a foreign power is considered valid unless signed by the Monarch.
The current monarch is King Kalakaua. The Parliament of Hawaii is modelled after the Westminster system, with the current Prime Minister being David Kealoha Pukui.
Policies of the Kingdom of Greater Hawaii tend to be heavily geared towards the Hawaiian population. This is especially apparent in New Guinea, where the native inhabitants suffer from extensive prejudice from governmental authorities. The government itself is divided between the Hawaiian Liberal Party, a centre-left party which currently holds the majority, and the Royalist Party, a more centre-left political group that forms the Loyal Opposition. Other major parties include the Socialist Worker’s Party, the National Socialist Worker’s Party of Hawaii and the Christian Democratic Party. Although strongly Christian in its politics, there is no established church.
With regard to international politics, the Kingdom of Greater Hawaii tends towards neutrality, a policy that began when Hawaii declared neutrality during the American Civil War, and only really gets involved in armed conflict if Hawaiian interests are directly threatened. So far, the failed French invasion aside, Hawaii has only really had to deal with internal wars against native populations within its own territory.
Military
Hawaii fields a professionally trained standing army, equipped with up to date weaponry and utilising the most modern battlefield tactics. As of 1880, it numbers at around 55,000 men, most of whom are posted within New Guinea and across the various Pacific islands. The officer corps is dominated by Native Hawaiians, yet there are also plenty of foreign military officers from Britain and the United States as well.
The Royal Navy is restricted by the Treaty of Honolulu, and only numbers at around twelve ships, not including transport and logistical craft. Its only main battleship is the HMS Kamehameha, supported by numerous frigates and older, wooden ships bought from other navies. These are solely defensive measures and are not intended to wage aggressive naval battles with. Much of Hawaii’s naval protection is actually afforded by the British and American navies.
The King of Hawaii acts as the Army’s commander-in-chief, and only he may mobilise it and declare war on other nations. Because of this, all members Hawaii’s Royal Family are expected to serve for at least five to six years with the Armed Forces, with the obvious exception of female family members.
OOC: The Kingdom is a pre-modern tech nation, its armies using military technology and tactics as found during the latter half of the 19th c.
Economy
Hawaii has a fairly strong industrialised economy, mostly producing such commodities as machine parts, small arms, ships, textiles, consumer goods and furniture. The main natural resources found are found on Borneo and New Guinea, consisting of wood, grains and precious metals such as silver and gold, however oil has recently been found on Borneo, greatly stimulating Hawaii’s economy. Elsewhere sugar, coffee, tropical fruits and fish are more common. Unemployment in general is low, thanks in some way to Hawaii’s small population.
Most trade is conducted with the United States, Japan, the Dutch East Indies, British Oceania and South America, although they also possess smaller markets in the Russian Empire and much of Europe. Major imports are mostly raw goods for industry and luxury items such as tobacco, fine clothes and alcohol, whilst the United States is their main provider of iron, coal and steel, of which Hawaii has very little of its own.
Although their economy is strong in its own right, the lack of those goods has left Hawaii highly dependent on American trade and goodwill. Such is the strength of American economic influence in the Kingdom that the American dollar is accepted as legal tender, alongside the Hawaiian dollar.
Demographics
Hawaii has a very multicultural population, due in no small part to the large amount of foreign immigration. Early on, Honolulu was home to a community of Bavarians, which was later joined by a large Irish population as well. Within the Kingdom, Polynesians make up the largest ethnic group, with Native Hawaiians making up the largest subdivision, followed closely by Melanesians and then by Germans.
The official language of the Kingdom is Hawaiian, although other local Polynesian languages and dialects are also recognised and supported. This has caused great strife in the Melanesian territories, with the use of indigenous languages being forbidden in schools. The same applies to languages brought in from foreign immigrants, although exceptions have been made for Bavarian Germans, due to their long-standing presence in Hawaii. Due to the extent of Anglo-American influence in the Kingdom, English is also prevalent, with French, Dutch and Spanish also being common second languages due to the proximity of their colonies in the region. In Borneo, Malaysian is the primary tongue, although Hawaiian and English are also frequently used.
Religiously, a narrow majority of the population is Protestant, with a small Catholic minority composed mostly of Irish, French and Bavarian immigrants. The second largest religious group is composed of various indigenous beliefs, religions and practises, which are colloquially referred to in the official census as “heathenism”. This is finally followed by Sunni Islam from the Malay populations.
Over 83% of the population are literate, thanks in most part to missionary work and extensive schooling.