Shepland

Shepland is a  in Anterra. It is located in the north east of the Tethys Ocean, approximately 1690km north west of Tavaluda. With an area of 450km2, Shepland is the smallest in the world, and with a population of 14,225 it also has the smallest population of any sovereign state. Anglic is the official language.

Shepland was first settled in 16XX by Tiperyn as a to meet increasing demand both back home and in Tiperyn-controlled territory in Northern Avalonia. and on the island increased with the population over the decades until matching its whaling industry. Due to conditions on the island, very little food is grown besides so most food is imported.

Shepland gained independence from Tiperyn in XXXX year after (some kind of event that possibly involved most of if not the entire working population going on strike for some reason, maybe economic or treatment concerns?)

Pre-Colonization
Little is known of Shepland's pre-colonization history. The prevailing theory on the people who inhabited the island describes a people ethnically related to those on various islands in the central and eastern Tethys ocean, whose civilization consisted only of fishing villages and rarely, if ever, made use of the island's inland. It is theorized that these people at some undetermined time went through a period of significant strife in which food sources dwindled and outside trade ceased. This is supported by stories told by natives of eastern Avalonia during Tiperyn expansion into the area, of a far away island of people who were starving to death, and who no longer had contact with the outside world due to their repeated unprovoked attacks on visiting traders. It is not known if Shepland is the island that is described in these stories and it is not known if the stories are even accurate or literal, due to potentially being shared over many generations, however based on the limited archaeological evidence found during the colonization of the island, Shepland did have previous inhabitants who at some time in the past either left the island or went extinct. No examples of the wooden huts and hand tools found during this time were studied in depth and nor did any survive the colonization period.

Economy
Shepland has been home to a whaling station since the island was first settled. For several centuries it enjoyed relative success until demand for began to decrease, though it still produces X amount each year.

was a relatively large export until the late 19th century when the increasing destruction of local habitats and degradation of scenic views caused public opinion to shift, leading to the end of peat extraction by the early 20th century.

Primary exports are and  and have been for several centuries. There are likely a number of other things produced in smaller quantities.

Due to the small population and high demand primary exports, unemployment is very low.

Government
Shepland is a Presidential Republic. Presidents are elected by way of a majority public vote and any citizen is eligible to run for office unless they are made ineligible by certain criminal or health reasons. A presidential term is 5 years and there is no limit to consecutive or total terms.

Demographics
The population of Shepland is mostly of Anglic Tiperyn descent due to its colony origin and relative isolation from other ethnicities. Anglic is spoken as a first language by the entire population with several other languages being fairly common in the port, maritime and airport work forces.

Infrastructure
Travel to and from the island is done by way of a port and a small airport with most flights only connecting to northern Avalonia.