The Karain semi-continent

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wikify = October 2007The Karain Semi-Continent is a fictional landmass of almost-continental size that features in the novel "Islandia" by Austin Tappan Wright. "Islandia" itself is a fictional country at the extreme southern end of the continent. Neither the specific dimensions nor locations of the Karain Semi-Continent, nor Islandia, are ever specifically stated in the book, however a number of things are inferred. For instance, judging from the author's own maps published in some versions of the novel, and the travel times the protagonist takes getting from one point to another, Islandia appears to be roughtly the same size as the American region of New England taken as a whole, and has a generally similar climate. Using the same maps for reference, the semi-continent as a whole would appear to be about half the size of Australia, or about 1.5 million square miles in area.

Location

The exact location of the semi-continent is a matter of some debate. The author himself never specifically states this in the novel; however in personal correspondence and in his unpublished notes, he states quite clearly that it is in the south Atlantic oceanFact|date=December 2007, in between South America, Africa, and Antarctica, somewhat closer to Africa and Antarctica than it is to South America. For whatever reason, however, many readers have concluded that it lies in the South Pacific, somewhere between New Zealand and South America. Indeed Mark Saxton, who edited the manuscript for "Islandia" pointedly ignored the author's own notes on the location of the fictional land, and wrote three sequels setting it in the South Pacific. When asked about this, he responded that the Atlantic was already "too crowded." Internal evidence in Islandia itself supports the Atlantic locale, of course: there is direct steamer traffic between Karain and England, and travel time is only 19 days, far shorter than would be required to sail from England to the Pacific. Furthermore, the semi-continent was invaded by a Negroid group who were displaced from Africa by the advent of Islam in the sixth and seventh centuries, AD. This would clearly not be feasible if Karain was several thousand nautical miles from Africa. Finally, ships from Europe made regular voyages to Islandia and Saint Anthony in the 12th century, AD, which clearly was beyond the capabilities of Europe at that time, if the continent were in the Pacific.

Inhabitants

Descendants of the Africans who settled on the semi-continent are called "Bants" -probably derived from the name "Bantu"- and make up the vast majority of the population. The Karain are descended from Arabs who settled the coastal areas of the semi-continent. The Demiji are nomads inhabiting the Col Plateau who are descended from both Bants and Karain. Native inhabitants, a Caucasoid race calling themselves "Islandians" live only in the extreme south, separated from the rest of the population by the an alpine mountain chain.

Boundaries

The political divisions portrayed are as of the year 1907, at which time the semi-continent (excluding Islandia itself) has been partitioned among several outside powers. A German protectorate controls the southwest, bordering Islandia, and in the extreme northwest is the French Colony of Biacra. Abutting both is a large German Colony administered from the port city of Sulliaba. On the east coast, a British protectorate comprises most of the country of Mobono, governed from the city of the same name, formerly capital of the native Karain Empire. To the north of the British protectorate is the much larger and more prosperous British Crown Colony of St. Anthony, named for and governed from the city of the same name. The remainder of the non-Islandian portion of the semi-continent, about 40% of the whole, is independent. This region is comprised primarily of interior lands, chiefly the Col Plateau, which is mostly desert. The largest populated area of the independent Karain is the Demiji, located between the Col Plateau and Mobono.

Later political developments in the Karain have not been protrayed in the published fiction on Islandia. Presumably after World War I the German controled regions would have been assigned to other nations as trustee territories. The last glimpse of the Karain is from 1969, at which time Islandia is contemplating joining the United Nations; no information about the status of other countries in the Karain at that time is provided.

Natural Features

The largest river in the semi-continent is the Karain River, which runs more or less south-to-north. At its mouth is one of the largest river deltas in the world, rivaling that in Louisiana. The largest city on the delta is Shobo-n-Po, which is independent. There is a great deal of pirate activity near the city. Not counting the arid Col Plateau, the interior of the continent is reputed to be unbroken jungle surrounding the river. The largest lake is at the headwaters of the Karain River, Lake M'Pulo. This, in turn is fed by a number of large rivers (the Treacher, the Ono, the Turain, the Kasiholo, the Loborango, the M'Pulo, and the Puchiaihipopolobanjo Rivers), which are themselves fed by runoff from the mountain range that separates Islandia from the rest of Karain. The only city of note on lake M'Pulo is Todojil, and to its south and west is the massive Karain Swamp, which forms the upper end of the German Protectorate.

The Karain semi-continent has four distinct watersheds, the largest of which makes up the entire core of the semi-continent itself.

;The Karain WatershedThe center of the Semi-Continent is a massive valley running roughly north south, and bordered on three sides by mountain chains. Runoff from the mountains flows generally downhill until it meets Lake M-pulo. On the north, the Karain watershed is bordered by the alpine Islandia Mountains, and meltwater from these provides most of the water to the valley. In the east, the Ono and Matclorn rivers flow south and east out of the mountains over the Sobo steppes. These eventually merge into the northern Karain River which is considered the northern end of the Karain River, Though actually they are different rivers entirely. As the Karain River flows further south, it merges with the Sesipopolo River flowing out of the central Sobo region. A bit further south the Karain merges with the Pachicachipopolobango River which flows south and west ouf of the eastern Steppes and the Islandia mountains, with its headwaters just north of the Omoa pass. Perhaps thirty miles further south, the Karain meets up with the Kesikolo River bringing meltwaters from Mount Nokono in the west. From there the Karain bends sharply, and enters the large Karain Swamp, where it merges with the Treacher River, which itself originates in the alpine Omoa Pass region.

From there the Karain empties into the massive Lake M-pulo. M-pulo is fed by several other large rivers, most notably the Todojl River flowing in from the Tahitikl mountains to the east. On the west side of the lake, the swamp drains in via the Loborango River and the M-polo River from whence the lake gets its name streams in from the mountains to the south of Nokono.

Lake M-polo itself empties out in a the southern half of the Karain River, but the elevation of the land in the valley is very slight, so the river meanders through fifteen large bends before it reaches the Atlantic Ocean convert|400|mi|km to the south. There are only three settlements of any size along the southern Karain, the entire interior of the continent being essentially one vast, trackless jungle or rainforrest. The northernmost of these tows in Karain Town, which was re-named Wilhelmsburg during the German colonial period. A hundred or so miles south of that is Shobo-n-po, at which point the river breaks up into numerous changing tributaries over the course of a massive delta. There is a large Pirate Stronghold in the delta, though details about it are lacking.

The Meroma River is a second large river a in the Karain Watershed running for perhaps a hundred miles roughly north-to-south from the south end of the Col Plateau until it reaches the Atlantic about a hundred miles west, and a little bit to the south of the Karain.

;The Mobono WatershedTo the north and west of the Karain Watershed is the Mobono Watershed, which is dominated by the Mobono a comparatively minor river perhaps sixty miles long, flowing down to the west from Mount Nokono, where it meats the city of Mobono at the Atlantic Ocean.

;The Eastern WatershedThe region between the eastern mountains and the Atlantic is rather spectacularly defoid of rivers, with the only one of any consequence being the Tillie River which flows east from the Omoa pass about convert|40|mi|km to the Atlantic, with the city of M-paba at its mouth.

;The Islandia Watershed
Islandia is a broad peninsula that is more or less cut off from the remainder of the semi-continent by a large curved chain of alpine mountains. The area is well watered, but most of the rivers are comparatively short.

On the west coast we vind the Carran River, the Miltain River, and the Beal river, each named for the dominant towns nearest them. The Niven River is the longest in the western half of the country, running more or less northwest from the Frays, a large plateau in the mountains. The Frays also produce several small creeks and streams which eventually merge to form Islandia's central river, which leads due south to Islandia bay, which then opens into the Atlantic Islandia's capital city, "Elanery" (in the local language, but it's generally translated into English as simply "The City") is on three islands in the mouth of this river. On the east, the Bannar River also opens into Islandia Bay. East of there, southern coast is broken by the Helby and Inerria rivers. On the East coast is the Doring River, far and away the longest river in all Islandia, starting out below the Mora Pass atop the Frays, and running roughly north-east through the town of Doring until it breaks up into a delta and meets the ocean. The Lay River, really more of a large stream, runs north and east and joins the delta. South of there are the Dale and Farrant rivers