Kieta (The Kalmar Union)

The Kingdom of Kieta, Empire of Kieta, Kieta, is a autocratic monarchy occupying an archipelago to the east of Papua in the southwestern Roasjoinn. The capital is Arawa and the population around 1 million.

The official language is Nasioi, however this is only effectively spoken in a small area of Kieta and in official bureaucracy. There are numerous and often not mutually intelligible languages and dialects spoken throughout the islands.

The Head of State is King Kabui II.

The currency is the Kietan Crown (KCR)

History
Long inhabited by Papuan and Polynesian tribes, the islands now forming Kieta lived in almost utter isolation until their discovery by Tawantinsuyu explorers in the late 17th century. Eagerly using the islands as a base for their overstretched trading in the western islands of the Roasjoinn, the Tawantinsuyu gave their preferred tribes muskets. This, as had happened in many other Roasjoinn nations, unleashed the 'Kietan Musket War', a century-long conflict which eventually left the Kieta tribe in full control of the central island. Another century saw it spread its control over a wide collection of islands, though its frequent attempts to conquer land on Papua would fail. These efforts were generally ignored by an indifferent Europe apart from merchants eager to sell Kieta arms and missionaries eager to convert the population.

Aragon declared war against Kieta in 1903 over a diplomatic slight which was gleefully seized upon to expand Aragon's presence in the Australian region. The army which landed on Kieta was far more advanced than the native one but was woefully unprepared for the climate and was quickly decimated by disease and raiding. Both Kalmar and Brunei broadly supported Kieta's continued independence and equipped mercenary parties (which officially they could disavow) to assist the Kietans. Aragon would quickly withdraw from the conflict, settling for increased trading rights rather than outright control of the islands.

A much needed modernisation program would follow whilst Kieta's mineral wealth was slowly opened up to foreign mining companies, a process which enriched the crown but did little to improve the extraordinary poverty of much of the country. Ham-fisted attempts to keep up with the developments would frequently undermine any advances, most notoriously in 1925 when a small second-hand navy was bought at exorbitant cost from France which, while certainly impressive for the region, rusted at anchor as no one was trained enough to sail or maintain the ships.

Partially as a result of the Aragonese-Kietan War, the 1903 Papua Treaty was signed keeping the island nominally neutral. In protest at the signing of however, King Kauona III inserted Emperor of Papua into his official title. Obviously this has not been recognised by any other nation.

A concerted attempt is now being made to raise the living and education standards of the country with French, Kalmar and Brunei's assistance and move the economy away from subsistence agriculture.

Government
Kieta is an autocracy with all laws being made by the crown and a small advisory court. Outside of the small coastal cities the land is almost completely rural and controlled by tribal leaders. European commentators frequently describe it as little better than feudal.