Alen Island



Alen Island is an island province of Taatiklatar. It is located in the central Gematia Ocean, about 2050 kilometers (~1275 mi) east of the Taatiklarian province of Pua and about 2500 kilometers (~1550 mi) west of Romanika. It is a volcanic island that makes up the above-water portion of Mount Alen. The island is noted for its Bulgarian influence (the word "alen" means "scarlet" in Bulgarian.)

Income
8.6% of Alen Island's residents were low-income (per capita income of <$10,000 / year) according to the C.Y. 250 census, the lowest provincial rate in the country.

Gender, Sexuality
The province was 51.6% male, 47.3% female and 1.1% other (non-binary, questioning, etc.) according to the C.Y. 250 census. 12% of the province's population were non-heterosexual, and 2.0% were transgender.

Racial demographics
The province was 94.3% White, 1.9% Arab, 1.3% Latin American, 1.1% East Asian, 0.8% Black, 0.4% South Asian, 0.1% Indigenous American and 0.1% Indigenous Oceanian according to the C.Y. 250 census, which made it the most racially homogenous province in the country. 5.8% of the province's population said they had mixed racial ancestry.

Language
99% of the province's population were proficient in English, 23% were proficient in Taatiklarian, and 15% were proficient in Spanish according to the C.Y. 250 census. It was the only province in the country where the second-most spoken language was not English, Taatiklarian or Spanish; 37% of the province's population were proficient in Bulgarian.

History
The island was first settled by a group of six Bulgarian-descended colonists, in C.Y. 61. This group of colonists, led by Mladen Manushev, initially resided in Romanika, but "grew sick of its bustle and endless plains," as Manushev wrote in his book, Alen Slŭntse. The group founded the city of Zaliv, which is today the capital and 4th largest city of the province, on the east coast of the island.

In C.Y. 64, the island was annexed by Pua, which was an independent country at the time. After Pua itself was annexed by Taatiklatar in C.Y. 81, the island became a territory of Taatiklatar; at that time, the entire island only had a population of about 150 people.

Geography
Alen Island, owing to the fact that it's part of a partially underwater volcanic mountain, has very rugged terrain. Esse is well known for its steep streets and "sinking buildings," which refer to large buildings with floors partially underground and partially aboveground.

Alen Island has two major rivers, both named after the biggest cities they pass through; the Esse and the Zaliv. They both arise in the northern half of the island, on the higher reaches of Mount Alen, and both end at the Gematia Ocean on the island's north coast.

Tourism
Alen Island has a major tourism and hospitality scene. Esse, the province's largest city, is known for both its mild summers and its mild winters, due to the effect of the Gematia Ocean on its climate, making it a prime beachside vacation spot. Alpine Valley, the 6th largest city in the province and the only city with more than 10,000 people in the province that isn't on the coast, has a famous skiing scene, due to its cold, snowy weather during the winter and the steep slopes of the upper portion of Mount Alen.