Still, Cedar Park? What made you use it as the center of the Texan film industry?
Hail, Britannia
- Thread starter LeinadB93
- Start date
IOTL, the British planned to resettle Anglo-Indians in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands after India gained independence, but never followed through. Did they go forward with this plan ITTL? It would explain why the territory is still in the Empire.
LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
Just liked the name really...
Yes that is indeed what happened
Also there was a drive to bring White settlers from other parts of the Empire, plus a few White Africans settled on the islands in the 1970s and 80s. Demographically, the islands are plurality Anglo-Indian (~40%), White (~25%), Indian (~25%) and then Indigenous/other (~10%)
Galapagos Islands
LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
So another fascinating alteration ITTL – the Galapagos Islands. They also give a bit more insight into South American history, which I hope to elaborate on in due course.
Enjoy
The Galapagos Islands is an autonomous British Overseas Territory in the eastern Pacific Ocean, 973 kilometres (605 miles) off the western coast of South America. The 7,880-square-kilometre (3,040-square-mile) territory covers an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of the equator, comprising eighteen main islands, 3 smaller islands, and 107 rocks and islets. As of the 2011 census, the population of the Galapagos Islands was 35,124 making it the fourth-most populous British overseas territory in the Americas. The capital city is Selkirk, situated on Saint Christopher Island, and the largest city is Port Alexandra on Indefatigable Island. English is the de facto official language, although the Galapagos Islands Creole language, a blend of English, Spanish and Quecha, is widely spoken amongst Mixed and Amerindian populations.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the islands were first visited by South American peoples in the pre-Columbian era, with several pre-Incan artefacts having been found at several sites on the islands. However, there were no permanent settlements on the islands before the 19th century, although the island was likely visited by sailors or fishing boats blown of course out to sea prior to their discovery by Europeans. Legends claim the Incas visited the archipelago, but there is little evidence for this. On 10 March 1535, the Spanish became the first Europeans to visit the islands when the Bishop of Panama was blown off course on route to Peru. Richard Hawkins became the first English captain to visit the archipelago in 1593, and until the early 19th century the islands were often used as a hideout for English pirates who raided Spanish treasure fleets carrying gold and silver from South America to Spain.
In 1793, British naval officer James Colnett first described the flora and fauna of the islands, and drew the first accurate navigation charts of the archipelago. Colnett suggested the islands could be used as a base for the whalers operating in the Pacific, and the subsequent influx of maritime fur traders, seal hunters and whalers resulted in the killing and capture of thousands of tortoises, greatly diminishing, and in some cases eliminating, certain species and bringing the population of seals close to extinction. The first known permanent inhabitant of the Galapagos Islands was Patrick Watkins, an Irish sailor marooned on Charles Island from 1807 to 1809, who survived by hunting and trading with visiting whalers before stealing a boat and sailing to Guayaquil. In the 1820s, the Galapagos Islands became a frequent stop for whalers exploiting the nearby whaling grounds.
On 12 February 1832, the Galapagos Islands were annexed by the Granadine Confederation, naming them the Archipelago of Bolivar, after Emperor Simon Bolivar, and the name is still used in parts of South America to refer to the islands. In October 1832, the first settlers arrived on the islands, consisting of convicts, artisans and farmers. The survey ship HMS Beagle visited the islands in 1835 on the second voyage of the Beagle. Although primarily concerned with the geology and biology of the islands, the young naturalist Charles Darwin used the observations of differences between mockingbirds and tortoises on the various islands to develop his theory of natural selection explaining evolution, which was presented in On the Origin of Species. Due to the instability of continental New Granada, settlement of the islands was limited during the early 19th century, with only small communities existing on the islands of Charles and Saint Christopher.
During the Granadine Civil War, the islands were seized by the British in April 1862 as a base for intervention in support of the independence of Ecuador from New Granada. Under the terms of the Treaty of Montería, the islands were ceded to the British Empire in perpetuity, recognised by both Ecuador and New Granada, and the archipelago was constituted as a crown colony, under the title of the “Colony of the Galapagos Islands”. Early efforts to settle the islands were centred around a plantation system to harvest sugar cane, with settlers and workers emigrating from South America and the Caribbean, alongside some colonists hailing from British America and the Home Isles. The islands also continued to attract scientific expeditions from European and North American universities and academies.
With the completion of the British-Granadine built Panama Canal in 1904, the islands acquired geopolitical importance due to their strategic location in the Pacific close to the newly finished canal. The Royal Navy established a harbour and resupply base in 1906, boosting the island’s population and economy. With the outbreak of the First World War, the islands were the main British base off the western coast of South America, serving as a staging point for naval operations off the Mexican coast and the blockade of the Nicaragua Canal. The Chilean declaration of war in December 1914 put the islands on a state of high alert, although it was presumed the German East Asia squadron and their Chilean allies would focus efforts on British Patagonia and Peru. A sudden assault by German Admiral Maximilian von Spee on 14 March 1915 caught the islands' defenders off-guard, with the HMS Defence docked for repairs and the rest of the fleet out on operations. The islands capitulated within hours and were occupied for five months until August 1915, when a British-Japanese force assaulted the German-Chilean occupiers, sinking or capturing the occupying forces.
Under the terms of the Treaty of Lima, the islands were returned to British administration and Chile was required to pay reparations for the occupation. Throughout the interwar period, the islands attracted small numbers of European and American settlers as Britain strengthened its military presence, although a substantial number of Ecuadorians also emigrated to the island in search of work. During the Second World War, the archipelago was home to a naval base and radar stations, charged with patrolling for enemy submarines and providing protection for the Panama and Nicaragua canals. Following the war, the islands attracted mass immigration from South American fisherman and farmers seeking opportunities in the tourism, fishing and agricultural industries. In 1969 the islands became a national park, prior to being granted a formal self-governing constitution on 18 February 1973.
In the 21st century, the Galapagos Islands is a highly developed territory, with a strong environmental technology sector alongside tourism, fishing and other agriculture. The territory’s proximity to Latin America has impacted its demographics, with nearly 70% of the population being of mixed European and Amerindian descent, although nearly a quarter of the islanders are of European descent. Tourism is now the mainstay of the territorial economy, after the beginning of regular flights in the 1970s, although successive governments have limited development in favour of environmental protections such as the creation of a 70,000-square-kilometres marine reserve and the establishment of a whale sanctuary. The culmination of these efforts was the 2010 decision to the remove the Galapagos Islands from the list of endangered precious sites.
Enjoy
Archaeological evidence suggests that the islands were first visited by South American peoples in the pre-Columbian era, with several pre-Incan artefacts having been found at several sites on the islands. However, there were no permanent settlements on the islands before the 19th century, although the island was likely visited by sailors or fishing boats blown of course out to sea prior to their discovery by Europeans. Legends claim the Incas visited the archipelago, but there is little evidence for this. On 10 March 1535, the Spanish became the first Europeans to visit the islands when the Bishop of Panama was blown off course on route to Peru. Richard Hawkins became the first English captain to visit the archipelago in 1593, and until the early 19th century the islands were often used as a hideout for English pirates who raided Spanish treasure fleets carrying gold and silver from South America to Spain.
In 1793, British naval officer James Colnett first described the flora and fauna of the islands, and drew the first accurate navigation charts of the archipelago. Colnett suggested the islands could be used as a base for the whalers operating in the Pacific, and the subsequent influx of maritime fur traders, seal hunters and whalers resulted in the killing and capture of thousands of tortoises, greatly diminishing, and in some cases eliminating, certain species and bringing the population of seals close to extinction. The first known permanent inhabitant of the Galapagos Islands was Patrick Watkins, an Irish sailor marooned on Charles Island from 1807 to 1809, who survived by hunting and trading with visiting whalers before stealing a boat and sailing to Guayaquil. In the 1820s, the Galapagos Islands became a frequent stop for whalers exploiting the nearby whaling grounds.
On 12 February 1832, the Galapagos Islands were annexed by the Granadine Confederation, naming them the Archipelago of Bolivar, after Emperor Simon Bolivar, and the name is still used in parts of South America to refer to the islands. In October 1832, the first settlers arrived on the islands, consisting of convicts, artisans and farmers. The survey ship HMS Beagle visited the islands in 1835 on the second voyage of the Beagle. Although primarily concerned with the geology and biology of the islands, the young naturalist Charles Darwin used the observations of differences between mockingbirds and tortoises on the various islands to develop his theory of natural selection explaining evolution, which was presented in On the Origin of Species. Due to the instability of continental New Granada, settlement of the islands was limited during the early 19th century, with only small communities existing on the islands of Charles and Saint Christopher.
During the Granadine Civil War, the islands were seized by the British in April 1862 as a base for intervention in support of the independence of Ecuador from New Granada. Under the terms of the Treaty of Montería, the islands were ceded to the British Empire in perpetuity, recognised by both Ecuador and New Granada, and the archipelago was constituted as a crown colony, under the title of the “Colony of the Galapagos Islands”. Early efforts to settle the islands were centred around a plantation system to harvest sugar cane, with settlers and workers emigrating from South America and the Caribbean, alongside some colonists hailing from British America and the Home Isles. The islands also continued to attract scientific expeditions from European and North American universities and academies.
With the completion of the British-Granadine built Panama Canal in 1904, the islands acquired geopolitical importance due to their strategic location in the Pacific close to the newly finished canal. The Royal Navy established a harbour and resupply base in 1906, boosting the island’s population and economy. With the outbreak of the First World War, the islands were the main British base off the western coast of South America, serving as a staging point for naval operations off the Mexican coast and the blockade of the Nicaragua Canal. The Chilean declaration of war in December 1914 put the islands on a state of high alert, although it was presumed the German East Asia squadron and their Chilean allies would focus efforts on British Patagonia and Peru. A sudden assault by German Admiral Maximilian von Spee on 14 March 1915 caught the islands' defenders off-guard, with the HMS Defence docked for repairs and the rest of the fleet out on operations. The islands capitulated within hours and were occupied for five months until August 1915, when a British-Japanese force assaulted the German-Chilean occupiers, sinking or capturing the occupying forces.
Under the terms of the Treaty of Lima, the islands were returned to British administration and Chile was required to pay reparations for the occupation. Throughout the interwar period, the islands attracted small numbers of European and American settlers as Britain strengthened its military presence, although a substantial number of Ecuadorians also emigrated to the island in search of work. During the Second World War, the archipelago was home to a naval base and radar stations, charged with patrolling for enemy submarines and providing protection for the Panama and Nicaragua canals. Following the war, the islands attracted mass immigration from South American fisherman and farmers seeking opportunities in the tourism, fishing and agricultural industries. In 1969 the islands became a national park, prior to being granted a formal self-governing constitution on 18 February 1973.
In the 21st century, the Galapagos Islands is a highly developed territory, with a strong environmental technology sector alongside tourism, fishing and other agriculture. The territory’s proximity to Latin America has impacted its demographics, with nearly 70% of the population being of mixed European and Amerindian descent, although nearly a quarter of the islanders are of European descent. Tourism is now the mainstay of the territorial economy, after the beginning of regular flights in the 1970s, although successive governments have limited development in favour of environmental protections such as the creation of a 70,000-square-kilometres marine reserve and the establishment of a whale sanctuary. The culmination of these efforts was the 2010 decision to the remove the Galapagos Islands from the list of endangered precious sites.
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Why is Great Britain using the old Union Jack and why is not Great Britain and Ireland as they didn’t separate into separate constituent countries until Ireland was admitted to the Union a year later and, as far as I know, the Act of Union 1876 invalid the Act of Union 1800 but expand upon it. (A post on this would be appreciated)
Great Britain would likely be the successor constituent country to the GB + I, until it later separate in the 20th centuries it could be argued that England would be a continuation of GB.
This is made more complicated by the fact that Cornwall separate for England but the deminished England was still its successor state.
What this means is that we have conflicting precedent, with some successor states been included in the list while other are missing and some original states been included while others are missing.
Great Britain would likely be the successor constituent country to the GB + I, until it later separate in the 20th centuries it could be argued that England would be a continuation of GB.
This is made more complicated by the fact that Cornwall separate for England but the deminished England was still its successor state.
What this means is that we have conflicting precedent, with some successor states been included in the list while other are missing and some original states been included while others are missing.
Has it been confirmed that the Act of Union 1800 even happened ITTL?
LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
Yep
But not till 2023!!To be clear:
1) @Archangel Michael is correct - there was no Act of Union 1800 ITTL - Great Britain and Ireland remain separate realms in personal union until 1876.
2) The dates before 4 July 1876 were when the dominion legislatures passed acts aceding to the terms of the 1876 Acts of Union and the Great Charter - as explained in the original constituent countries post
3) Where a dominion was formed from a pre-existing dominion - Australia and England in the case of Westralia and Cornwall - the pre-existing dominion's status is unchanged, therefore no adjustments to the list
4) Great Britain was non self-governing until 1950/1967, ruled directly by the Imperial Parliament until the creation of Scottish, Welsh and English legislatures
Ok, a post explaining (Act of Union 1876) would help, why no act of union happened in 1800 (I am assuming the Napoleonic war still happen due to the nature of the timeline and the German Speaking states post, so at least some of the factors should be the same so how were they dealt with), how did the modern Union Jack get created and why isn't it different that OTL if it suppose to represent the Union of Great Britain, Ireland and British American dominions (I am sure there were at least some support for some reference to the former colonies on the new flag).
Sounds just like OTL England.
Because the Irish rebellion was butterflied away.
Not even special elections (I know the 2018 elections came before)?Yep
Deleted member 138527
Or my home dominion, Columbia
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There's one in the Pre-Thread Posts. It's definitely on our list, but it's a long list.
I think you'll like Columbia. We'll do something interesting with it. But as I said, long list.
LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
I covered a lot of this in the British nation post...
Ireland gained self government under Grattan so no need for Act of Union 1800.
The flag draws from the OTL Great Britain flag, St. Patrick’s saltire and TTLs British American flag which has diagonal red stripes. The Grand Union Flag is meant to be a broader flag to represent the entire modern Union and is co-official and flown at many government buildings and parades etc.
Might show the elections in the new dominions I suppose...
A Wikibox on the Republican Rebellion would also be nice
It is indeed a long list!! I have an entire portable hard drive dedicated to this project, full of maps, wikiboxes, notes and in progress write ups!!
Everything you’ve asked for will be addressed eventually, but I have a tendency to go off on tangents when something interests me... for example I’m on a Texas kick at the moment due to getting started on an atlas style map...
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