Describing an Ideal Island

The tropical wet climate is caused by the humidity from the ocean and from the amount of direct sunlight this country receives. The highland climate is from its high elevation in the mountains. The arid climate arises from its location on the west side of the mountains. Here the weather comes from the east and very little rain gets overtop the mountains. The semi-arid climate is created by the transition from arid to tropical wet.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Resources in Island are timber, fish, various minerals (such as bauxite and nickel), sugar cane, various types of fruit, pearls, and gold. A rare resource from Island is pearls. Industries include mining, wood processing, fish processing, and cane sugar production. This country is developed because the government is stable, coupled with the fact that the gross domestic product per capita and the Human Development Index are higher than most other countries in the region.  The economy is also stable at this time and manufactured goods are produced to export. Major types of transportation in this country are highway, railroad, and by air/plane.

PEOPLE / CULTURE

The population of Island is approximately 2,010,005 people. 20 percent of the population lives in urban areas, while the other 80 percent live in rural areas. The predominant backgrounds are Native Islandian (2%), East Asian (6%), European (6%), and American (86%). The largest cities are Capital City, Big City, South City, West City, City by the Bay, and City by the Mountains. The importance of Capital city is not only that it is the capital but it is also a major exporter of lumber, cane sugar, and. Big City is a major exporter of pearls found on the coast to Eastern Asia. South City exports materials to Australia and New Zealand and is the leading wood product producer in the country. West City has 50 percent of all the fisheries in the country. City by the Bay exports more goods than any other city. Its shipping routes go to South America and North America. City by the Mountains does 90% of all the mining in the country. The official language of this country is English; other major languages include Chinese and Islandish. The main religion is Christianity; there is not a state religion.

Culture of Island is similar to life in the United States. The children grow up going to school, starting with elementary, then to middle school, then high school. Then once they get through that they will either proceed to college or they go directly into the work force. Major jobs in Island are any occupation pertaining to forestry, fishing, farming, mining, or to manufacturing. A person may drive at age 16, vote at age 18, and drink at age 21. About 35 percent of the people are Christian and go to church regularly.

GOVERNMENT

Island has a unitary government.

Its authority level is a constitutional monarchy.

I chose this combination because the country is too small to have states or provinces. It is a single government so it will be simpler to manage the economy and tax money will be spent more efficiently. I chose constitutional monarchy because there will be greater economic growth. According to Brussels Almanac, seven out of the ten richest countries in 2003 were constitutional monarchies (measured in per capita GDP). Another reason I chose it was because there is less corruption. Transparency International's 2010 Corruption Perception Index showed that out of the top ten least corrupted countries, seven were constitutional monarchies.

There are two main parties in Island, the Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party. Anyone is allowed to vote if they are 18 years of age or older. Citizens have the freedom of expression, assembly, press, and speech; the right to life and liberty; the right not to be subjected to torture or cruel punishment, right to a fair trial, the right to petition, to bear arms for their defense, and protection from unreasonable search and seizure. The Parliament makes the laws and court interprets it. The Prime Minister has the most political power.

ECONOMY

Island has a capitalist economy.

A capitalist economy is where the capital is held privately rather than being owned by the government.

I chose this because it gives every person and business an equal opportunity to be wealthy and to grow depending on how much effort they put forth. They basically have the freedom to create their own destiny. Also, there will be very little interference from the government so problems like lack of incentives, poor information, and corruption won’t interfere with the economy.

The citizens of Island answer the three main economic questions. The economy is a mix between primary and secondary economic activity levels because there is a lot of fishing, mining, and forestry. However there are also some manufacturing of goods such as cane sugar and wood products. Main imports are foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels. Main exports are pearls, wood products, cane sugar, fish, fruit, gold and other minerals. There is very minimal government involvement because it capitalist economy. Industries include wood processing, mining, cane sugar, and fish processing. Natural resources are wood, fish, fruit, pearls, gold, and sugar cane. The agriculture industry produces various types of fruit including coconut, banana, citrus fruits, pineapple, and mangos.  Major trade partners are Japan, U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.