Avatar:Fire Islands
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The Fire Islands are an archipelago located in the world's western hemisphere that makes up most of the Fire Nation. Its islands, many of whom possess active volcanoes,[1] have diverse climates, ranging from temperate to subtropical to tropical.[2] Historically home to many different peoples and states, the Fire Islands were unified under the first Fire Lord to become the Fire Nation, although the islands of the Bhanti and Sun Warriors remained de facto independent.
History
After the era of Raava, the Fire Islands became home to many warring peoples, most of whom were led by warlords.[3] While at least one culture, the Sun Warriors,[4][5] flourished during these times, many of the other groups suffered deeply under constant warfare. The unification wars of the Fire Islands resulted in the emergence of the Fire Nation.[3]
Although the unified nation prospered due to the Fire Islands' natural wealth in minerals and fertile volcanic soil,[2][6] the Fire Islands were also prone to crises. The local volcanoes always remained a mortal threat,[1][6] while temporary changes in weather and fish swarm movements could quickly plunge entire islands into poverty and hunger.[7][8] The worst known natural disasters occurred during the rule of Fire Lord Yosor and almost destroyed the Fire Nation.[7]
After the country experienced an industrial revolution and expanded its trade network,[6] however, the Fire Nationals were increasingly able to overcome their islands' limitations and instead exploit them to their full potential. By the Hundred Year War, the Fire Islands had a prospering agriculture producing great surpluses as well as a growing industry powered by coal and oil.[2][9] However, this development negatively impacted the Fire Islands' nature and spirits.[9]
Natural resources
The islands' active volcanoes provide the Fire Nationals with an unlimited source of power.[10] In addition, the islands' volcanic soil enabled a flourishing agricultural industry.[2] Rice,[7] ash banana,[11][12] and melonyam are staples grown on the islands.[13] While farmland is often located in lower altitudes, the mountains have traditionally hosted pastures and tea farms.[14]
The Fire Islands are known for their wealth in metals which led the Fire Nationals to become renown for their great skills as metalworkers and blacksmiths. By the Hundred Year War, the Fire Nation used slave labor to extract huge amounts of coal and metal to support an extensive war industry.[15]
By the late Hundred Year War, the Fire Nation extracted coal, oil, and volcanic energy on the islands to power its industry.[15][16][17] Despite the Fire Islands' natural wealth, however, they could not support the Fire Nation's rapid industrialization and the growing living standards of its people. The Hundred Year War was consequently partially motivated to bolster the Fire Islands' own resources by conquering and exploiting other regions of the world.[15]
Rich deposits of natural gas are found in areas like Fire Fountain City.[10]
Settlement patterns
By the 3rd century BG, the population of the smaller Fire Islands was usually concentrated at the coast. Only a minority lived on the islands' mountains.[14] By the 1st century BG, a great number of the tiny, outer islands were completely uninhabited.[18]
List of the Fire Islands
The Fire Islands archipelago comprises more than five thousand islands,[18] ranging from massive ones like Capital Island to ones that are so small that they are often excluded on maps.[10] Some of the smallest islands are so flat that they are regularly flooded by the rising tide.[18]
Throughout history, some islands have also been largely destroyed by natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions.[19][20]
Islands with known names
- Bhanti Island — Located among the southern Fire Islands.[21]
- Capital Island[10][14]
- Crescent Island[22] — formerly hosted a Fire Sages temple, uninhabited from 99 AG.[19]
- Crimson Sails — Located between Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom waters, home to the Crimson Sails Armada.[23]
- Dizin Island — A picturesque outer island of the Fire Nation, traditionally home to the National Historian of the Fire Nation.[24]
- Ember Island
- Fire Island Prison — Located among the northern Fire Islands.[21]
- Hing Wa Island — Famous for its ash bananas.[11]
- Jonduri — City-island which was operated by the shang merchants during the early era of Yangchen.[25][26]
- Karr Lok Island[27]
- Kirachu Island[28][29]
- Ma'inka Island
- Natsuo Island chain — An archipelago[30][21] that is part of the eastern Fire Islands.[21]
- Natsuo Island — Namesake of the Natsuo Island chain,[30] unclaimed by Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom due to its mixed population prior to the Fire Lord Sozin's rule,[21][31][32] later a United Republic of Nations territory.[33]
- Penquan Island — A remote island in the east.[34]
- Sibuyan chain — An archipelago among the southern Fire Islands. It is rather remote.[35][36]
- Lambak Island[37]
- Shuhon Island[10]
Unidentified islands
- Island hosting Hama's village — Located close to Capital Island.[11]
- Island hosting Ozai's airship base — Remote, volcanic, and seemingly bare of civilian settlements.
- Island hosting the Fire Nation bazaar and the Fire Nation school — Located in the archipelago's far east.[38]
- Island hosting Yon Rha's village — Large island located close to the southern Capital Island.
- Island hosting Shu Jing — Located in the east.
- Island hosting Jang Hui and the Fire Nation Army factory — Located in the east.
- Island hosting the Boiling Rock — Located north of Capital Island.
- Island hosting the Sun Warriors' ancient city — Located north of Capital Island.
- Chaisee's home island — Located in the southern Mo Ce Sea, close to the Natsuo Island chain,[nb 1] home to shellfish and cucumber sponge divers which were ethnically and culturally distinct from the rest of the Fire Nation, which holds only a formal political power over it.[26][40]
- Roku's island — Located in the east.
- Sei'naka clan home island — Located to the south of Capital Island, noted for being very small.[10]
Trivia
- "Spirits of the Islands" are revered throughout the Fire Nation and regularly uttered by Fire Nationals as an expression.[8]
- Avatar Kyoshi thought that the Fire Islands possessed a "rugged handsomeness".[42]
Notes
- ↑ Chaisee stated that her home island's night abalones produced unique black pearls on extremely rare occasions.[39] Such a black pearl was later found in a bay of the island where Unanimity project experiments were conducted. Thus, Chaisee's birth place and the experiment island were either the same location or close to each other for the night abalones to be present at both.[30] Furthermore, the Natsuo Island chain as well as Chaisee's island were known to be located in the southern Mo Ce Sea.[40][41] In her recollections, Chaisee noted that her home island's trade involved placing secret stashes on regional "uncharted islands"; her home island thus was either part of an archipelago or close to one.[40] Combined, this information means that Chaisee's island was close to the Natsuo Island chain.