Crane Island

Crane Island is an island between two forks in the Blackwater River in northern Kea Racha where the river flows into the Kilche Sea. The city-state of Pela Huban is located entirely on the island, and as a result it perhaps the most densely populated island in the world.

Description

The roughly nine square miles of the island have been intensely urbanized to support Pela Huban's ever-growing population. Though their native habitats are long gone, numerous animals still live on Crane Island. Various kinds of small monkeys roam freely, a frequent nuisance to the merchant stalls that line most streets. Bats live in the eaves of buildings across the city, and feral pigs root through the vast heaps of trash created every day. Few creatures live in the waste-filled river aside from carp and other fish that can tolerate such conditions. Aside from vines and other plants that can gain footholds amongst the trampled streets, native flora is practically absent amongst the streets and buildings that cover the entire island.

Heavily trafficked bridges connect Crane Island to the other banks of the river.

History

Prior to Y8130^*, the population of Crane Island was relatively small by Kea Rachan standards, with Pela Huban little more than a minor port from which the agricultural surplus of Langkha was shipped across the region. Following the annexation of Langkha into the Sangiran Empire, however, the volume of trade, visitors, and immigrants began to increase markedly, and the city and island were decreed to be sole port of entry for foreign visitors into the empire. Pela Huban grew dramatically after this, quickly encompassing the entire island.