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NOTE: This article is about the Armaverse microstate that was first introduced in ArmA: Cold War Assault. For the playable terrain of the same name, see Malden. |
Malden is a microstate located in the Atlantic Ocean.
History[]
Colonisation[]
Malden was colonised by French explorers during the 1800s and was turned into an Overseas Territorial Possession. Settlers established much of its present-day settlements, though some parts of the island would remain unpopulated for some time.[3]
Imperial territory[]
Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars which saw France decisively defeated by the Prussian Empire, Malden was seized and turned into a subject of Imperial Russia by its naval fleet. Though the island was administered by the Russian government, much of the pre-war French influence and traditions remained and held steady in spite of their presence.[3]
The island would stay under Russian control for the remainder of the 19th and early 20th century CE, becoming a busy stop-off point for Russian fishermen and seafarers alike travelling through to the Mediterranean.[3]
Independence[]
With the collapse of Imperial Russia in 1917, Malden gained its independence and became a microstate free of influence from any major power. It would remain this way for the rest of the early-mid 20th century CE until the arrival of U.S.-led NATO forces in the 1960s.[3]
Cold War[]
NATO supply station U.S.A.F. Larche (1985)
Representatives from NATO managed to secure a treaty with Malden's population. The two sides bilaterally agreed to establish a mutually beneficial diplomatic relationship in exchange for guarantees of security from NATO.[3]
Due to its minor strategic value however, Malden was not deemed to be important enough to warrant a massive NATO presence. Malden was instead turned into a supply station for aircraft and other forces moving between their bases on the continental United States and allied bases in West Germany.[3] In addition, some remote parts of the island were turned into training facilities and firing ranges.[6]
During the mid-1970s, an influx of refugees fleeing the civil war on the Independent Republic of Nogova arrived on Malden. Though only a handful managed to reach the island, most quickly integrated into Malden's society due to its people sharing a common heritage; particularly a distaste for the Soviet Union.[3]
In 1985, rogue Soviet forces from Everon illegally invaded and occupied parts of southern Malden[7][8], overrunning the small NATO garrison in a short period of time and forcing them into a defensive war for survival. All Soviet troops were eventually repelled and defeated with the arrival of NATO reinforcements[9], and all of Malden was saved from Soviet aggression.[10][11]
Diplomatic switch[]
Chinese CSAT forces are stationed at the former U.S. airbase near La Trinité at the request of the Maldenian population (c. 2020s)
At the turn of the millennium, ties between Malden and the U.S. gradually deteriorated beginning in the late 2010s. Due to the onset of an economic depression throughout Western nations in the early 2020s[12][13][14][15], a unilateral U.S. withdrawal from its bases on Malden led to a sharp decline and eventual collapse in relations between the two sides.[16][17]
The hastily arranged departure was worsened by the careless handling of Cold War-era munitions stockpiles by U.S. forces. Accidents caused by this mishandling led to many of the bases being left behind as rusted and contaminated husks, scarring the otherwise picturesque landscape.[17] In particular, one of the incidents resulted in the deaths of several Maldenian contractors.[18]
Appalled by the poorly planned exit, the Maldenian population turned eastward, eyeing the burgeoning CSAT coalition as a potential partner to fill the security gap left by the unilateral NATO withdrawal.[17][19] Since then, the island has maintained a closer tie to its Eastern partners, particularly with the People's Republic of China and its North African allies.[17]
This transition would last until the mid-2030s. In 2035, diplomatic channels with NATO were partially restored when U.S.-led Western troops invaded the island to forcibly remove the North African CSAT garrison (Chinese CSAT forces remained uninvolved).[20]
Geography[]
- Main article: Malden
Overview of the Malden islands group.
Malden covers a total landmass of 57 square kilometres.[21] It is the southernmost island in the Malden islands group, located to the south-south-east of the Nogovan mainland and to the south-west of Everon (235 km).[22]
Its terrain is largely dry and rocky, with conditions in the northern parts of the island being particularly arid and desertified. Foliage mostly comprises of shrubbery and stubby trees; most being short cypresses/stone pines (though many did not exist prior to the 21st century).[23]
Malden's topography and overall poor soil quality have long been a detriment to the island's farming community. In recent years however, this has been somewhat remedied by man-made terraforming on some parts of the island. Vineyards and orchards are a common sight across many of its settlements.
La Trinité is the capital city of Malden.[24] Its geoposition coordinates are located between 38° 48' 0" north and 20° 42' 0" west.[25][26]
Politics[]
Armed forces and law enforcement[]
Malden does not possess a military of its own, though a small police force does exist to maintain the island's stability.[27][28][29] Unlike its sister nation, Malden has not ever had a paramilitary group or militia formed by its citizens even in times of conflict.
It has relied exclusively on its foreign military partners to provide for its security; first from U.S.-led NATO forces during the Cold War[3], then from North African/Pacific CSAT forces in the 2020s up to the mid-2030s.[17] In recent years, some of its security needs are also seemingly provided by private military companies like the U.S.-based ION Services, though the exact size of their presence is not known.[30]
Diplomacy[]
Malden maintains ties to its neighbours in the Malden islands chain, both from Everon and the Independent Republic of Nogova. Beginning in the 1960s, Malden was a close partner with NATO and especially held good diplomatic relations with the United States.[3] These ties were later severed and replaced with the Chinese-led CSAT coalition.[17]
Economy[]
Advertisement for cheese products from Malden.
Malden is agricultural-centric, with common exports including wine products and dairy goods.[31] Malden is particularly famous for its goat cheese produced in the town of La Pessagne. It is considered a delicacy both domestically and abroad, with their products becoming well-known even in the Kingdom of Sahrani.[32]
A fraction of the economy also relies on the tourism industry. Malden's picturesque sights and numerous places of worship attract significant numbers of tourists and pilgrims annually, both from overseas and from neighbouring Everon.[33][34]
Society[]
Demographics[]
In 1985, the total population of Malden stood at a count of approximately ~ 500.[3]
The majority of Maldenians are predominately of French descent. Minority groups also consist of descendants from the early Russian seafarers and refugees from Nogova, though they are vastly outnumbered by the French majority.[3]
Languages[]
Maldenians primarily speak French.[1][2]
Trivia[]
- To date, both Malden and Everon are the only named microstates in the entire series (not including Mobile Ops' island of Atida).
- Malden is also the first Armaverse country that has made a physical appearance in more than one game outside of being briefly shown or referenced in others; first in ArmA: Cold War Assault, and then in ArmA 3 for the Stepping Stone mini-campaign.
- Malden's (the playable terrain) decimal longitude and latitude coordinates were originally positioned in different places on the globe.
- The default values used when selecting the terrain in the Eden Editor were initially placed at -38.8 lat and -20.7 long in ISO 6709 format. This strangely placed Malden in the southern hemisphere, off the shores of south-eastern Central America (near the Falkland Islands).
- Naturally, this was completely erroneous as it contradicts both Cold War Assault and ArmA 3 itself. Both games placed Malden's location to be closer to both Everon and Kolgujev along with the Straits of Gibraltar.
- When these values are reversed (+38.8 lat and +20.7 long) to signify their position in the northern hemisphere, they point directly to the island of Lefkada in Greece which is the island that Malden's terrain is inspired by.
- It is not known why these coordinates were initially chosen for Malden's geoposition. Whether this was a mistake or is a case of development oversight ultimately remains unclear.
- The default values used when selecting the terrain in the Eden Editor were initially placed at -38.8 lat and -20.7 long in ISO 6709 format. This strangely placed Malden in the southern hemisphere, off the shores of south-eastern Central America (near the Falkland Islands).
- Following the release of ARMA Reforger, the retconning of Malden's position on the world map; a retcon already hinted at by ArmA 3's events, would effectively be solidified, as the Malden islands archipelago now canonically resides in the mid-Atlantic Ocean[22] rather than the North Sea.[35]
References[]
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See also[]
| Countries in the Armaverse | |
|---|---|
| Eastern Europe | Livonia • Russian Federation |
| North Africa | Argana |
| West Africa | North Lombakka • South Lombakka |
| Atlantic | Democratic Republic of Sahrani • Independent Republic of Nogova • Kingdom of Sahrani • United Kingdom |
| North America | United States of America |
| Green Sea | Ardistan • Grozovia • Karzeghistan • Republic of Chernarus • Takistan |
| Mediterranean | Atida • Republic of Altis and Stratis |
| South Pacific | Horizon Islands Republic |
| Microstates | Everon Socialist Republic • Malden |
| Countries are listed in order of the region of the globe that they are geographically located in. Italics denote countries that have ceased to exist. NOTE: For a list of minor references to countries that are not shown, please refer to this article. | |