Tahare

**Tahare** (Maronan: *La Tahare*; previously *l'Île Chambon*; Taharian Creole: *La Teher*) is an island territory and overseas region of Marone. It is located in the Papaguscan Sea, sharing maritime borders with the island nation of Papagusca and the archipelago of Vorelles. The region has a population of 837,550 residents, making it the most-populous overseas region.

Like the other overseas regions, Tahare holds official status as both a region and department of Marone, and is an integral part of the Maronan Republic. The region was formed in 1956, following the decolonization of Marone which led to some colonies becoming overseas regions.

As a region of Marone, the official language of Tahare is Maronan. In addition, a majority of the region's population speaks Taharian Creole.

## History

### Early history and initial colonization

The history of Tahare prior to the 16th century is entirely unknown, with the island having not appeared in any contemporary writings or sources. Written history of Tahare began in 1504, with the discovery of the island by Escarian explorer Fábio Ávila da Silva, who claimed the island for Escaria. Upon its discovery, the island was uninhabited, although there was significant evidence of past civilization, including cleared forests and ruined villages. It is theorized that the island was inhabited by a ethnic group similar to the Papaguscans, which later either left the island or died out due to famine or disease prior to the island's discovery. Ávila da Silva dubbed the island *Santa Gláucia*.

By the 17th century, Escarian rule over the island had almost entirely dissipated, with no significant colonization attempts or even semi-permanent residents. The island was reached by the Maronans in 1613, who easily conquered it from the Escarians. The first Maronan residents on the island arrived in 1618, when Maronan explorer Aurélien de Gigenoît deported a dozen mutineers to the island from Papagusca. The surviving convicts were later sent to Marone in 1621. In 1624, the island was named the Île Chambon, after the ruling House of Chambon. Colonization officially began in 1627, with the arrival of the first Maronan settlers. The original settlers later brought Papaguscan and Tiro-Escarian women to the island to be their wives, while enslaved Tarficans were brought to work on newly established plantations, growing primarily coffee beans. The initial settlement of the island was largely agricultural and based in the city of Saint-Philippe, which served as the island's first capital.

### Maronan Revolution and reformation

In the aftermath of the Maronan Revolution, the island's name was changed to Tahare on 15 March 1799, in order to erase the legacy of the Chambon dynasty. The name was chosen to honor Jacques Tahare, a revolutionary involved in a number of insurrections whom had been born in Sainte-Anne. Jacques Tahare is now honored as a legendary figure and founding father of Tahare.

Following the revolution, the republican movement in metropolitan Marone strongly urged the Taharian authorities to abolish the practice of slavery. In 1805, a group of abolitionists from metropolitan Marone arrived in Saint-Philippe to liberate the slaves of Tahare, but were met with fierce resistance and gunfire by the Taharian plantation owners, resulting in the abolitionists fleeing back to Delmas. Slavery continued in Marone until the nationwide abolition of slavery by the National Congress in 1820. After the abolition of slavery, the Taharian slaves were freed, with many going on to settle permanently on the island as craftsmen, farmers, or civil servants. The newfound lack of slave labor led the government to bring Tarficans and Tirians to the island as indentured servants, performing unpaid labor on plantations for several years before receiving their freedom. The large majority of indentured servants went on to settle permanently on the island after the completion of their contracts. In the late-19th century, the Taharian economy diversified, with plantations now growing crops such as sugarcane and vanilla, in addition to the rise of the shipping and manufacturing industries in the northern city of Sainte-Anne. With the rise of the latter two industries, the population of Sainte-Anne continued to grow, eventually leading to it replacing Saint-Philippe as the island's capital city in 1844.

### Modern history

Indentured servitude in Tahare began to decline by the early-20th century, and was outlawed by 1906. In the aftermath, migrant workers continued to come to the island, primarily from Tiria, in order to work as agricultural workers in addition to construction workers. Urban development in Tahare began in the early-20th century, with the construction of road networks and railroads requiring a significant influx of migrant workers.

Tahare received its official status as both an overseas region and department of Marone in 1956, following the 1954 status referendums. Residents of Tahare voted overwhelmingly for further integration with Marone, with 95.6% of voters in favor and just 4.2% opposed. This led to Tahare being the only territory of the Vorellian Islands to vote for further integration with Marone, with the remaining islands receiving independence as Vorelles. In the aftermath of the referendum, Tahare began to see high levels of immigration, with economic immigrants arriving from Helonesia in addition to Vorelles and Papagusca. In the 1968 Maronan census, 24.5% of the Maronan population identified as an immigrant. The immigration rate began to steadily decrease beginning in the 1980s, while Tahare today has one of the lowest percentages of residents identifying as immigrants in Marone.

## Demographics

According to 2021 estimates, Tahare has a population of approximately 837,550 residents, making it the most-populous region of overseas Marone. The Maronan census does not ask demographic questions, apart from place of birth. Following the 2018 Maronan census, 82.8% of residents were born in Tahare, 12.3% of residents were born in metropolitan Marone, 1.5% were born elsewhere in overseas Marone, 1.0% were born abroad with Maronan citizenship at birth, and 2.4% were immigrants. Tahare has the second-highest percentage in overseas Marone of residents born in metropolitan Marone, behind only New Malonia.

In the 20th century, Tahare had a high immigration rate, with many economic immigrants arriving from Helonesia and neighboring nations Papagusca and Vorelles. Since the late 20th century, the immigration rate has largely declined, and Tahare is now one of the Maronan regions with the lowest percentage of residents identifying as immigrants.

### Metropolitan areas

There are two metropolitan areas (Maronan: *métropoles*) located in Tahare. The largest of which is Sainte-Anne, which includes five communes and has 582,680 residents, making up more than two-thirds of the population of Tahare. Sainte-Anne métropole is the largest metropolitan area in overseas Marone, and one of the largest in the entire nation.

 Saint-Philippe | **Saint-Philippe**Saint-AlbertSaint-BernardSainte-CassandreSaint-François | 220,960

### Ethnic groups

Tahare is considered to be a multi-ethnic society, with various ethnic groups residing on the island. When Tahare was first reached by Eureans, it was uninhabited, so there are no indigenous people of Tahare and the entirety of its population had migrated there from elsewhere. The most prominent ethnic groups in Tahare are Papaguscans, Eureans, Tirians, Tarficans, and Helonesians; a variety of local names for ethnic groups exist, including *Zugos*, *Grebs*, *Pondiches*, *Zaros*, *Gafres*, *Shinois*, and *Zoreys*. Tarficans were brought to the island as slaves following the island's initial settlement, while Papaguscan and Tiro-Escarian women were brought over as wives for the Maronan settlers. Following the abolition of slavery in Marone in 1820, Tarficans and Tirians began to be brought to the island as indentured servants, and many settled permanently on the island following the completion of their work contracts. Helonesians first began arriving as economic immigrants in the 20th century. Eureans have resided on the island since its initial settlement as landowners and government administrators, while more recent waves of migration from Eurea have begun in the 20th and 21st-centuries due to the growing tourism industry and further economic growth of the region. Most Tirians in Tahare are of Hamil or North Tirian origin, while the majority of Eureans are of Maronan origin from metropolitan Marone, despite other smaller communities of Escarians, Lungarians, and Spanians, amongst other groups. Most Helonesians are of Shinese origin, with smaller communities of Esmanese, Lavorian, and Nurmese origin.

Since the first settlement in Tahare, ethnic groups have intermarried, resulting in a thriving creole culture and the majority of its inhabitants having mixed ethnic origins. As the Maronan census does not ask residents questions about their race or ethnicity, the exact ethnic breakdown of the Taharian population is unknown. The extent of ethnic mixing on the island also makes studies difficult, as the majority of Taharians do not identify with an individual ethnic group, but instead as simply Taharian. According to estimates, *Grebs* and *Zoreys* make up 25% of the population, *Pondiches* and *Zaros* make up 25% of the population, *Zugos* and *Gafres* make up 3% of the population, *Shinois* make up 2% of the population, and the majority of the remaining 45% of the population is made up of mixed-race Taharians.

### Languages and religion

The sole official language of Tahare is Maronan, which is the language of the government, education system, and entertainment industry in Tahare. Taharian Creole, a creole language derived predominantly from Maronan, is also widely spoken. However, Taharian Creole holds no official status and is mainly used in informal contexts. Recent immigrant groups often speak their native languages, although it is uncommon for these languages to be preserved after several generations. Schools in Tahare often offer languages such as Namil, Tiri, and Shinese as optional classes that students may take, due to the ethnic composition in Tahare.

The predominant religion in Tahare is Christianity, principally Eurean Catholicism. It is estimated that Eurean Catholics comprise 75% of the population in Tahare, followed by Tirism at 15%, and either Eurean or Ryptian Islam at 5% of the population. The remaining 5% of the population is comprised of adherents to other religions, such as traditional religions or other forms of Christianity, in addition to those identifying as atheist, agnostic, or irreligious.

## Government

### Politics

*Main article: Politics of Tahare*
Like other overseas regions of Marone, Tahare has a combined regional and departmental council known as the General Council of Tahare. The General Council possesses the powers of both a departmental and regional council, and is the chief legislative body within the territory of Tahare. One of the members of the General Council is also elected by voters to serve as president, a role akin to a prime minister; the president is typically the leader of the electoral list that receives a majority of seats in the General Council.

### Administrative divisions

Like other regions of overseas Marone, Tahare is divided into communes, which are grouped into arrondissements. There are 13 communes in Tahare, and three arrondissements.

Arrondissements serve no legal function in Marone, other than being the jurisdictions of prefects and subprefects. Communes elect both a mayor and municipal council, and are responsible for services such as water management, sanitation, garbage disposal, keeping a civil register, and municipal police.