Welcome to the Royal Principality of Cantallea. The weather is always a comfortable room temperature. The inhabitants are always welcoming. The sites and views are always breathtaking. Everything and everybody on the island has an interesting story to tell, so sit back and relax and discover all about the Royal Principality of Cantallea Island, the paradise island you can't find or visit. This is always a work in progress, so be sure to visit this site on a regular basis to see new information about our beautiful interesting island. Special thanks to the good people at RJ Myrchak Company for letting us have a page on their website to promote our beautiful Island and share its stories and history.
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History:
History:
All current inhabitants of Cantallea have their origins traced back to a ship of the same name, "The Cantallea" (shown above) A rather large ship that was used primarily as a cargo ship. The Cantallea became lost at sea in the Indian Ocean after a storm, and hit a reef on August 13, 1921. All of the 145 crew members survived the crash and exited the damaged ship and walked to shore in only waist deep water. The crew then explored the island thoroughly believing at first that it was inhabited because of all the buildings and infrastructure they had found around the island, but no one was living on the island. Five settlements were found on the island, with buildings and infrastructure all in different stages of disrepair, with many completely dilapidated. All the survivors began living in the settlement closest to the shipwreck on the most easterly point of the island. After a few weeks, the crew decided to name the island Cantallea, in respect to the ship that brought them there. With little imagination, they named their first settlement Cantallea City. The crew spent months salvaging the cargo ship and stripped anything of use from the ship wreck to use on their new home. The ship was even carrying steam generators that were removed later to eventually power the five towns of Cantallea, and are still in use today. (see below)
Cantalleans for the most part, realized after a couple of years, that they were probably never be discovered and rescued by anyone else. Isolated on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, not near any shipping routes, most knew this would be their home for life. It wasn't that bad though, various fruits and vegetables grew all over the island, and some small row boats left by previous settlers years earlier, that were still sea worthy, were used for fishing. No one went hungry, even in those early years. They had to make due with the provisions provided by the island for the first six years, then came some good luck. A large ship was floating near the island in the spring of 1937. Islanders got into row boats and paddled feverishly towards it. They threw an anchor line up and hooked the railing so they could climb the rope and get onboard. They soon figured out that this ship was abandoned out to sea drifting aimlessly. After a many hours on board the crew had managed to start the ship with the little fuel left available and docked it at Cantallea City. This ship was called the Duke of Lancaster. (see below)
At first, the islanders were deciding on whether or not to use the ship to leave the island, but soon realized there wouldn't be enough fuel to risk such a long voyage, plus the few working radios on the island were broadcasting about the Japanese Empire flexing its military might in the south pacific and Germany in the north. The second world war had not officially begun yet, but it was well on its way. The fear of being torpedoed at sea was going to be a very real scenario that no one really wanted to risk. Plus, even though they knew they were somewhere in the Indian Ocean on an island, they really didn't know exactly where, and because of this lack of general knowledge, questions began to arise to the actual competence of the shipwrecked Cantalleas Captain and the main operations crew members. Were the same individuals that managed to get the whole crew lost at sea and hit a reef at an island in the middle of nowhere, on a sunny day ( yes, it was daytime), really going to be able to find our way home? The Cantallea had navigational equipment, so why were they lost? Years later it was discovered that the captain and his main crew were not actual seamen. They all had previously worked on various ships in the past over the years but never as a Captain, senior officers or really anyone who could navigate a ship at open sea without a sightline to a visible coast. They could follow the coastline to a destination, but not the open sea. They had actually stolen the Cantallea while it was docked in Mogadishu, Somalia. They were all on a different ship and had gotten kicked off for excessive drinking and fighting. So it really was ten thieves who took on the roles of Captain and crew members that ending up deciding the fate of 135 unknowing passengers, that were already onboard. Many of which helped out on the ship to pay for the trip, all looking for a cheap ride on a glorified cargo ship with many stops before their final destination in Australia, where they all planned to start their new lives. Except they obviously never got there. They went to Tanzania, Mozambique, then Madagascar. Then they needed to cross the Indian Ocean to get to Australia. The "Captain" assumed someone on board would know how to properly navigate a ship in open water. With no coastline in sight, and finally realizing days later that there was no navigator aboard, the thought was given, "Australia is east, and the sun rises in the east so we'll be fine if we keep going east." It remains a mystery today if any of the crew knew how to use, or even had a compass. When a violent storm came, everyone panicked with no one steering the ship. When the storm passed, no one knew where they were or even the direction the ship was heading. It was around this time that it was discovered that the ship was carrying an enormous amount of alcohol, of which the crew took many cases. Days passed into weeks with the crew and Captain drunk and passed out most of the time, not even at the helm of the ship. This would probably explain how the Cantallea managed to hit a reef in the middle of a sunny day.
The Cantalleans would use their new ship The Duke of Lancaster to find and salvage abandoned ships ( like shown above) that all seemed to conveniently drift near the island. Some companies found it less expensive to just abandon a ship at sea rather than having to deal with an old ship. A lot of these cargo ships contained new and used items in cargo that never made it to their destinations for whatever reason, and were deemed unworthy. Dumping cargo overboard could have fines if discovered, but abandoning a ship at sea with un-wanted cargo was ok for some strange reason. Usually there would still be a little fuel left in the abandoned ships of which the Duke of Lancaster crew would siphon into its fuel tank. Those abandoned ships would usually be towed near the shore of the island where it could be emptied of its contents and stripped of all its wire, mechanical and electrical components that could be used for spare parts on the Duke of Lancaster but mostly to run electricity to buildings around the island. Anything from clothing and kitchenware to automobiles and tractors have been found in those cargo hulls. Improving the lives of the islanders and building an economy around abandoned ships and their cargo.
Cantallea, luckily was never visited by any navy vessels or aircraft during the second world war, and never experienced any military activity, but once awhile at night flashes could be seen at the horizon if people were standing on Cantalleas highest mountain top. The ship was mostly kept at dock for fear it could come under attack from a submarine. Plus the Duke of Lancaster was a heavy black smoking ship when it ran and no one wanted to draw any attention to the island of Cantallea or its only useful seaworthy ship. Lights on the island during the war years were shut off at night to keep the island hidden. Activity resumed back to normal once the war was over, and the island still uses the Duke of Lancaster to salvage abandoned ships today. Cantalleans have always found enough fuel in those abandoned ships to run their own ship since 1937. They have been close to full a few times and almost dry many times.
Island Map and Demographics:
Island Map and Demographics:
This map is an approximation of the island, created by the Cantallean islanders over the years as it was explored. This map also incorrectly shows directions. East and West are mixed up if we are to believe the literature of Cantallea supposedly located on the most easterly part of the island. Or is North and South mixed up? Could have the islanders possibly named a settlement West Point even though it was clearly on the eastern point of the island? Its really hard to guess without actually visiting the island.
Only one road joins all of the settlements together, known only as "Highway One", and mostly beside that road lies the "One Railway Line" operated by the Royal Cantallea Railway, a government crown corporation. There are some foot trails and secondary roads around the island, but these are poorly maintained and often become over grown in a few months. The few tractors, farm implements, cars and trucks that exist on the island are only rarely taken down Highway One for fear they will be damaged with little ways to repair and no possible way to replace precious parts. Fuel for these vehicles are mostly made from distilled fruits and vegtables grown on the island, but that process is mostly in direct competition with individuals who would rather drink the alcohol than use it as fuel in a few tractors and trucks. For the most part, alcohol made on the island is prioritized for use in tractors and farm implements when preparing fields at planting season and again at harvest season but that alcohol needs to be hidden away or it will disappear as well. There were many years that the Cantalleans needed to resort to working the fields and harvesting crops all by hand because of everyone drinking the fuel.
POPULATION:
The island started out with a population of 145 in 1921 with a fairly even split between males and females, mostly due to the fact that the ship named the Cantallea was mostly carrying passengers with diverse backgrounds on route to start new lives in Australia. Some were trades people, bakers, engineers, doctors, dentists, mechanics, farmers etc. Most of these people came from America, all spoke English but were all immigrants from other nations, who after a number of years all decided to move again to Australia. The passenger list was very diverse in skin color, ethnicity, and religions. With such a small population all depending on each other to survive on the island, old rivalries, hatreds, and racist tendencies, all needed to be tossed to the side and forgotten. These were quickly replaced with bonds, friendships, and love for each other, that led to more families and children. The population in 2023 on the island of Cantallea is 347, all who proudly identify themselves as nothing other than Cantalleans.
Store:
Support The Royal Principality of Cantallea Island with our digital download poster files you can print out from your printer, or take to a local print shop or an online printing service to print out 8-1/2'' x 11'' poster pictures you can frame and display. These would make good conversation pieces. Digital files are a quality 2550 x 3300 pixels at 300 dpi when printed 8-1/2'' x 11''. When you press the buy button it will take you to a secure site to safely make your purchase.
The 40 Fraction Stamp Poster digital download file as shown above. $4.99
The 60 Fraction Stamp Poster digital download file as shown above. $4.99
The 70 Fraction Stamp Poster digital download file as shown above. $4.99
The 71 Fraction Stamp Poster digital download file as shown above. $4.99
The Cantallea Map Poster digital download file as shown above. $4.99
You can save $6.96 on a bundle purchase that has the 4 stamp posters and 1 map poster. All 5 digital download files for $17.99.
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