Cama Republic

Cama is a constituent republic of Kalina Commonwealth.

Cama Republic
Island of Grenada
Constituent Republic of Vekllei
Part of the Kalina Commonwealth
Accession	1967, as part of West Indies Federation dissolution
Area	310.8 km²
Capital	Assumpción
Languages	English, Cama Creole, French
Population	434,820

The Cama Republic (Isle of Spice) is a constituent republic of Vekllei in the Caribbean. It lies about 130km northwest of Aloubaera, and its northernmost island of Petite Martinique is just south of the southernmost part of the Grenadines island chain. It comprises three inhabited islands, and countless islets numbering at least 600. The capital, Assumpción, is situated on the southwest coast of the island of Cama.

The origin of Cama is volcanic, and the interior of its main island is mountainous. The capital has a good deepwater harbour and is renowned for its beautiful and bright-coloured waterfront area and homes. Grand Etang, a lake in the crater of an extinct volcano at 530 meters, provides some fresh water to its municipalities. Like much of the Vekllei Caribbean, about four fifths of Camans are descended from black slaves brought there by the UK to work Cama’s plantation economy. Other populations, including indigenous Caribs and Indians descended from indebted labourers who replaced the slave system, make up the remainder. They are mostly Christian, with minor Islamic and Hindu populations. They enjoy a tropical climate with a dry and rainy season, tempered by ocean breezes.

By Vekllei standards, life on Cama remains remarkably agrarian and agricultural products make up much of its economy. The municipalisation of the republic in the postwar period has seen many of its plantations converted into co-operative farms, which grow a variety of citrus fruits and tropical plants including nutmeg, of which Cama contributes about 40% of the world’s total supply. The transition from subsistence farming to the commons has reduced the overall participation of labour in agriculture, which now is mostly undertaken to maintain a claim on land. Most other products are ‘municipal goods,’ comprising staple crops and some light industry. Manufacturing, found mostly in the capital, is dominated by brewing, cigarette manufacturing and textiles.

The island of Cama is home to the Vekllei National Medical University, the most prestigious medical institution in Vekllei. Its students make up about an eighth of the republic’s total population. Cama and its minor inhabited islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique are linked by hydrofoil. The capital has a tram network, and narrow-gauge rail circumnavigates its coastline. The only civilian airport is located southwest of the capital. Cama is also the headquarters of Atlantis, the primary shipping bureau corporation of the country, which also operates a port in Assumpción.