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Description
"It is indeed a beautiful sight that presents itself to our eyes, as the ship ploughs her way through the deep-blue waves of the Indian Ocean. »Perché, oh Dio, che bella cosa«, yes why, oh God, what a beautiful thing!"
- Carinthian adventurer and industrialist Vinzenz von Hein [1912]

Orlando, officially Stato da Màr Orlando, is an island and Venetian overseas territory of the Amirante Island group located 830 km north of Madagascar and 1,500 km east of mainland Africa. The island is 17 km long, 15 km wide, and covers 144 km2 in area. Of volcanic origin, Orlando consists mostly of rugged terrain and high mountains three of which tower over 2,000 metres above the sea. The twin peaks of Picco Angelica and Picco Medoro are the two highest points of the Island, with elevations of 2,144 m and 2,085 m respectively.

The first European discovery of the Island was made in 1503 by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. Orlando was uninhabited throughout most of its history with modern archaeological diggings only revealing temporary settlements by Austronesian seafarers and Arab traders. According to the Treaty of Tordesillas, the island belonged to Portugal. Traces of several temporary Portuguese settlements and camps have been found around the Golfo di Marfisa tracing from the year 1507 to 1511; the Portuguese never formally colonized the island.

In an effort to repay vast debts, the Sultan in Cairo granted the Venetian Republic the Charter of Aden in 1615, giving them direct economic access to the Red sea and the lucrative trade therein. Venetian admiral Carlo Pisani claimed the island in the subsequent year and named it Orlando after a famous chivalric hero. The island was initially exploited for its Ebony wood and later the introduction of tobacco and sugar plantations which would play a large part in the Islands economy. The first permanent settlement on the island was Belvedere in 1617 followed by Zerbino in the same year and Malagigi in 1618.

As of 1930, Orlando has a population of 14,234. The main languages of the island are Venetian and Chakavian, with Indian and Arabic recognized as minority languages. Large numbers of Dalmatian Chakavians were encouraged by Venetian authorities to migrate to the island fill in the vast large labour demand generated by the islands' plantations. Many Arabic merchants from Yemen and Oman were allowed to settle the island as few Venetian merchants had experience with sailing in open waters. The annexation of Dalmatia in the 1880s by the Danubian Union encouraged many loyal to the Venetian regime to migrate, many of them settling in Orlando. Most Orlandians are Roman Catholic with followers of Islam and Hinduism together making up less than 3% of the island's population.

Today the economy of Orlando has largely moved away from the agrarian plantation-based economy into a service-based tourist economy. The opening of a canal across the Sinai and the proliferation of the commercial aeroplane made Orland the chief tropical tourism destination for everyone from Marseille to Constantinople. The very first airport on the island was established inside the Laggo di Ruggiero in 1923 which only served flying boats and seaplanes. The only inland airstrip of Orlando is the Aeroporto Baucalis which is operated by the Aeronautica Veneta and see little commercial use. The majority of tourists travel to the island by cruise ships which can arrive and dock at the ports of Nuova Fiume, Zerbino and Grande Serenissima. The most popular activities on the island include mountaineering, swimming and hot air ballooning.

Description
"It is indeed a beautiful sight that presents itself to our eyes, as the ship ploughs her way through the deep-blue waves of the Indian Ocean. »Perché, oh Dio, che bella cosa«, yes why, oh God, what a beautiful thing!"
- Carinthian adventurer and industrialist Vinzenz von Hein [1912]

Orlando, officially Stato da Màr Orlando, is an island and Venetian overseas territory of the Amirante Island group located 830 km north of Madagascar and 1,500 km east of mainland Africa. The island is 17 km long, 15 km wide, and covers 144 km2 in area. Of volcanic origin, Orlando consists mostly of rugged terrain and high mountains three of which tower over 2,000 metres above the sea. The twin peaks of Picco Angelica and Picco Medoro are the two highest points of the Island, with elevations of 2,144 m and 2,085 m respectively.

The first European discovery of the Island was made in 1503 by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. Orlando was uninhabited throughout most of its history with modern archaeological diggings only revealing temporary settlements by Austronesian seafarers and Arab traders. According to the Treaty of Tordesillas, the island belonged to Portugal. Traces of several temporary Portuguese settlements and camps have been found around the Golfo di Marfisa tracing from the year 1507 to 1511; the Portuguese never formally colonized the island.

In an effort to repay vast debts, the Sultan in Cairo granted the Venetian Republic the Charter of Aden in 1615, giving them direct economic access to the Red sea and the lucrative trade therein. Venetian admiral Carlo Pisani claimed the island in the subsequent year and named it Orlando after a famous chivalric hero. The island was initially exploited for its Ebony wood and later the introduction of tobacco and sugar plantations which would play a large part in the Islands economy. The first permanent settlement on the island was Belvedere in 1617 followed by Zerbino in the same year and Malagigi in 1618.

As of 1930, Orlando has a population of 14,234. The main languages of the island are Venetian and Chakavian, with Indian and Arabic recognized as minority languages. Large numbers of Dalmatian Chakavians were encouraged by Venetian authorities to migrate to the island fill in the vast large labour demand generated by the islands' plantations. Many Arabic merchants from Yemen and Oman were allowed to settle the island as few Venetian merchants had experience with sailing in open waters. The annexation of Dalmatia in the 1880s by the Danubian Union encouraged many loyal to the Venetian regime to migrate, many of them settling in Orlando. Most Orlandians are Roman Catholic with followers of Islam and Hinduism together making up less than 3% of the island's population.

Today the economy of Orlando has largely moved away from the agrarian plantation-based economy into a service-based tourist economy. The opening of a canal across the Sinai and the proliferation of the commercial aeroplane made Orland the chief tropical tourism destination for everyone from Marseille to Constantinople. The very first airport on the island was established inside the Laggo di Ruggiero in 1923 which only served flying boats and seaplanes. The only inland airstrip of Orlando is the Aeroporto Baucalis which is operated by the Aeronautica Veneta and see little commercial use. The majority of tourists travel to the island by cruise ships which can arrive and dock at the ports of Nuova Fiume, Zerbino and Grande Serenissima. The most popular activities on the island include mountaineering, swimming and hot air ballooning.