Sandown Bay

""From Chaos, Serenity Beckons""

The Kingdom of Sandown Bay is a small but growing nation off the coast of southern England, occupying the Isle of Wight. Sandown Bay was formed in 1989 after the Isle of Wight successfully voted for semi-independence from England; the issue remains a popular one among the nation's resident Sandownese people, and calls are being made for Sandown Bay to reunify. Its national animal is the Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), and its national plant is the Pyramidal orchid.

The Amicable Agreement, 1989
In 1989, the residents of the Isle of Wight held a referendum to decide on whether they should become a new country and separate from England, which was surprisingly successful. Following negotiations with the rest of the United Kingdom, the Isle of Wight became a new country in the United Kingdom. The name 'Sandown Bay' was chosen, and the once-small village of Alverstone became the new nation's capital. In the same year, Bembridge Airbase was constructed on the site of the old Bembridge Airfield, and a fleet of Valkyrie bombers and Phantom II fighter jets were moved in, forming the backbone of the new RSBAF.

Expansion, 1990-Present
With the new nation now rapidly growing in size and in population, small villages on the Isle of Wight quickly grew into large towns and small cities. Brighstone, once a small village on the west coast of the island, became a thriving tourist resort with beautiful beaches, while the former county town, Newport, became a hub for Sandown Bay's industry and commerce. With each successive election, residents of Sandown Bay saw more and more civil rights added, while the nation's military also continued to grow. A second air base was built in Alverstone's Woodland District, and was inaugurated as the Woodland District Airbase in 2016.