Before the Federation of Phantom Islands was created, phantom islands were governed by one of two ways (and sometimes both). Local governments struggled to maintain self-sufficiency and adapt to an increasingly changing world. On the other hand, colonial governments found it hard to communicate with their parent nations due to the phantom veil separating them. This also meant ideas of decolonization were more prominent on phantom islands than anywhere else.
Ideas of a union of phantom islands were casually mentioned by various figures throughout history, but the true beginnings of the Federation lie with Allariks Ranamers. A native of Antillia, he spent four years travelling between various locations, including various phantom islands, writing about it in his book Travels of Allariks Ranamers (1919). Realizing the common predicaments found on most phantom islands, he soon penned a letter to the newly formed League of Nations, asking for a nation to be created along the lines of the Free City of Danzig. He eventually enterred into correspondence with a mysterious “Mr. Untel”, who said that if the nation had “popular support”, they would consider it.
Ranamers then embarked on another trip to gather support for his cause. The tour was often harrowing; an especially difficult leg of the journey was spent travelling between Crocker Land and Bradley Land with only two sickly sled dogs. However, by the end of the trip, he had amassed a very large amount of supporters. By the time he got back to Antillia, he was ready to pen another letter to Mr. Untel, but when he arrived at his house, Mr. Untel was there waiting. Allegedly, his first words to him were “I didn’t expect to find an island here.” 2 weeks later, on February 29, 1920, the Federation was founded.