Donkey Kong Island

Donkey Kong Island (also called DK Isles, DK Island, The Kingdom of Kong and Kongo Bongo Island in the animated series) is the home of Donkey Kong and the rest of the Kong family. It is a key location from the Donkey Kong Series, and the home of the Kong Family. As such, it is easily one of the most prominent locations in the Mushroom World. Much like the Mushroom Kingdom, the island has enjoyed times of both peace and hardship, mostly due to the evil actions of King K. Rool and the Kremling Krew who once made their home on nearby Crocodile Isle.

The island is shaped like Donkey Kong's head, complete with features such as ears and Donkey Kong's signature hair swirl. It is very large and has drastically different climates in various areas, some areas being jungle, frozen wasteland and desert. There are several mysterious ruins on the island resembling a mix of ancient Egyptian and South American architecture. Although it has been speculated that the Kremlings (whose own island was once nearby) may have built these temples, it is currently unknown where they came from. Aside from Kremkroc Industries, Inc. and Big Ape City, Donkey Kong Island remains fairly un-modernized. It is the largest landmass in an archipelago of smaller islands, including Banana Fairy Island, Timber's Island, and Kremlantis.

''Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Island is first seen in the game Donkey Kong Country, for the Super Nintendo. While guarding the Banana Hoard one night, King K. Rool and his Kremling Krew appear and steal all of the bananas to menace the Kong Family. Setting off at once, Donkey and his nephew Diddy Kong begin a long quest to take back Donkey Kong's Golden Banana hoard from the thieves, leading them through the island's many areas. The journey sends them through jungles, caves, glaciers and a large factory operated by the Kremlings before the two heroes finally locate the source of the problem. Finding a ship docked in the waters near Donkey Kong Island, the duo boards the vessel and defeats King K. Rool, allowing them to take back the Banana Hoard while driving the Kremling Krew from the island.

''Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Donkey Kong Island appears only sparingly in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Following their first adventure, Donkey Kong tries to kick back and relax on the beach, but unbeknownst to him, King K. Rool in his new pirate getup as Kaptain K. Rool was actively planning revenge. Piloting his crocodile-shaped airship, the Flying Croc, the villain sends down several of his Kremling servants onto the island and ambushes the unfortunate ape, taking Donkey Kong hostage on board his craft. The other Kongs quickly assess the situation before Diddy and his girlfriend Dixie Kong agree to chase the flying ship to Crocodile Isle and rescue Donkey Kong.

Although Donkey Island is not visited for the rest of the game, it appears in the opening sequence of the game and can be seen in the background of the areas Gangplank Galleon and K. Rool's Keep. In the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 2, these cameo appearances were removed for unknown reasons.

''Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64 featured a return of Donkey Kong Island as the primary location of the game’s levels, also featuring several different environments similar to its portrayal in previous games. The island is revealed to be part of a large archipelago consisting of several smaller islands, several of which are accessible as a part of the story. At the beginning of the game which King K. Rool appears in a mechanized version of Crocodile Isle with a plan to destroy the homeland of the Kongs.

Tired of his constant defeats at the hands of the Kong Family, King K. Rool pilots his metal monstrosity into the archipelago with his new secret weapon, a giant, island-destroying laser cannon named the Blast-O-Matic. He plans to use the device immediately, but a malfunction caused by his incompetent underlings short-circuits his plans and delays the machine’s activation. In a bid to distract Donkey Kong while they repair the Blast-O-Matic, the Kremlings invade the island in force and kidnap Donkey Kong’s friends, stealing his Golden Bananas and blocking off several locations on the island in order to further impede the hero’s progress. After another quest, Donkey Kong frees his friends and reclaims the Banana Hoard. With the help of the Blast-O-Matic’s inventor, a crafty weasel named Snide, the Kong Family deactivates the doomsday weapon and saves their home from destruction.

It is worth noting that the island was smaller in size in this game than in previous installments, although this is likely due to technical issues, such as making it easier to roam the island. The vast locations accessible through portals on the island are different areas of Donkey Kong Island, and what is seen on the surface is not the entire landmass. Since the events of this game, Donkey Kong Island has also been lacking one of its ears, as it had been blown off by K. Lumsy.

''Donkey Kong Country Returns
The island makes yet another appearance in Donkey Kong Country Returns, once again acting as the main location. In it’s most recent appearance, the Kong Family is featured much less prominently as the main population of the island, with only DK, Diddy, and Cranky making full appearances in the game. Several new creatures are also shown to make their home on Donkey Kong Island in this game which were previously unseen in the series. When seen, the island is also under attack by a new antagonist group known as the Tiki Tak Tribe, who attach themselves to other creatures to take control of their hosts. Much like the Kremling Krew before them, these new enemies are eventually defeated by Kong Family and removed from the island.

''Games
Several other locations of the island, such as Monkey Mountains were visited in Donkey Kong Country's pseudo-sequel, Donkey Kong Land Donkey Kong Island is also where the events of DK: King of Swing, the Donkey Konga trilogy, and Donkey Kong Country Returns took place. The jungle part of the island also makes several appearances in the Mario Tennis Series of games, and the Super Smash Bros. Series as playable locations.

''Television
In several episodes of Captain N: The Game Master a world named "Kongo Land" was mentioned as the homeworld of Donkey Kong. Whether Kongo Land was an early version of Donkey Kong Island is unknown.

Donkey Kong Island was also the main setting of the Donkey Kong Country television series. On the show Donkey Kong Island was renamed "Kongo Bongo Island" and the island was also shaped differently, similar in appearance to a banana rather than DK's head. Like in the games, Kongo Bongo Island was home to the Kongs, among other creatures.

Government
The denizens of Donkey Kong Island usually live peacefully together. While there does not appear to be an official government in place, Donkey Kong acts as the leader of the Kong Family, and the clan typically turns to him for leadership. Despite no longer having the strength to acts as the island's protector, Cranky Kong appears to have retained his role as patriarch of the family, and is often seen giving orders to the others while advising the younger generation during difficult times. In comparison, the events of the animated television series indicate that DK is slated to be future ruler of the island, implying that in the show, he has not yet earned the title.

Overall the apes appear to have established a positive relationship with the people of the Mushroom Kingdom, possibly through the friendship between Donkey Kong and his longtime rival, Mario. The Kongs are often shown attending sporting events, races, and parties hosted by Princess Peach in the Mushroom Kingdom. Since several of these events have taken place in the jungle, it would seem that Donkey Kong Island has also opened their borders to visitors during these friendly competitions.

Demographics
Donkey Kong Island is home to a number of different creatures, the most notable are the Kongs, a diverse race of primates who make up the primary cast of the Donkey Kong series. While the Kong Family is composed of good-natured apes, the orangutan-like Manky Kongs that inhabit the island were extremely rowdy and violent, and as a result the entire faction was rejected by the family. In addition to the apes, many other animals on the island are known to be intelligent, with most possessing the ability to speak. Several species such as the Gnawty Beavers and Zinger Wasps, and Necky Vultures are affiliated with the Kremling Krew, and openly attack the good-natured apes whenever possible.

The Kremlings are also a prevalent race inhabiting the island, having established an industrial plant known as Kremkroc Industries, Inc., in addition to several outposts. The ancient temples found in Angry Aztec and several other locations are also heavily occupied by the menacing crocodilians, although whether or not they built them is never specifically mentioned. Since the Kremlings typically occupy the island in large numbers during invasions and are regularly driven away by the Kongs, it is very possible that the majority of the Kremling population does not live on the island full-time.

Species of Donkey Kong Island

 * Kong
 * Kremling
 * Manky Kong
 * Gnawty
 * Zinger
 * Bumpty
 * Necky

Currency
Donkey Kong Island and its citizens runs on a coin system very similar to the rest of the world, but unlike the coins used in the Mushroom Kingdom, the denizens Donkey Kong Island and its surrounding lands use coins with the likeness of bananas engraved on the surface known as Banana Coins. In most games the coins display a picture of a Banana Bunch, but more recent installments portray them with only a single banana. Donkey Kong 64 featured the tender in several different colors, although only the Kong who corresponded with the associated color was allowed to pick up the coins. The game also featured very large multi-colored Banana Coins found in dirt mounds that could be unearthed using a shockwave attack. These special variations are much more valuable to the player, as they give each playable Kong an extra five coins regardless of who picks it up.

Due to the appearance of the Kongs in several Mario series games, they are also known to use regular coins while off visiting other parts of the world, with the banana-printed tender used exclusively on their home turf. In addition, the apes have also been known to collect Kremkoins while invading Crocodile Isle in order to pay Klubba and gain access to the Kremling Lost World. Since Klubba does not accept Banana Coins as payment, it can be assumed that the money is not an acceptable form of exchange outside of the Donkey Kong Island and its affiliated areas.

Areas and Major Locations

 * Kongo Jungle – Home of the Kong Family
 * Jungle Japes – A lush forest
 * Monkey Mines – Underground caverns
 * Vine Valley – Series of canyons
 * Gorilla Glacier – Frigid Peak of DK Island
 * Kremkroc Industries, Inc. – Kremlings’ industrial plant
 * Chimp Caverns – Caves in the mountains
 * Monkey Mountains – mountain range
 * Angry Aztec – Ruins of an Ancient Civilization
 * Fungi Forest – Magical forest on a floating island
 * Crystal Caves – Icy caverns in the ear of DK Island

Protectors of Donkey Kong Island

 * Donkey Kong
 * Diddy Kong
 * Dixie Kong
 * Kiddy Kong
 * Tiny Kong
 * Lanky Kong
 * Chunky Kong

Trivia

 * In Donkey Kong Country Returns, if one were to move from an earlier world to a later world using the map, Donkey Kong will be positioned at the first level of the later world. However, if one were to move from a later world to an earlier world DK will be position at the Boss Level of the earlier world. The only world that breaks this rule is the Jungle, being the first world it does not have an earlier world. In order for DK to be placed at the first Jungle level, he will have to move from the final world (Golden Temple) to the Jungle.