Namju

Namju, (Pronounced / na̠m t͡ɕu / NAM-ju) officially the Namju Commonwealth ( :남주연방; Romanization: Namju Yeonbang),  colloquially referred to as the Commonwealth, is a   comprising the titular Namju continent, as well as the outlying    of Waeno and islands of Daeseong and Namwondo. With sovereignty over 5.8 million km² of territory, and the 11th largest population in Tiandi, Namju is one of the largest nations in the world both by land-mass and by population. The nation’s geography and climate are largely pleasant and  but also feature a  northeast,  north and  far to the southwest. The nation's capitol is Junggyeong, and its largest city is Geumsan.

For at least thirty-thousand years before its discovery by Sinju colonial powers, the Namju landmass and tributary islands were inhabited by during the. After Namju's discovery in the 18th century by Jihwan explorers, Namju soon found itself being carved up by various Sinju colonial empires, with Basanreseri, Jihwa, Fusen, Longzhou, Jeongmi and Tosan all establishing long-term colonial settlements across Namju's entire coastline. In 1782, Jeongmi fully asserted its dominance over the continent's entire coastline with the Treaty of Dosan, decisively defeating a coalition of Fusenese, Basanreseri, and Jihwan forces, and later purchasing Tosan's failing colonial settlements less than a year later. In 1811, An Gung-muk introduced the first constitution of Jeongmi, which incidentally reformed Namju's status such that it effectively became a single semi-autonomous entity with a ',' or, appointed by the President of Jeongmi, nonetheless remaining a part of Jeongmi's empire.

Over the next centuries, successive waves of immigration, predominantly from Mincang and Kinshū, as well as in the form of indentured servants from Jeongmian colonies in Yoju and Yeongju, altered the cultural fabric of the nation and led to an explosion in population - though only ethnic Sinjuans were allowed to  as Namjan citizens. A predominantly agricultural nation for much of the 19th century, Namju also facilitated industrial growth in Sinju through copious exports of cotton and other raw materials, and provided Jeongmi a base of operations from which to exert influence into Miju. During and after the catastrophic Eulhae War, Namju grew incredibly wealthy from providing military - and later reconstruction - supplies to Sinju, and emerged as a great power by the mid-century. Namju also achieved full formal independence, with the title of Sangsang finally becoming an elected office in 1947. In 1956, with Namjan involvement in the Araswan Civil War increasing and manpower needs rising drastically, Namju finally expanded citizenship, suffrage, and civil rights to all Namjans regardless of ethnicity - which also included a military service obligation.

Namju is a. At the federal level exists a legislature representing  the various regions 'Do' (provinces). Each Do further has its own legislature. The lower level regions, and, are ruled by. The country is officially, with no codified official language, though  is the de-facto official language of business and government at the federal level as well as in most of the provinces. Namju is also one of the most ethnically nations in Tiandi, with a  populace largely descended from Sinju immigrants. Namju is often called a society, with many distinct but complementary ingredients. Namju consistently ranks highly in indictators of, quality of higher education, and civil liberties. Namju is also a culturally influential nation, being the birthplace of several widely proliferated Matobwe-influenced fusion genres such as, , and  and. account for nearly fifteen-percent of the national population, currently the highest proportion in the world.

Namju a country and is Tiandi's second largest economy both in terms of PPP and nominal GDP. Namju is a global leader in many, and as one of the world's first proper leads the world in technological innovation, with the highest number patents per capita. Namju is also the world's third largest exporter and second largest importer of goods, ranking highly in indicators of economic competitiveness. Namju is widely considered to be a and is a, fielding one of the world's largest , and maintaining strong defensive ties with the Sinju Union. Namju also ranks highly in terms of, with highly subsidized and.

Etymology
Namju, (pronounced na̠m t͡ɕu in ), shares a name with the it occupies, continental 'Namju'. The name Namju is composed of the characters (Jeongmian pronunciations) 'nam' (南) and 'ju' (洲), literally translating into 'south continent,' likely in indication of Namju's relative position as the southern-most continental landmass in Tiandi. Prior to Sinju colonization, Namju was referred to as 'Tsvagawatenga' throughout the south Mijuan world. Linguists have suggested that 'Tsvagawatenga' ('샤가와덴가') is a bastardization of a phrase literally translated as 'you have sought, you have bought,' referring to a distant place of trade. This is why sometimes - in addition to the name 'Namju,' Namju has also been colloquially referred to as 샤가국, or 'Syaga.'

The first recorded use of the name 'Namju' was in a report written to Choe Geon, the first Jeongmian Emperor of the Choe Dynasty in 1675. Jihwan exlorers had already discovered Namju in the early 16th century but, not realizing the full extent of its size, erroneously named it 'Nokdadohae,' or 'Green Archipelago,' believing it to be an island chain. Further discoveries in the area eventually unveiled that the various islands were, in fact, a single contiguous land-mass. Still, the erroneous name persisted until Jeongmian naval officer, Choe Sa (incidentally a younger brother of the aformentioned Emperor Choe Geon himself, published a new with the new name in an effort to rectify the mistake. Unfortunately, Choe Sa would be executed by his brother in Hapcheon on July 2nd 1701, after it had been discovered he had written a number of  under a  about his elder brother, the Emperor.

Choe Geon had refused to use Sa's name for the continent and attempted to erase Sa's name from historical record. Instead, throughout the Choe dynasty, Namju was officially called 'Wonju,' (遠洲) or 'far continent' to spite Sa. However, as the Choe dynasty declined in popularity and political rivals began fleeing to Namju to avoid reprisals, the name 'Namju' entered into colloquial as an act of defiance such that the two camps in Namju - Choe Dynasty loyalists and their opponents - were referred to as the Wonju-do and Namju-do respectively, depending on which name they used. In 1801, with the dissolution of the Choe monarchy, the continent officially became 'Namju' for the first time. The first official use of the name 'Namju,' however, was in 1811 with the Constitution of Jeongmi.

Geography, Wildlife, and Climate
Namju occupies a total area of 5,819,592 km2 (2,246,957 mi2), making it the second largest country in Tiandi after Nukigurun when measured by land-area. Continental Namju itself occupies an area of 5,727,758 km2, or 98.42% of Namju's total territory, while Namju's various tributary islands contribute an additional total 91,834 km2; of these, Daeseong (南近島), just off the Southwestern coast, accounts for nearly half of Namju's offshore territory at 48,223 km2 while Namju's southernmost island, Namwondo (南遠島), is 3,893 km2. The Waeno Archipelago, just north of the Junghae 'Middle' Sea, contributes the bulk of the remaining territory.

In the southwest lays the Namseosanmaeg, or 'Southwest Mountain Range.' This mountain range, formed from an thousands of years ago, blocks cold, dry currents from the southwest. Accordingly, just to the east of this mountain range lies a desert, the Yeoljong Samak (熱終沙漠), a. To the north, and through much of Namju's inland territory, lies considerable shrubland, due in part to the northwestern Bukseosanmaeg, 'Northwestern Mountain Range.' the Donggowon, or the 'Eastern Highland,' and Seogowon, or 'Western Highland' in the east occupy one-tenth of Namju's landmass. The Junghae Sea in the center of Namju is Tiandi's largest, and bisects the continent.

Due to its immense geographical size, Namju is incredibly rich in natural resources. The eastern plateaus are home to massive coal deposits and the mountains can be mined for, , , , , , and even. Other precious metals and minerals are located throughout the Namju continental landmass. Additionally, Namju holds massive reserves and has  reserves bothn  offshore (that can be accessed through ) and in the Yeoljong desert.

Namju is also home to a disporportionately high number of  as a result of the clear, shallow coastal sutropical coastal waters near Namju's many tributary islands - especially in the Waeno archipelago - and the convergence of warm and cold ocean currents, which allow for super  of ; the high plankton population allow for great overall biological productivity, and also has made the waters of northwest and southeast Namju some of the most productive  in all of Tiandi. The Namjan reefs are believed to be home to over 25% of Tiandi's ocean species, despite comprising less than 0.01% of the entire ocean mass.

Climate
Namju has a vast range of temperatures. Temperatures can average 50 °C in the northernmost islands of Waeno while many settlements in Nambuk reports -35°C tend to experience average temperatures of 28 °C.

One can split Namju into seven major climatic areas; the Waeno archipelago, both the northwest and northeast coastlines, the Junghae Sea region, the southwest, the southeast, the far south 'Nambuk' region, and the central steppes. Incidentally, these regions vaguely, however imprecisely, correspond to patterns of colonial settlement as well as to cultural subregions of Namju; the states of Namju have been unofficially grouped into these general socio-geographic regions, and these broad distinctions have even entered into official use by various government agencies and throughout academia. Broadly speaking, each region hosts a unique range of biomes and climatic conditions that have shaped its settlement and development throughout Namju's history.

The Waeno archipelago corresponds to the fifteen islands that rest off the northern coast of Namju; these islands experience a tropical climate year-round and - due to their low elevation - are highly susceptible to coastal erosion and. The vast bulk of Namju's the northwest and northeast coastline experiences a. In the eastern half of the country, the Donggowon, or the 'Eastern Highland,' and Seogowon, or 'Western Highland' break the warm south-western currents and - due to their elevation and colder, drier currents from the southwest - experience a cooler, which continues throughout the southeastern portion of the country.

The bulk of Namju's southwestern coast expriences a cold, while the southwestern most tip of continental Namju and Daeseong experience a. Along the bulk of the west coast and throughout the Junghae Basin of the Junghae Sea, Namju experiences a pleasant climate. Finally, the internal Yeoljong desert and the famous Namju steppe (which experiences a  comprise the land region.

Wildlife and Conservation


Namju is one of Tiandi's only with many species that are native to Namju alone. Some zoologists assume that Namju is home to upwards of forty percent of the Tiandi's animal species, both in its varied and. Namju has the highest substantiated number of edndemic species. Many of Namju's forests are believed to be upwards of 150 million years old, with dominating the plant biosphere. Namju is home to over 1,400 species of, 400 species of , upwards of a thousand different kinds of and  species, and tens of thousands of species of. Namju's coral reefs are home to upwards of 800 species of and 2,000 species of, and countless other sea organisms. Historically, Namju's biodiversity has suffered from colonization, settlement, and even deliberate overhunting. In the 19th century Namjan ranchers, hoping to keep their lands safe for, paid Namjans to hunt as many indigenous as possible, leading to their extinction. Human settlement in ecologically sensitive areas and the rise of a widely agrarian society led to considerable destruction of indigenous ecosystems and - until 1962 - resulted in Namju alone having the highest number of endangered species of any country in Tiandi.

Conservation has been a major priority for every administration since the mid 1950s, and the current government has since lain out a comprehensive plan of action to protect many ,, and from. Such plans of actions include the limiting of, and. is an offense punishable by time in a federal prison. Other efforts to protect the endangered species of Namju have included, subsidized implementation of and. Steps to minimize the effects of and  have been implemented, regulating the usage of pesticides in critical areas.

Namju benefits greatly from and the economic costs of destroying or otherwise damaging the nation's natural resources have been deemed as too high to permit their exploitation for commercial purposes. The nation's political elite are bound by the nation's hilariously well-connected conservationist lobby, donations from substantial environmental organizations in Sinju and domestically, and the military, for which preservation has officially been an official mission statement since 1923 in retaliation against poaching. Namju is home to species such as the, the , the  and the , all of which are of great interest to wildlife lovers.

Demographics
With 136,277,304 citizens and residents, Namju is the 11th most populous nation in the world and its population grew by 0.98% in the last decade. Namju has a male-to-female ratio of 104 females to 100 males, indicating a slight but non-serious imbalance in the male to female ratio. With breakthrough advances in, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Namju went from being the most sparsely populated nation in Tiandi to one of its most populous - though Namju's population density is still extremely low, at just 23.44/km². With some notable exceptions, Namjan governments have historically tended to pursue aggressive population growth through immigration and supporting of. Accordingly, Namjan citizenship takes only three years to acquire for immigrants from former Jeongmian colonies and Sinju.

The median age of Namju is 35.6 years old, indicating a relatively young populace overall (for a developed nation). Nearly 75% of Namjans are of working age. Approximately 74% of Namjans live in urban areas or suburbs, making Namju relatively rural for a developed country. Namju's life expectancy is 80 years old overall; 77 for males and 82 for females overall. There are 4.8 physicians per 1,000 people. 99.7% of Namjans are literate, while 88% are connected to the internet. It is estimated that a new child is born every 300 seconds, or five minutes.

Approximately 15.05% of Namju's population consists of first generation immigrants, or 20,509,734 persons. Of these, roughly three million are estimated to be. Including the children of those born to first generation immigrants, this figure rises to 35,624,806, reflecting the general trend of Namjan refugees to have more children than native-born Namjans. Additionally, Namju has a high refugee-per-capita ratio, at nearly 9.06 refugees per 1,000 people. In absolute terms, Namju hosts approximately 1,235,002 refugees in its borders, with well-funded government programs dedicated to them into Namjan society.

Due to pressure from the defense analysts, civil rights activists, and worker's rights groups, the Commonwealth government has established comprehensive initiatives to encourage women to have more children. Furthermore, most states have implemented generous programs such as, and. These have been augmented by an increasingly supportive laws concerning, as well as the highest average number of paid-days-off and holidays in Tiandi (with 20 public holidays and a minimum of three weeks of paid vacation depending on state). These initiatives are hoped to see the child per family ratio rise to three per household. Most Namjan states have experienced a net positive growth rate in the last decade with the notable exception of Nambuk.

Ethnicity and Identity
Namju is a very diverse and nation. Historically, the majority of immigration to Namju has been from Sinju due to strict laws and restrictive immigration laws (from non-Sinju areas) in the past. However, in the past half century, Namju has seen sharp spikes in immigration from Yoju and Miju, fundamentally altering the nation's ethnic and cultural fabric. In recent years, Namju has accepted approximately thirty-thousand refugees during and in the aftermath of the Scueria-Övlanda War. Refugees from Zibythides also began arriving in record numbers after Namju's government recognized the state of mafia violence in Zibythides as 'akin to civil war' in 1973.

Most Namjans consider themselves as simply 'Namjan' by ethnicity, but many families maintain meticulous records of their family lineages (at least from the first ancestors to arrive in Namju), allowing many Namjans to trace their ethnic heritage from Sinju. Other racial identities including Namjan-Mijuan, Namjan-Yeongjuan, and Namjan-West-Yojuan since, historically, phenotypically similar groups tended to intermarry. The only exception to this rule are the highly insular Nambukkers, who consistently identify themselves as such.

Namju is generally referred to as a, or 'Jeongol,' society. Just as the many elements of hotpot are tossed into one bowl, the idea is that many ethnic groups and peoples can peacefully co-exist in one harmonious union. Many political scientists and sociologists have suggested that this metaphor is outdated and problematic, however, and alternatives such as 'melting-pot,' 'bread' and 'mosaic' have been proposed. Ultimately, the Sinju groups in Namju have coalesed into a single identity, speaking Namjan Jeongmian, largely adopting similar (though regionally varied) diets based on a variety Sinju cuisines, and holding similar political and cultural values.

Language
Nearly four-hundred languages are recognized by the Federal government but it is a tacit requirement to be fluent in. For example; though Namju has relatively loose immigration laws, a demonstrated semi-fluency in either Jeongmian or is required for naturalization, resulting in a vast majority of immigration coming from former Jeongmian and Fusenese colonies. Still, it is not officially required for a Namjan to know Jeongmian, and one can theoretically access most government services without fluency in Jeongmian.

is the dominant language of culture, education, business, and military service while standard Jeongmian is used in official government documents and politics. Despite this, the people of Nambuk continue to persist in the use of Tosanese in state politics and business, while vast numbers of self-identified ethnic Namjans continue to speak and  at home or in unofficial settings. Additionally, Namju recognizes 363. West-Yojuan-Namjans are associated with and many Matobwe continue to speak, with Matobwe as another popular secondary language in schools.

In certain states of Namju, local languages are taught in schools and used in government infrastructure along-side Jeongmian, or with Jeongmian as the primary language of instruction. These largely include indigenous languages in smaller counties ('Gun') with a plurality of as well as in formerly Fusenic provinces, where  is often spoken interchangeably with Jeongmian - though the former is often preferred in casual conversation. Such education decisions are made by the Gun themselves. Though it is technically not required for schools to use Jeognmian as the primary language of instruction, it is used in all but a few cases because federal education funding is contingent upon teaching in Jeongmian. The only exception is in Nambuk, where the locals have eschewed learning Jeongmian. Because their local services are funded by their state's oil wealth, Nambuk has been able to service the needs of its people without federal funding.

Religion and Spirituality
Unlike most nations in the Sinju cultural sphere, Namju tends to be identify as religious. However, practically speaking, this simply manifests in more Namjans professing to be vaguely 'spiritual' than 'atheist' or 'secular' as is the trend in Sinjuan countries. Generally, Namjans tend to engage in traditional worship practices and believe in spiritual forces of some kind. However, as is the case in most of Sinju, Namjan understandings of religion are highly and do not necessarily align to any specific creed, doctrine, or faith. This trend towards syncreticism and state secularism manifests no more vibrantly than in Namju which, as an immigrant society, combines many traditions together into one vaguely defined set of practices.

This blend of traditions is often referred to by sociologists as 'Namjan Sindo,' which is simply a blend of the most popular practices from various Sinjuan traditional religions and shamanisms. With a foundation in Jeongmian, Namjan Sindo has since assimilated practices and terminology from Fusenese , and traditional Mincangese religion. It is debatable whether Namjan Sindo necessitates classification as a distinct practice. Historically, Shamans were repressed by the government in Jeongmi. As a result, many shamans fled to Namju; the oversaturation of shamans resulted in their services becoming extremely cheap, affordable, and their patronage ubiquitous. This trend has persisted into the present day.

Buddhism in Namju has largely evolved in the form of Kinshūan temples, which have maintained a distinct identity. Furthermore, despite the low apparent number of adherents, Buddhist temples have largely fared well, having since been assimilated into traditional practices by the majority of Namjans; that is, while few Namjans would profess to be Buddhist, virtually all Namjans visit Buddhist temples and leave offerings from time-to-time. Buddhist temples are ubiquitous throughout Namju and monks tend to be fairly well-off. Still, a strong monastic tradition has persisted. Namjan men, after graduating college, sometimes will embark on rite-of-passage journeys by living the life of an ascetic monk for a few years before entering into the work-force.

Unlike most nations in the Sinjusphere, Namju has a relatively high number of, at approximately one-fifth of the population. Approximately a quarter of these are West Yojuan immigrants and refugees, who have brought their faith with them to Namju. Another quarter are Matobwe immigrants. However, the remaining half are ethnic Namjans. In the past century, especially with Namju's unpopular intervention in Araswa, Christianity in Namju became highly associated with the the, anti-war. Namjan churches, established by Matobwe evangelists, were seen as anti-establishment institutions and Christian teachings of pacifism and simplicity became a popular alternative to Namju's increasingly consumerist and militarized society. Churches were established in every major Namjan city, gaining particularly large congregations in

Health and Healthcare
The average age of Namju is 35.6 years old, indicating a relatively young populace overall, and almost 75% of the population of Namju is of working age. Namju's life expectancy is 80.04 years old overall; 77.8 for males and 82.2 for females. There are 4.8 physicians per 1,000 people. There are 104 females for every 100 males, indicating a slight but non serious gender imbalance in the Namjuan populace. Namju's is about 8.2 per 1,000 births, reflecting Namju's relatively variable healthcare and sanitation standards in impoverished regions. The most common causes of death are cancers,, and. Namjuans are Tiandi's fifth largest consumer of alcohol per capita.

Both healthcare funding and services in Namju are provided through each state's respective healthcare systems, and each state's policies differ substantially. However, in 1956, the Confederate Healthcare Dignity Pact was ratified, mandating that each state provide some degree of. Furthermore, one's healthcare services were tied to the state of one's residence (as defined for tax purposes), effectively putting a moratorium on between the states. Of the developed nations in Tiandi, Namju's universal healthcare coverage is consistently regarded to be one of the most lacking in terms of services and affordability. Virtually none provides free mental health counseling.

Currently, a majority of states in Namju have adopted a standard system. Virtually each state has also simultaneously implemented a, with private healthcare providers covering nonessential medical procedures such as ; however, what constitutes a 'nonessential procedure' varies drastically by state, and in some states also does not even include , , or procedures. Approximately 40% of all healthcare expenditures in Namju were paid for through the private sector. Additionally, about 82% of Namjuans currently have supplemental health insurance. En aggregate, the quality of public healthcare services in Namju is considered to be of mediocre quality compared to other former Jeongmian colonies and Sinju.

Fortunately, Namjuans also tend to be relatively nutritious and physically active, for a developed country. During the Eulhae war, and Namju's subsequent military adventures, the Namjuan Army and various anti-communist legislators pushed for comprehensive and  programs in the nation's  and  systems. These physical education programs were designed by army officers with the aim of molding a draftable populace, and included far greater rigor and intensity than was deemed necessary for basic health. Finally, though Namju has not officially had universal military service since 1982, all Namjuan citizens are considered, by default, part of their respective territory's militia for eight-years and required to undergo basic military training; in some states, men can be subject to fines if they fail to meet the militia's physical standards.

Government and politics
Constitutionally, Namju is a in which each constituent state officially maintains its own  as well as an implicit a right to. However, practically, Namju resembles more of a, with the powers of the having expanded drastically since the end of the Eulhae war, with a long-term trend towards both codified and implicit. By law, the common government - the Uihoe - is limited to issues such as a common defense, not including the territorial militias that each state maintains indidivudally, a joint foreign policy, and maintaining a central currency. In reality, the Uihoe also legislates on a range of issues more akin to those of a federal central government. Furthermore, while secession is legally a possibility, the political hurdles to secede as well as implicit political culture have essentially rendered this essentially all but impossible accord to most political experts.

Historically, Namju as a whole was governed by an individual, or Sangsang, but otherwise was largely self governing, with each state maintaining independent taxation, development, and spending policy. When independence discussions were taking place in Hapcheon at the end of the Eulhae war, it was debated whether each state should become an independent sovereign state, or members of a singular entity. It was decided, later, to grant independence in a confederal nature, a nature that has since been obsoleted by the pressing needs for centralized legislating. The Eulhae war, particularly, resulted in the expansion of the commonwealth's civil service and a standing, professional army.

Currently, Namju comprises thirty-two administrative divisions known as 'gye,' or 'territories.' In the strictest sense, each territory is still technically a Jeongmian territory. The term 'gye' is retained for reasons of historical tradition.