Kendan

Kendan, officially the Republic of Kendan (: Republik Kendan, :ᮛᮨᮕᮥᮘᮣᮤᮊ᮪ ᮊᮨᮔ᮪ᮓᮔ᮪, : 컨단공화국; Keondan Gonghwaguk), is a country in Southwest Jungju. It is the the largest country in Southwest Jungju, with 482,808 square kilometres of land and is home to over 36 million people. It borders Kewhira and Lhokseumawe to the northwest, shares a sea border with Samanohuwa to the south, and a land border with Langkasuka to the east. Kendan's name derives from the Great Kingdom of Kendan who ruled the Kendanese land for nearly 600 years. Its largest city, as well as the capital, Pakuan, is located in the central area of the land, surrounded by the Tunggul Mountain Range.

Fossilised remains of Homo erectus, suggest the Kendanese land was inhabited two million to 500,000 years ago. Homo sapiens reached the region around 43,000 BCE. Ideal agricultural conditions, and the mastering of wet-field rice cultivation as early as the fifth century BCE allowed villages, towns, and small kingdoms to flourish by the first century CE. The strategic sea-lane position of Kendan, being located in between of two main continents, fostered inter-island and international trade, from several centuries BCE. Trade has since fundamentally shaped Kendanese history.

The sovereign state is a presidential, constitutional republic with an elected legislature. It has 18 provinces, of which five have special status. Pakuan, the country's capital, is the most populous urban area in Kendan. Due to its large territory and sparsely populated regions, Kendan has vast areas of wilderness that support a high level of biodiversity. The country has abundant natural resources like coal, tin, copper, gold, and nickel, while agriculture mainly produces rice, palm oil, tea, coffee, cacao, medicinal plants, spices, and rubber.

Etymology
The name Kendan derives from the word "Kendaran", means "vessel". The name dates to the 12th century, far predating the formation of independent Kendan. The name eventually got shorted through times, to the word "Kendan" as it is today. The word for "vessel" in Kendanese language progressed to other spelling due to influence from foreign power, but the word "Kendan" remained the same, and is in use until today since the founding of the Kingdom of Kendan back in 1335.