Namju
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The Namjuan Confederacy 남주연방 / 南洲聯邦 (Jeongmian) Namju Yeonbang 남주연방 / 南洲聯邦 (Jihwan) Namju Yeonbang なんしゅうれんぽう / 南洲聯邦 (Fusenese) Nanshū Renpō 남ᅏᅮ윤방 / 南洲聯邦 / (Seriyedang) Namjju Yunbang | |||||
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Motto: 無爲 "Effortless Action" | |||||
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| Capital | Junggyeong | ||||
| Largest city | Yangseong | ||||
| Official languages | Officially, none | ||||
| Recognised national languages | Jeongmian (de facto official), Kinshūnese, Tosanic, Selabinese-Jihwan Creole, Matobwe, Seriyedang | ||||
| Religion (2015) |
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| Demonym(s) | Namjuan | ||||
| Government |
De facto Federal Republic; De Jure Confederation | ||||
| Kim Jae-gyeong | |||||
• Sangsang | Heo Ki-nam | ||||
• Jwasang | Ma Ye-bin | ||||
| Confederation | |||||
| 1811 | |||||
| Area | |||||
• Total | 5,814,852 km2 (2,245,127 sq mi) (3rd) | ||||
| Population | |||||
• 2020 estimate | 136,277,304 (11) | ||||
• 2020 census | Confederate Demographic Service | ||||
• Density | 23.44/km2 (60.7/sq mi) | ||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2020 estimate | ||||
• Total | $$6.997 trillion (2nd) | ||||
• Per capita | $53,040 (6th) | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2020 estimate | ||||
• Total | $7.228 trillion (2nd) | ||||
• Per capita | $51,344 (6th) | ||||
| Inequality (2017) |
 36.2medium | ||||
| HDI |
 0.945very high · 3rd | ||||
| Currency | Namju Won (圓 (南洲圓)) | ||||
| Driving side | right | ||||
| Calling code | 1 | ||||
Namju, (Pronounced / na̠m t͡ɕu / [NAM-ju]) officially the Namjuan Confederacy (Jeongmian:남주연방; Romanization: Namju Yeonbang), colloquially referred to as the Namju, and less commonly as the Confederation, is a sovereign federal republic comprising the titular Namju continent, as well as the outlying near-conical stratovolcanic archipelago of Bukjeon 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 by land-mass and population. The nation's capitol is Junggyeong, and its largest city is Yangseong.
For at least thirty-thousand years before its discovery by Sinju colonial powers, the Namju landmass and tributary islands were inhabited by indigenous Namjuans during the Upper-Paleolithic. 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, and Jeongmi all establishing long-term colonial settlements across Namju's entire coastline. By 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. 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 'Sangsang,' or Lord-Protector, appointed by the President of Jeongmi, nonetheless remaining a part of Jeongmi's empire. Later, over disputes regarding Namju's slave economy, Namju declared independence and fought a series of brief - but victorious - wars against Jeongmi to secure this independence.
Over the next centuries, successive waves of immigration, predominantly from Mincang and Bangju, as well as the importation of slaves from Sinjuan 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 naturalize as Namjuan 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. As demand for agricultural products grew, Namju infamously stole territory from indigenous groups and - though Namjuans generally dispute this - carried out the most total and comprehensive genocide in Tiandi's history, creating more and more slave plantations and settlements in their wakes. During and after the catastrophic Eulhae War, Namju grew incredibly wealthy from providing military - and later reconstruction - supplies to Sinjuan allies, and emerged as an undisputed great power by the mid-century. Throughout the era of decolonization, Namju waged a 'global crusade against communism.' In 1956, with Namjuan involvement in the Araswan Civil War increasing and manpower needs rising drastically, Namju finally expanded citizenship, suffrage, and civil rights to all Namjuans regardless of ethnicity, officially abolishing slavery for good.
Namju is a presidential confederate semi-direct democracy. At the confederate level exists a bicameral legislature representing the various regions 'Gye' (territories). Each territory further has its own unicameral legislature. The lower level regions, Gun (county) and Si (municipal), are governed via direct democracy. The country is officially multilingual, with no codified official language, though Namjuan Jeongmian is the de-facto official language of business and government at the confederate level as well as in most of the provinces. Namju is also one of the most ethnically diverse nations in Tiandi, with a multicultural populace largely descended from Sinju immigrants and former slaves. Namju is often called a 'hot pot' (Jeongol, 火鍋) society, with many distinct but complementary ingredients. Namju consistently ranks highly in indicators of quality of life, 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 hip hop, rock & roll, ballad blues and jazz and R&B. First-generation immigrants account for nearly fifteen-percent of the national population, currently the highest proportion in the world.
Namju a highly developed country and is Tiandi's second largest economy both in terms of PPP and nominal GDP. Namju is a global leader in many scientific and technological disciplines, and as one of the world's first proper information economies 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 great power and is a nuclear weapon state, fielding one of the world's largest blue water navies, and maintaining strong defensive ties with the Sinju Union, and Jeongmi in particular. Namju also ranks highly in terms of Human Development, with highly subsidized higher education and universal health care.
Etymology[edit]
Namju, (pronounced na̠m t͡ɕu in Namjuan Jeongmian), shares a name with the continent 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 Matobwe 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 referred to as 샤가국, or 'Syaga,' usually by indigenous activists and more liberal Namjuans.
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. 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. Still, the erroneous name persisted until Jeongmian naval explorer, Choe Sa (incidentally a younger cousin of the aformentioned Emperor Choe Geon himself, published a new naval map with the new name in an effort to rectify the mistake, as well as an updated chart of the full extent of the coast. Unfortunately, Choe Sa would be executed by his brother in Hapcheon on Chirwol 2nd 1701, after it had been discovered he had written a number of polemics under a pseudonym about his elder brother, the Emperor. Choe Sa would become a martyr.
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 rest of the Choe dynasty, Namju was officially called 'Wonju,' (遠洲) or 'far continent,' partially to spite Sa. However, as the Choe dynasty declined in popularity and revolutionaries and opponents of the dynasty in Hapcheon began fleeing to Namju to avoid reprisals by the royalist faction, the name 'Namju' entered into colloquial usage 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. Furthermore, because of the connotations of 'Wonju' being in relation to Jeongmi, the name was adopted by those who advocated for a more autonomy from Jeongmi proper; these separatists would join forces with revolutionaries in Hapcheon. 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' was in 1811 with the Constitution of Jeongmi which also granted Namju de facto autonomy in managing its internal affairs.
Namju officially declared independence as the 'Confederation of Namju' after major political crises regarding the matter of slavery. With a deeply entrenched plantation economy, slavery was a major Namjuan institution, and scholars agree that Namju's demand for slaves encouraged Sinjuan colonial efforts throughout the 19th century. After a number of fierce conflicts with Jeongmian forces and anti-slavery loyalists, Namju's independence was fully ratified and recognized by Jeongmi in 1841.
History[edit]
Migration and Indigenous Namjuans[edit]
Namju was much better off before Jeongmi arrived and literally destroyed everything.
Discovery and Early Sinju Settlements[edit]
Jihwa finds Namju, thinks its a bunch of islands until Jeongmi realizes its not.
Jeongmian Soldier Settlements & Rise of the Daemyeong[edit]
Jeongmi settles the continent, can't get enough people to go initially so sends soldiers and tells them they get to keep the land if they use it to support themselves, their horses, and weapons. Daemyeong is basically just 'Daimyo,' and a bunch of colonial army officers from a new agrarian gentry. Basically the new warrior caste morph into a semi-feudal yanbang that persists in power today. Interestingly, however, the Daemyong themselves do not organized in a necessarily institutionally hierarchical way, but remain a democratic institution; all armed landowners have a right to vote for leadership and make communal decisions.
Jihwan Assimilation Mission[edit]
Jihwa can't get enough people either so try to assimilate the locals. Jeongmi will proceed to butcher them after the war and the result will be the destruction of indigenous culture as it is known.
Jeongmian Consolidation and Slavery[edit]
Jeongmi is big empire with lots of people and Namjuan farmers are really loving their cash crop plantations; still most of these crops are labor intense and so a large demand-driven slave network is established within Jeongmian colonies, with rebellious warriors, criminals, and POWs (depending on context) are sold to Namjuan farmers for extreme profit; in a span of 300 years, a total of 9 million people are forcibly brought to Namju. Slavery is not abolished, incidentally, until the 20th century
Slavery becomes a huge part of Namjuan society. Prestige in Namju becomes dictated by one's land ownership as well as slave ownership. Furthermore, due to the ties of slavery and military service, many wealthier Namjuans begin to import 'martial peoples' to act as bodyguards and - in wartime - armed retinues.
City dwellers reject slavery as an institution but admittedly are tied to the raw materials and shipping industries supported by cash crops. Namju remains largely agrarian, focused on sending crops to the Jeongmian metropole, and Namju's good climate basically ensures that the entire place remains a hellish plantation society.
Ultimately a pseudo-racialized caste system emerges that persists today in lingering side effects and stereotypes. Pheno-typical racism does emerge, but it tied closely to concepts of classism. Poor Sinjuans are pacified by their rights compared to all slave peoples, and within the slave society certain advantaged groups are given authority against one another; a horrific divide and conquer wherein slaves from, for example, Mennefer are prized as household servants, armed bodyguards, and slave hunters and pitted against other bonded people.
Presidential Vassalage and Expansion[edit]
The Great Mutiny & Reconstruction[edit]
The Tochagmin Genocide[edit]
Namjuans violently and deliberately exterminated the local peoples to build more slave plantations to grow more crops for Sinjuan industry.
Further immigration, consolidation, and industrialization[edit]
Eulhae and Postwar Prosperity[edit]
The Empire of Prosperity & Araswa[edit]
Neighborly Namju[edit]
Geography, Wildlife, and Climate[edit]
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.
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In the southwest lays the Namseosanmaeg, or 'Southwest Mountain Range.' This mountain range, formed from an orogenic event thousands of years ago, blocks cold, dry currents from the southwest. Accordingly, just to the east of this mountain range lies a rainshadow desert, the Yeoljong Samak (熱終沙漠), a cold desert. To the north, and through much of Namju's inland territory, lies considerable semi-arid steppe 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 structural basin, 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 rare earth, iron ore, uranium, bauxite, chromite, thorium, limestone and even diamonds. Other precious metals and minerals are located throughout the Namju continental landmass. Additionally, Namju holds massive natural gas reserves and has oil reserves both offshore (that can be accessed through offshire drilling) and in the Yeoljong desert, making Namju one of the world's major oil exporters.
Namju is also home to a disporportionately high number of coral reefs 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 fecundity of plankton; the high plankton population allow for great overall biological productivity, and also has made the waters of northwest and southeast Namju the most productive fishing grounds in all of Tiandi. The Namjuan 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[edit]
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 extreme weather events. The vast bulk of Namju's the northwest and northeast coastline experiences a humid subtropical climate. 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, humid continental climate which continues throughout the southeastern portion of the country.
The bulk of Namju's southwestern coast expriences a cold Oceanic climate, while the southwestern most tip of continental Namju and Daeseong experience a Subarctic climate. Along the bulk of the west coast and throughout the Junghae Basin of the Junghae Sea, Namju experiences a pleasant dry-summer climate. Finally, the internal Yeoljong desert cold desert and the famous Namju steppe (which experiences a semi-arid steppe climate comprise the land region.
| Climate data for Waeno Archipelago 2014-2015 (Mean Country Average) | |||||||||||||
| Month | Irwol | Iwol | Samwol | Sawol | Owol | Yuwol | Chirwol | Parwol | Guwol | Siwol | Sibirwol | Sibiwol | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high °C | 30.1 | 31.2 | 31.6 | 31.7 | 31.6 | 31.3 | 30.9 | 30.9 | 30.9 | 31.1 | 30.6 | 30.0 | 31.0 |
| Average low °C | 23.3 | 23.6 | 23.9 | 24.4 | 24.8 | 24.8 | 24.6 | 24.5 | 24.2 | 24.1 | 23.7 | 23.5 | 24.1 |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 243.2 (9.57) |
159.9 (6.30) |
185.7 (7.31) |
178.9 (7.04) |
171.3 (6.74) |
162.1 (6.38) |
158.7 (6.25) |
175.4 (6.91) |
169.2 (6.66) |
193.8 (7.63) |
256.9 (10.1) |
287.4 (11.3) |
2,342.5 (92.2) |
| Source: Namjuan Meteorological Institute | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Junghae Sea 2014-2015 (Mean Country Average) | |||||||||||||
| Month | Irwol | Iwol | Samwol | Sawol | Owol | Yuwol | Chirwol | Parwol | Guwol | Siwol | Sibirwol | Sibiwol | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high °C | 13.0 | 13.1 | 15.6 | 17.4 | 23.0 | 26.5 | 29.8 | 30.9 | 26.8 | 22.7 | 17.3 | 14.3 | 20.9 |
| Average low °C | 4.4 | 4.8 | 6.3 | 8.4 | 12.6 | 16.6 | 18.5 | 19.0 | 16.1 | 12.1 | 7.8 | 5.2 | 11.0 |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 243.2 (9.57) |
159.9 (6.30) |
185.7 (7.31) |
178.9 (7.04) |
171.3 (6.74) |
162.1 (6.38) |
158.7 (6.25) |
175.4 (6.91) |
169.2 (6.66) |
193.8 (7.63) |
256.9 (10.1) |
287.4 (11.3) |
2,342.5 (92.2) |
| Source: Namjuan Meteorological Institute | |||||||||||||
Wildlife and Conservation[edit]
Namju is one of Tiandi's only megadiverse countries 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 biomes and coral reefs. 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 Sequoia sempervirens dominating the plant biosphere. Namju is home to over 1,400 species of bird, 400 species of mammal, upwards of a thousand different kinds of amphibian and reptile species, and tens of thousands of species of insects. Namju's coral reefs are home to upwards of 800 species of coral and 2,000 species of fish, and countless other sea organisms.
Historically, Namju's biodiversity has suffered from colonization, settlement, and even deliberate overhunting. In the 19th century Namjuan ranchers, hoping to keep their lands safe for cattle ranching, paid Namjuan settlers to hunt as many indigenous Thylacine 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 critically endangered species, endangered species, and vulnerable species from extinction. Such plans of actions include the limiting of land development, logging and hunting. Poaching is an offense punishable by time in a confederate prison. Other efforts to protect the endangered species of Namju have included reclamation, subsidized implementation of counter plowing and no till agriculture. Steps to minimize the effects of Pesticide drift and Surface Runoff have been implemented, regulating the usage of pesticides in critical areas.
Namju benefits greatly from ecotourism 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 Ttungttung Tajo reticulated python, the Saltwater crocodile, the Namju elephant and the Namjuan Tiger, all of which are of great interest to wildlife lovers.
Demographics[edit]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1790 | 1,630,379 | — |
| 1800 | 2,202,690 | +3.05% |
| 1810 | 3,004,100 | +3.15% |
| 1820 | 3,999,358 | +2.90% |
| 1830 | 5,338,597 | +2.93% |
| 1840 | 7,082,760 | +2.87% |
| 1850 | 9,623,185 | +3.11% |
| 1860 | 13,047,021 | +3.09% |
| 1870 | 15,999,324 | +2.06% |
| 1880 | 20,825,397 | +2.67% |
| 1890 | 26,132,682 | +2.30% |
| 1900 | 31,623,306 | +1.93% |
| 1910 | 38,269,085 | +1.93% |
| 1920 | 43,992,339 | +1.40% |
| 1930 | 51,121,420 | +1.51% |
| 1940 | 54,515,497 | +0.64% |
| 1950 | 53,840,070 | −0.12% |
| 1960 | 62,790,787 | +1.55% |
| 1970 | 74,407,956 | +1.71% |
| 1980 | 84,320,301 | +1.26% |
| 1990 | 94,002,408 | +1.09% |
| 2000 | 103,199,117 | +0.94% |
| 2010 | 123,603,514 | +1.82% |
| 2020 | 136,277,304 | +0.98% |
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 modern medicine, and food production 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, Namjuan administrations have historically tended to pursue aggressive population growth through immigration and supporting of traditional family dynamics. Accordingly, Namjuan 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 Namjuans are of working age. Approximately 74% of Namjuans 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 Namjuans 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 four million are estimated to be undocumented. Including the children of those born to first generation immigrants, this figure rises to 35,624,806, reflecting the general trend of Namjuan refugees to have more children than native-born Namjuans. 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 assimilating them into Namjuan society.
Due to pressure from the defense analysts, civil rights activists, and worker's rights groups, the confederate government has established comprehensive initiatives to encourage women to have more children. Furthermore, most states have implemented generous programs such as free day-care, and tax cuts for having more children. These have been augmented by an increasingly supportive laws concerning maternal and paternal leave, 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 Namjuan states have experienced a net positive growth rate broadly.
Ethnicity and Identity[edit]
Namju is a very diverse and multicultural nation. Historically, the majority of immigration to Namju has been from Sinju due to strict anti-miscegenation laws and restrictive immigration laws (from non-Sinju areas) in the past. However, throughout the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, Namju was defined by a deeply entrenched plantation economy, and the institution of chattel slavery saw the forcible importation of several millions of slaves from throughout the Jeongmian empire. Further, 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. 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.
A majority of Namjuans consider themselves as simply 'Namjuan' by ethnicity, but many 'pure Sinjuan' families maintain meticulous records of their family lineages (at least from the first ancestors to arrive in Namju); accordingly, many Namjuans are able to trace their ethnic heritage directly from ancestors in Sinju. Furthermore, because most Namjuans of this lineage are at least partially an admixture of various Sinjuan ethnicities, they consider themselves strictly Sinjuan by heritage. Other racial identities are generally lumped under two categories; 'ban-ban' (or, half-half, 반반) or 'saegkal' (colorful, '색깔'). Ban-Ban refers to Namjuans who are partially of Sinjuan heritage, and saegkal are Namjuans who are of non-Sinjuan background.
Namju is generally referred to as a 'hot pot', 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 Namjuan Jeongmian, largely adopting similar (though regionally varied) diets based on a variety Sinjuan cuisines, and holding similar political and cultural values.
Language[edit]
Nearly four-hundred languages are recognized by the Confederate government but it is a tacit requirement to be fluent in Jeongmian. For example; though Namju has relatively loose immigration laws, a demonstrated semi-fluency in either Jeongmian or Fusenese 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 Namjuan to know Jeongmian, and one can theoretically access most government services without fluency in Jeongmian.
Namjuan 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 Namjuans continue to speak Mincangese and Fusenese at home or in unofficial settings. Additionally, Namju recognizes 363 indigenous languages. West-Yojuan-Namjuans are associated with Selabinese-Jihwan Creole and many Matobwe continue to speak Matobwe, 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 indigenous Namjuans as well as in formerly Fusenic provinces, where Fusenese 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 confederate 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 confederate funding.
Religion and Spirituality[edit]
Unlike most in the Sinju cultural sphere, Namjuans tend to self-identify as religious. However, practically speaking, this simply manifests in more Namjuans professing to be vaguely 'spiritual' than 'atheist' or 'secular' as is the trend in Sinjuan countries. Generally, Namjuans tend to engage in traditional worship practices and believe in spiritual forces of some kind. However, as is the case in most of Sinju, Namjuan understandings of religion are highly syncretic 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, synthesizes many traditions together into one vague and ill-defined set of practices drawn from eclectic sources.
This blend of traditions is often referred to by sociologists as 'Namjuan Shamanism,' which is simply a blend of the most popular practices from various Sinjuan traditional religions and shamanisms. With a foundation in Jeongmian Sindo, Namjuan Sindo has since assimilated practices and terminology from Fusenese Senkoto, and traditional Mincangese religion. It is debatable whether Namjuan 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 Jōdo Shinshū 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 Namjuans; that is, while few Namjuans would profess to be Buddhist, virtually all Namjuans 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. Namjuan men, after graduating college university, 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.
Health and Healthcare[edit]
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 infant mortality 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 carcinogen based cancers, alcohol related health problems, and pneumonia. 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 universal public health care. Furthermore, one's healthcare services were tied to the state of one's residence (as defined for tax purposes), effectively putting a moratorium on medical tourism 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 single payer system. Virtually each state has also simultaneously implemented a two-tiered system, with private healthcare providers covering nonessential medical procedures such as cosmetic surgery; however, what constitutes a 'nonessential procedure' varies drastically by state, and in some states also does not even include orthodontic, optometry, or mid wife 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 physical education and nurition programs in the nation's primary and secondary school 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[edit]
Constitutionally, Namju is a Confederation in which each constituent state officially maintains its own sovereignty as well as an implicit a right to secession. However, practically, Namju resembles more of a federal system, with the powers of the common government having expanded drastically since the end of the Eulhae war, with a long-term trend towards both codified and implicit regional integration. By law, the common government - the bilateral Uihoe - is limited to issues such as a common defense, not including the territorial militias that each state maintains individually, 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 confederate 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.
Historically, Namju as a whole was governed by an individual Lord Protector, 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.
Namju's political system contains an elaborate separation of powers, with oversight between the State Council (Executive), Uihoe (Legislative), and the 'Namgang' (Federal judicial courts, held in the city of Namgang) all further overseen by the citizenry itself. National (confederal) legislative power is largely held in the bicameral Uihoe, though even at this level citizens can directly participate in the political process through means of referendum, recall election, initiative which are used to punish dishonest officials and circumvent unrepresentative legislatures. A similar arrangement exists at the territorial level, though each territory's specific policies vary substantially. Finally, at the local level (county or city, gun and si respectively), one usually sees the implementation of direct democracy.
Direct Democracy[edit]
At the root of Namjuan political culture rests two apparently diametrically opposed foundational beliefs in direct democracy (and confederalism) and the conflation of political participation and military service. Namju is typically described a federal semi-direct democracy in practice. As aforementioned, Namju's confederate-level politics include several instruments of redress broadly referred to as Sangeon (상언; 上言). Sangeon consists of the referendum, recall, and initiatives. Respectively: referendums allow citizens to overturn laws with a simple majority, recalls allow Namjuans to directly impeach elected officials and force a re-election, while initiatives allow voting Namjuans to directly pass legislation.
Namju has a long history of direct democracy, dating to the first Sinjuan settlements in Namju. The first Jeongmian settlers in Namju had had limited oversight from the homeland, and governed themselves independently with democracy ad-hoc settlement assemblies known as Chongcheong, (총청, 总厅). These Chongcheong essentially operated as both the settlements' executive and legislative authorities. Later, as imperial Jeongmi attempted to consolidate its grasp over Namju, it tolerated the persistence of these institutions, though also imposed a 'Gye' level colonial authorities which were essentially colonial military governments, formed with the purpose of defense and tax collection.
In addition to these confederal-level instruments, most politics at the local level, in cities or counties, prominently feature instruments of direct democracy. Each 'Gun,' or county, has its own legislative body, usually in the form of a 'Chongcheong,' or 'assembly, which directly votes on matters on a regular basis. Larger cities tend to elect a representative city-council to handle decision making processes, however, though even these cities are generally split into districts with direct democracy. Power in large cities is often delegated largely to career bureaucrats, ironically making Namjuan cities extraordinarily undemocratic but towns and smaller cities (relying on direct democracy) extremely democratic.
Territories of Namju[edit]
Currently, Namju comprises thirty-two administrative divisions known as 'gye,' or 'territories.' In the strictest sense, each territory is technically an independent semi sovereign entity. In reality, they are federal subjects. The gye are constituent federated states with a high degree of autonomy and independence. Each gye has permanent constitutional status, and cannot be dissolved or otherwise territorially altered without a referendum and ratification by state government.
Historically, the gye of mainland Namju were individually dependent states, politically and economically subject to Jeongmi. The title 'territory' is constitutionally not in relation to the confederal government but rather to Jeongmi itself. Despite efforts to change it in the past, the term 'gye' is retained for reasons of historical tradition. Additionally, Namju leases territory in over a dozen other nations as military bases, and possesses several small islands throughout the world that are owned directly by the military, theoretically making some of these islands stratocracies, as they are directly governed by Namjuan military governors and are not subject to Namjuan civil law.
Each gye has its own constitution, its own self-overseeing legislature, its own police system, its own healthcare infrastructure, and its own courts - judicial power is exercised at the gye level, and there is no confederate judicial authority - as this would be seen as superseding the internal power of each gye. Each gye even issues its own passport though, for the sake of simplicity passports are all issued with the same national symbol (the Namjuan taeguk), color, and other identifying features. To further compound the confusion, however, all passports are officially as 'Namjuan Confederacy, Republic of Jeongmi' followed thereafter by the name of the relevant gye. For all practical purposes, all of these passports are generally considered to be the same. Domestically, holders of any Namjuan passport are permitted unobstructed travel between territories, as well as the right to work and access local services provided they are registered tax-payers. Furthermore, citizens of Namju are technically citizens of their own gye but, again for practical reasons, are broadly considered 'Namjuan citizens' for purposes of travel and business.
Elections and Parties[edit]
All major political parties in Namju vaguely identify themselves as 'progressive' or liberal, though this is not to indicate that Namjuan politics are particularly progressive. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a wave of militant liberalism had swept Namju, resulting in the death of reactionary and conservative political parties at the time. The surviving parties persisted and eventually shaped with the changing social currents of the times.