Empire of the Tao

Empire of the Tao 道教帝国 Dōkyō Teikoku
Flag Imperial Seal
Motto: Tao ni shitagau Follow the Tao
The Location of the Tao in east Ophion
Capital	Ein
Largest	Capital
Official languages	Japanese
Recognised national languages	Japanese, English
Recognised regional languages	Aoban
Ethnic groups (2018)	Taoists (92.3%) Aznazians (4.7%) Other (3%)
Demonym(s)	Taoist
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
• Enpress	Sora Miroyu
• Prime Minister	Nori Kenshin
• Speaker of the House	Juro Hideyoshi
Legislature	Senate
• Upper house	Imperial Council
• Lower house	Imperial Governors
Foundation  Independence from ancient POD (2300 CE)
• Stelten Invasion of the Tao	1600
• Rhodeve annexation of the Tao	1793
• Aznazian takeover of the Tao	1832
• Independence from Aznazia	June 3, 1903
• Constitution	May 19, 1948
• Monarchy Re-Established	May 16, 2019
Area
• Total	886,067 km2 (342,112 sq mi)
• Penninsula	718,960 km² 277,592 sq mi
• Islands (including Aoba)	167,106 km² 64,520 sq mi
Population
• 2018 estimate	108,000,000
• September 2018 census	108,557,494
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	₩5,121,904,000,000
• Per capita	₩47,425
Gini (2017)	28.2 low
HDI (2018)	0.894 very high
Currency	Taoist Way (₩) (WAY)
Time zone	UTC+8 (Taoist Time)
Date format	mm-dd-yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+213
ISO 3166 code	TAO
Internet TLD	.tao

The Empire of the Tao, (道教帝国 Dōkyō Teikoku) sometimes referred to as the Taoist Empire or simply, Tao is an independent nation state located in southeast Ophion. The Tao is made up of two main landmasses, one connected by land to the rest of Ophion (northern border), and Aoba island, along with a multitude of other smaller islands. from 1927 to 1948. For a short period of time, it was considered to be one of the great powers of Sunalaya.

The Empire in its unified modern form was birthed when Izumo Takehiko passed away; this left his son, Emperor Shou to take control of the Republic of the Tao in 1927. Shou would immediately begin making serious changes to the government and military structure of the state, one of the largest changes was a new national constitution, which rebirthed the Republic into the Empire.

The Tao has had several colonial overlords in its long and ancient history. As a feudal kingdom in the 17th century, the Izumodo of the Tao was invaded by Felsinia in 1600 and turned into a colonial state. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Tao would undergo a stint with Rhodevus, when the Rhodeves annexed Felsinia in 1793. Taoist peasants took advantage of a weakened Rhodeve state, trying to start an independence movement; only to be taken by Aznazia in the chaos of another foreign war.

On May 16, 2019, then Prime Chancellor Sora Miroyu used emergency powers which were granted via a popular and military referendum which she used to dissolve the House of Chancellors, and the United States of the Tao. She was coronated as Empress on May 16, 2019, and the Empire of the Tao was re-established on the same day.

The Tao divided into 20 prefectures. Among its 20 prefectures, the most densely populated of which by far is Dajime, which is located on the west coastline; while the prefecture of Ein is the seat of the capital of Empire of the Tao.

Etymology

"Tao" /dou,tou/

The exact origin and meaning behind the name "Tao" are still, not understood to this day. Many historians have attempted to find some evidence linking the name Tao to someone, an ideology, or religion, however, none have found such evidence.

Historians still debate, when the term "Tao" began being used as a common way of identification for the area. Though the oldest written reference to the area as "Tao" is in a sort of ancient POD census, dated approx 800 CE; most historians and archaeologists, believe that "Tao" was being used far before the days of the ancient census.

History

Prehistory

Many archaeologists and anthropologists believe that the first human settlers in the region arrived around 42,000 CE; though evidence shows that humans may only have arrived on Aoba island around 30,000 CE. The Tao's vast supply of fish along with wild fruits and vegetables made the Taoist land attractive for permanent settlement. Evidence shows that tribes from this time relied on fishing and a surprising capability to make rudimentary rafts out of the natural coastal flora and fauna of the region.

Later tribal civilizations would find the land to be quite fertile for their crops. In particular, archaeologists have found evidence that ancient Taoists smoked and otherwise consumed large quantities of cannabis and tobacco, likely for recreational, religious, and medical use.

By 2300 CE the first Ophionese settlers moved into the region and inter-bred with the native Taoist population, creating what most anthropologists consider to be the first modern Taoists. It was at about this time that major crops such as rice and barley had spread to the region. These new crops were found to be farmable pretty quickly by the Taoists. Archaeologists suggest Taoists began widespread farming of such crops as early 2200 CE. It is widely believed that as Taoists became more and more adept at cultivation, this allowed for people to pursue other work as it was not nessessary for everyone within a community to focus purely on food production. These newfound people could now begin gaining knowledge in construction, exploration, or smithing, all of which further lessened the amount of people nessesary to work gathering and cultivating food, creating something of a cycle of technological progression, continuing to the modern day.

Ancient

An ancient piece of ornate pottery found in the Tao.

The earliest evidence of anything resembling centralized power-base for the "nation" as several small surrounding communities began paying tribute to the Kingdom of Ein, either by force, or voluntarily in exchange for a steady supply of goods and/or protection. The Kingdom of Ein would slowly expand, and absorb surrounding states, quickly becoming the most powerful state in the region. By 400 CE, the Izumodo of Ein had almost all of the Tao under its control, mostly as puppet states and tributaries.

Over the next 500 years or so, the Izumodo of Ein had absorbed, annexed, or subjugated all of the Taoist islands and their tribes, spare a few northern tribal states. In the year 536, King Jurou Shinobu had begun an ambitious undertaking; the invasion of the highly aggressive and hostile natives of Aoba Island. By the end of the campaign, King Jurou Shinobu was on his deathbed, suffering from an infected arrow wound. Upon his hearing of the final Taoist victory in 548, it was his crowning achievement and announced the establishment of a new State, the "Grand Empire of the Tao".

Isolationist Era

After the Empire was established, Emperor Shinobu's son, Emperor Jūrō had begun implementing laws which prevented people from leaving or entering the Tao without written Imperial permission. Fueled out of fear of peoples from mainlaind Ophion, Jūrō maintained a large national military, and was infamous for forcing his regional leaders to maintain large malitias even outside of times of war.

Later in his life however, Jūrō began to slightly lax some of his isolationist laws. Jūrō seemed to begin learning military strategy after he had taken throne, in the last decade of his life, he would begin attempts at conquest all across the coasts of mainland Ophion.

Emergence Era

In 1443 a large revolt took place all across the Tao, people called for either the end to the Isolationist Laws or the Head of the Izumo. Civil war shook the country and the people to their very core, as the country would see fighting amongst itself for nearly 80 years. It looked as though either side could win, and if the Izumo lost then the Tao would return to a multitude of city-states. In the year 1519, the fighting ended, as the Izumodo collapsed, and Izumo Yuu Katsu abdicated and was keelhauled. The Tao did, in fact, fracture into dozens of city-states as many predicted.

In 1593 the Steltens first made contact with the native Taoists. Rare goods would go on to be traded with the local Taoists and the western Steltens; in some extremely rare instances, the newly discovered properties of rubber had been shared with the Steltens. In 1595 the Steltens opened a trading post in the city of Ein. A year later an unknown vessel from an unknown city-state denied a Stelten merchant ship right of passage through the Straits of Mikanan.

In the year 1600, the Statelen East Indies Company decides to expand its colonial borders in Ophion. The Steltens decided that the Tao would be an ideal target as it was in a weakened and broken state. Several wars were declared upon dozens of Taoist city-states till those which the Steltens were not directly controlling had submitted to the Stelten East Indies Company.

In 1793, after a war with Felsinia, Rhodevus annexed the country, along with all of its colonial holdings, including the Tao. The Rhodeve control over the Tao is often considered to be short-lived and seemingly uneventful.

Modern Era

Native Taoists in the Aznazian Colonial Forces.

In 1832, Aznazia would seize control of the Tao in a peace negotiation with Rhodevus. At this time, the Tao seemed to be in a state of extreme unrest and was on the verge of rebellion, so the Rhodeves didn't seem too attached to the colony.

On June 3, 1903, the Aznazian colonial government of the Tao declared its independence from the rest of what was essentially an Aznazian "Empire". This enraged the Aznazian government and the short-lived War of Taoist Independence ensued. The war was a serious tactical and strategic loss for Aznazia, a lack of almost any kind of popular or governmental support for the Aznazian regime in the Tao made the Aznazians war of attrition one that would likely lose thousands more Aznazian troops in a full on invasion of the Tao, an unacceptable prospect due to increasing social and economic pressures. Seeing no realistic way to subdue the Taoists, Aznazia sued for peace and in exchange for their independence, Aznazia would receive reparations for "Damages to the Over-seas Colonial Territories of the United Provinces of Aznazia", for the next fifteen years.

Geography

Political Map of the Tao.

The Tao is a nation which is seated on a southeast peninsula in Ophion. It is made up, mainly of two landmasses; a major peninsula, also called the mainland; and a massive island called "Aoba Island". There are twenty states that make up the Empire of the Tao, South Aoba, North Aoba, Ein, Fushu, Shimashina, Kachi, Hantau, Neshito, Dajime, Purobushi, Diketa, Burazosu, Miko, Watakotan, Kurisuti, Bordudo, Shintao, Firentsu, Nonsu, and Rurosaki.

The northern portion of the country is a mountain range, mostly made up of small to medium size mountains. There are volcanoes located within the vast mountain range on the northern borders; one of which (Mount Kyojin), is a supervolcano with a Volcano Explosivity Index ranking of 7.

There are roughly 2,368 islands under the Empire's flag, from massive ones like Aoba island to some just a dozen or so meters in length. There is one fairly large island between Ein and Aoba island, which is currently controlled by both Umbrellya, and Esotana.

Most of the land in the Tao is made up of dense forests, hills, and in some areas plains; though it should be noted that most of the interior of Aoba island is mountainous. The Tao is known for its beautiful coastline and beaches. In some areas, crystalline structures leftover from the formation of the earth eroded over the eons; this creates some beaches with pure white sands.

Climate

The weather in the Tao varies wildly, depending on where you are. Most of the population lives in hot, humid areas as almost 79% of the Taoist population lives in the coastal regions of the nation. In some coastal areas, like Shimanto, temperatures can reach 112°F and massive percentages of humidity.

Of course, some of the larger mountains in both the Northern ranges and the Aoban ranges can reach below zero temperatures on a regular basis. There are few people who live in the mountains, as some ancient Taoist folklore told stories of horrifying monsters lurking within the mountains; however, there are various native Taoist tribes who live secluded from modern society in the mountainous regions.

The massive tourist city of Dajime is well known for its "Perfect climate" staying in the 50-70°F range; while in the summer, it hovers in the 70-80°F range.

Environment

The Tao has a wide variety of flora and fauna, due to its diverse array of different biomes. There are dense Juniper and Cedar forests throughout the country, as they are the most plentiful trees in the nation. There are believed to be roughly 3,000 species of different plants, flowers, trees, and other flora and fauna scattered throughout the Taoist peninsula and archipelago. The modernization and industrialization process throughout the 1950s and 1960s left the countryside heavy polluted for decades; though as modern technologies are becoming more accepted, pollution levels have seen a steep decline. The production and use of some strategic resources, namely rubber, and oil, are still proving to be tough to lower pollution rates.

The Tao's 82 nuclear power plants provide relatively clean power to much of the country. The old UST regime made nuclear power a priority for the infrastructure budget in 1989, after the University of Ein appealed to the House of Chancellors, and showed that the fastest way to switch to a clean source of power would be Nuclear, which we now know is cleaner than even Solar power.

Taoist car companies, such as Hantau, or Yotota are some of the leading developers in hydrogen and nuclear-powered cars.

Demographics

The total population of the Empire of the Tao is estimated to be in the range of 108 million people. The vast majority of the Tao's population is Taoist due to both historical reasons and the fact that the Tao has fairly strict immigration laws for people who are not Rhodeve or Aznazian, which are subsequently the third and fourth largest ethnic groups respectively. The Tao's large Podian population is thought to be a result of the Tao's cultural similarities to POD as it was, in fact, an ancient POD settlement at one time.

Religion

The religious demographics of the Taoist Empire.

  Taoism (73.1%)

  Bhuddism (12.8%)

  Protestant (4.2%)

  Sunni Islam (3.3%)

  Orthodox Christian (2.7%)

  Other or Athiest (3.9%)

The Empire has a predominantly Taoist population, the religion even holds very strong in the Tao in this modern era of falling religions; the Empire of the Tao is even named after Taoism.

There are other smaller religions in play in the Tao, most notably Buddhism. The exact reasoning for the Buddhist rise in the 40s is unknown, but it is speculated that a lack of "faith" in the Tao and unwillingness to follow it after the loss in the second world war, could have been the reason.

Government

The Empire of the Tao is a partially Feudalist Constitutional Monarchy. Under its current constitution it is referred to as the "The Serene Empire of the Tao", however, it also notes that in all official documentation and references, it should be simply referred to as the "Empire of the Tao" or simply the "Tao". Its government is made up of four branches: Executive, Judicial, Legislative, Military. There is some controversy in the military having such a large part in the civilian lives of the Tao.

Much of the Taoist governmental structure, both on the National and Local levels, in some cases ceremonies are still spoken in Aznazian.

There are 7 levels to the Taoist governmental system: Local, City, County, Region, Area, Province, National. The Local level of the governmental system is usually made up of neighborhoods or city blocks and generally manages the safety regulations of its citizens. The City level administers the City Proper area, which is usually downtown and in some cases, chunks of outer suburban areas, city governments manage safety, pollution regulation, recreation, and primary public services. The County is made up of generally a large city and various surrounding suburbs, counties manage property taxes, agricultural regulation, and auxiliary public services. Regional governments mostly just keep small-scale corruption and bribery in check and often monitor city and county governments. Area governments oversee national and provincial parks in their borders and manage all businesses in their borders. Provinces incompass 2-10 areas and provide large-scale administration, most notably provincial economic policies and laws. The National government manages the entire Empire, it administers national policies and laws, national public services, national recreation, national territories and handles international relations.

Military

Main article: Imperial Taoist Armed Forces

The Empire of the Tao has four armed branches of the military: Army, Navy, Airforce, and Coast Guard. Each branch has a Chancellor which are elected but must qualify through military service in a said branch, each branch also has a Deputy Chancellor who is appointed by that branch's Chancellor, though all deputies must also qualify through military service. While each branch has its own Chancellor, there is also the Chancellor of Defence and the Deputy Chancellor of Defence, both of whom are elected and must not have enlisted military service; this allows civilians and those who have been active in the military as officers but not enlisted men to run for Chancellor and Deputy Chancellor of Defence.

Each branch of the Military acts independently but answer to, and coordinate through, the Chancellor of Defence. None of the branches have the authority to make or declare war on their own, these actions must be initialized by the Prime Chancellor and authorized by the Chancellor of Defence. Any international bases are under the command of the military and the Chancellor of Defence, as they are all classified as joint bases, even if there is only one branch occupying and holding operations there.

Economy

Empire of the Tao's national budget
Military			31.7%
Education			26%
Food & Agriculture			11%
Transportation			8%
Science & Environment			6%
Debt Interest			5%
International Affairs			4%
Public Benefits			1.2%
Other			7.1%

The Taoist Empire has a sprawling economy, a 2018 estimate put the GDP at somewhere around ₩5,121,904,000,000 or $5,736,532,480,000 with a flat tax rate of 11% on everything giving the Tao an estimated national budget of ₩563,409,440,000. Massive Taoist companies such as Yotota and Samusun are well known and have become a national and international idol for the level of quality Taoist industrial and electronics goods can be.

One of the largest industries in the Empire of the Tao is shipbuilding and naval architecture.

Economic history

Modern Tao's economic period is commonly believed to have started at some point in the "emergence era". Some of the surviving elements of the emergence era are roads and water transportation routes, as well as many colonial companies, which have become fully privatized over time, such as the Mikanan Strait Company. Many of today's enterprises were founded at the time, and Tao emerged as the most developed and westernized nations in Ophion. The period of overall economic growth from the 1950s to the 1970s has been called the Taoist miracle of re-emergence. Most people believe the term "re-emergence" signifies the Tao's economic and military strength is on a respectable and first world level. Tao averaged 6.9 percent growth in the 1950s-1970s, and 3.1 percent in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Agriculture

The Tao has a small agricultural industry, at least relative to what it used to be. Making up only about 5.3 percent of the Empire's GDP, compared to the late 40s and early 50s, when agriculture was one of the only industries keeping the Taoist economy afloat while the country was rebuilding. The majority of the Tao's agricultural production currently comes from cash crops, such as: natural rubber, coffee, bananas, and coconuts. The Tao does not produce much of its own agricultural products for domestic consumption, especially as food. While the Tao does produce somewhat large amounts of crops like: cashews, papayas, and tea, the majority of the production from the crops is exported to countries around the world.

Industry

The Empire's industrial sector makes up approximately 31.2% of its GDP. The Tao's major industries are motor vehicles, electronics, machine tools, metals, and ships, some major Japanese industrial companies include Yotota, Guun Inc., Wochika and Tao Heavy Industries.

The Empire of the Tao is the second largest automobile producer in the world and is home to Yotota, the world's second largest automobile company. The Taoist consumer electronics industry is often considered one of the strongest in the world. Despite facing competition from up-and-coming third world countries, the Taoist shipbuilding industry is expected to remain strong due to an increased focus on specialized, high-tech designs.

Services

The Tao's service sector accounts for about two-thirds of its total economic output. Banking, insurance, real estate, retailing, transportation, and telecommunications are all major industries, with companies such as Yotota Economics, Tao Airlines, Sakura Airlines, and Kikare Communications being some of the largest companies in the world.

Tourism

Izumo Palace, one of the most popular historical monuments in the Empire.

The Empire of the Tao attracted 25.86 million international tourists in 2017 and increased by 22.4% to attract 31.65 million international tourists in 2018. Tourism from abroad is one of the few businesses expected to see large amounts of growth in the Tao. Foreign visitors to the Tao have doubled in the last decade and reached 10 million people for the first time in 2012, led by an increase of Ophionic visitors.

One of the most popular city for tourists to visit is Dajime, often referred to as the "perfect city" due to its natural beauty and long tradition of being a stop for tourists, starting in the emergence era when Stelten sailors and tradesmen where looking for a place to rest and recuperate before making a long journey back home. Dajime, due to its coastal and economically-central location at the time made for a perfect suitor. Within 5 decades after the Stelten government seized control of the Tao, Dajime had embraced this concept and was widely known as the place to stop and rest in the Tao.

The Taoist government hopes to receive 40 million foreign tourists every year by 2020.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The Empire's road spending has been extensive. Its 1.2 million kilometers (0.75 million miles) of paved road are the main means of transportation.

Since privatization in 1962, dozens of Japanese railway companies compete in regional and local passenger transportation markets; major companies include Huntau Railways, Karitsura, and Aoban Rail. Some 175 high-speed trains connect major cities and Taoist trains are known for their safety and punctuality.

There are 223 airports in the Tao; the largest domestic airport, Sekai Airport in Dajime, is Ophion's busiest airport. The largest international gateways are Ein International Airport, Aoba International Airport, and Jiyū International Airport. The Port of Neshito is the country's largest and busiest port, accounting for 12 percent of the Empire's trade value.

Energy

A nuclear power plant located in Shintao.

The Empire of the Tao is one of the global leaders and largest investors into nuclear energy. While the Tao does not usually offer incentives to companies since 1982 the Tao has been offering incentives to companies making the switch to Nuclear energy. The Tao has 82 nuclear power plants which provide an estimated 89-93% of the Empire's electricity.

Because there is already such an extensive nuclear energy grid constructed in the Tao, it has had a hard time switching to renewable resources, though all of the federal environmental agencies in the Tao agree that renewable energy is extremely low on their list of priorities, largely because it is cleaner than solar energy, hydro energy, and geothermal energy. Wind energy is one of the only mainstream sources of renewable energy that is more efficient than nuclear. It is for these reasons that the Tap has not been making a large-scale transition to renewable energies because it is already one of the greenest nations on sunalaya.