Otaran Congressional Republic

Otaran Congressional Republic オたら リパブリックく Matela Konekara a Otara
Flag
The OCR within the Macayanesian Ocean, northwest of the continent of Macayanesia
Capital	Hono CD
Largest city	Kiribaya
Official languages	Otaran English
Recognised national languages	Lua Otara Japanese American English
Ethnic groups	41% Otaran 27% mixed/multiracial 20% Anglo Otaran 12% Japanese Otaran
Religion (2020)	43% Irreligious 41% Messalinaic 16% Shinto
Government	Totalitarian democracy
• President	Puleleiite Kalua
• Treasurer	Josh Maruyama
• Congressional Minister of Defence	Loto Tupuola
Legislature	Otaran Congress
Establishment
• Tribal unification	1707
• Otaran Empire	1872-1952
• Otaran Congressional Republic	1952-present
Area
•	3,105,289 km2 (1,198,959 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 census	327,532,958
• Density	105/km2 (271.9/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$15.774 trillion
• Per capita	$48,159
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$13.860 trillion
• Per capita	$42,316
Gini (2020)	34.1 medium
HDI (2020)	0.935 very high
Currency	Otaran Credit (¢) (OTC)
Time zone	UTC+8; +9.5; +10
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+72

Otara, formally known as the Otaran Congressional Republic (Japanese: オたら リパブリックく, Lua Otara: Matela Konekara a Otara) is a congressional totalitarian democracy headed up by a President. The state of over 327 million people consists of 12 provinces, 5 metropolitan districts (Kiribaya, Ohalua, Nukuvai, Palm Coast, Akarua), 2 special overseas administrations (Mohi Islands, Shanlong), and one capital district (Hono CD), spanning over 3 million kilometers in size. Otara is situated in the southern hemisphere, located north-west in relation to the continent of Macayanesia within the Macayanesian Ocean. Lua Otara is the indigenous and closely the second most widely informally spoken language in the nation, but Otaran English (American English in some areas) is formally recognised as the official language of the nation, and is the most widely spoken language both informally and to conduct business. It is also widely spoken in Otara, taught in schools in tandem with Lua Otara. A large number of Otarans also speak Japanese and various other Macayanesian dialects.

The origins of the Otaran Congressional Republic began in 1707, when the eight tribes of Otara formally unified as one body, largely in response to European and Asian colonialism and the various concessions made to them in the form of trade ports and exclusivity deals. By 1761, in a series of events commonly referred to by Otarans as The Long Troubles, the tribes of Otara had all but removed colonial governmental bodies from their mainland, slowly assimilating various foreign populations such as the English and Japanese. Tribal government, which bore no desire for outward territorial expansion, and focused largely on the growth of the newly unified Otara, continued up until 1865 when Iosef Tolau declared the formation of the Otaran Empire, with five of the tribes already under his wing.

The Otaran Civil War ensued between the five imperialist tribes and the three traditional tribes, lasting until 1870, when Tolau and his forces managed to forcibly or diplomatically ensure the assimilation of the three outlying tribes. After a long period of modernisation, the Otaran Empire expanded their overseas territories in 1915, assimilating the Mohi Islands and Shanlong into their union. In 1929, the Otaran Empire enacted the Pan-Macayanesian Doctrine, which more or less self-granted the Empire manifest destiny over all of Macayanesia. 7 years later, the Macayanesian War (1937-1951) would see the Otaran Empire expand and solidify their borders throughout Macayanesia for over a decade, to mixed effectiveness. Although the Otaran military was resoundingly strategically successful in their expansion campaigns, they were categorically unprepared to solidify their continental holdings on the long term, with resistance movements inflicting mass hysteria in Otaran holdings, leading to a variety of war crimes and massacres in response. In early 1952, with the Otaran Empire in economic ruin, generations of men lost, and seeing marginal loss to their expansion, descendants of the eight tribes would conduct the 1952 Otaran Coup, deposing the Imperial government and recalling all Otaran military servicemen home, having already left Macayanesia in ruins.

After immediately rescinding all overseas claims aside from their two special overseas administrations, the Otaran Congressional Republic was formed as the eight tribesmen voted on a system of government, the Congressional Republic proposal winning with a total of 7 votes out of the 8. The idea behind the Congressional Republic, as officially written by the Council of Eight, is to "maintain the integral ancestral value of unified state guidance" while "enabling the common populace to elect exactly who they wanted to guide their part of the sacred union." The Congress of Otara, consisting of 48 congressmen (4 per province) as elected by the people, is the legislative body of Otara. Every four years, the congressmen vote upon a President, who then selects Congress-vetted cabinet members, which then exercise executive power. Judicial power is held by the Congressional Court, comprising of 13 total people, 12 justices as elected by the people of each province, and headed up by the "extra member," the President.

The Otaran Congressional Republic is a highly developed country, with high GDP and GDP per capita ratings both nominally and in purchasing power parity. It is often known for its highly efficient state-run social welfare system, including one of the best healthcare systems in the world, this being a major contributing factor to the proportionally high life expectancy among Otarans. Otara is a global leader in technological and industrial innovation, with a significant global market presence in automation, aerospace, telecommunications, electronics, transportation, and shipbuilding. The Otaran Congressional Military, with just over 1.3 million total servicemembers (0.04% of the population), enjoys a high defence budget of $443.52 billion (3.2% of GDP), and has been a nuclear weapons state since 1949.

Etymology

The word ota in Lua Otara literally means "together," while the word ra'mau is translated as "strength." When combined into otara, the word forms what is literally translated as "Strength of Togetherness," which is the meaning behind the nation's official name as written by the eight councilmen in 1707. While various, mostly convoluted tribe-based names were proposed, the council ultimately decided to disparage with such complications and decided upon a simple name which would indicate the final unity of the tribes and their people as one.

History

Ancient Otara

Evidence of civilisation in Otara dates back as early as 5000 BC. It is postulated that two iterations of the very similar civilisations existed between 5000-4000 BC, and 2500-1800 BC, although very little is known about these civilisations or their history. Evidence and archaeology suggests that these civilisations were seafaring, but lived separately in densely packed, small city-states. Vague engravings and facets of symbolism uncovered within these eroded structures seem to deeply resemble a variety of symbols found in the Messalinaic religion, suggesting that these civilisations are linked to the multi-millenia old tribes of Otara in some way. Historians almost unilaterally agree that both of these civilisations suffered apocalyptic extinction events, with evidence of mass flooding in some areas and catastrophically large wildfires in others. Historians also postulate that these extinction events are what are referenced by the Prophet Messalina in the Mantoa, the sacred texts of Messalinaism.

Tribal Otara

Around 1200 BC, the first signs of organised civilisations springing up once again started to surface in Otara. The first, and evidently more advanced tribes arose in the more temperate south, expanding throughout South Kailahua, Okailua, and what is now Kanekita. These tribes constructed complex irrigation networks, intricate cities and villages, and maintained a steady agricultural cycle which evidently kept their population fed year-round. Despite this, these cities were known to, on occasion, suffer disastrous events which led to displacement, famine, and sickness. Nevertheless, the populations of these tribes continuously returned to these fixed settlements, as the disasters were more or less consistently separated enough to allow for safe, long term habitation. On a few accounts, the tribes were known to have accurately predicted floods, storms, fires, and other climate events, allowing them to mitigate the effects of the inevitable displacement.

As these tribes quickly developed seafaring capability, trade of goods and cultural exchange between the southern tribes flourished. It is proven that the religion of Messalinaism, originating from Kailahua, was spread through a mode of seafaring trade. Eventually, these well off, relatively advanced southern tribes gained the capabilities to explore the sea around them further, making contact with the previously isolated, relatively primitive northern tribes. These northern tribes, in north Kailahua, Hono, and Talau, suffered from harsher climates and weather, disabling them from forming long-term fixed settlements and food supply, meaning that the vast majority of them were nomadic, establishing small and temporary coastal settlements as they moved. While these tribes were technologically behind, they possessed innovative methods for hunting, gathering, and fishing, previously unknown to the southern tribes, enabling them to further diversify their supply of food and material. In return, the northern tribes gained access to southern technology and generational knowledge of climate, weather, and signs of bad conditions to come, allowing the northern tribes to build true fixed settlements with the help of the southerners.

For millennia, the tribes of the north and the south grew separately, but in relative harmony, mostly thanks to generations of growth-oriented leadership, leading to a spirit of non-reluctance to inter-tribal trade. Matua the Benevolent, a well-documented chieftain of a south Kailahuan tribe, was recorded to have said that "there is no opportunity for growth for our people in the conflicting with or conquest of another people" and "any benefit coming from the destruction and enslavement of another will only be short term, while leveling and trading with them will lead to benefits to eternity." With this attitude, and the exchange of Messalinaism across the Otaran islands, the tribes were largely unified under the premise of mutual growth and prosperity, and commonplace devotion to Messalinaism meant that the preservation of peace was held sacred amongst most tribes. An intricate and complex political system came to light, wherein it remained within the tribes interest to remain politically separate, but unified under the premise of continuous growth and the respect of the independence of other tribes. Tribal leaders who defied these principles were often removed from power, sometimes by force, by their own tribe or the others.

First contact with European and Asian traders came around the 1570s, bringing with them an excess of foreign goods and a demand for goods present amongst the Otaran tribes. While the European traders concentrated the majority of their presence in the north, Asian traders focused on the South. Although prolonged contact with these trade networks was bringing the tribes of Otara an unprecedented amount of material benefit, drastic effects such as plague and sickness began to take hold amongst the Otaran population, of which had never come into contact with other humans outside of other Macayanesians. TBD

Military

Otaran Congressional Marines respond to gunfire on the Makayan border

The Otaran Congressional Military, with over 1.3 million total service members, is numerically one of the largest military forces in Macayanesia. As of 2020, just over 950,000 of these service members are in active duty, while the remaining 350,000 are reservists. Although the Congressional Military is large, it only consists of a mere 0.04% of the Congressional Republic's population, mainly attributed to the fact that since it's establishment from the Otaran Imperial Military in 1952, it has been a solely volunteer force. A gradual increase in physical and mental entry and basic training standards have also seen military numbers gradually drop proportional to the rapidly rising civilian population of Otara. While it is a volunteer force, the Otaran Congress reserves the right to re-enact conscription at any time. This function was intended to be reserved for situation in which the nation is under existential threat.

The Congressional Military boasts one of the largest military budgets in the world and the largest in Macayanesia, spending $443.52 billion dollars on defense in 2020. For the last two decades, it has spent a steady 3.2% of its GDP on the military, with rapid economic growth over these decades complementing an equally rapid proportional growth in defense spending. With such funding, the Otaran Congressional Military operates a technologically proficient and modern force across all branches, being at the forefront of military innovation in multiple sectors. The expeditionary capability of the Otaran military, backed up by its large navy and air force, is considered unrivaled in Macayanesia and amongst the top in the world. With a multitude of military bases in the continent of Macayanesia and the Macayanesian Ocean, it is able to deploy considerable force at a relative high pace anywhere within its region on quick notice.

OCNS Nohulua, the Holani-class aircraft carrier, in port at Kirihari

The Otaran Congressional Republic is a recognized nuclear weapons state and operates one of the largest nuclear arsenals in the world, operating a nuclear triad with 950 active warheads out of a total of 1300. It fields a number of ballistic missiles of varying ranges, and continues to innovate in ballistic missile technology today.

The Congressional Military has come under scrutiny from foreign governments and media for their continued development of their nuclear program as well as unending developments in ballistic missile technology capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Furthermore, it has been the center of a number of international incidents within the Macayanesian Ocean, primarily due to their construction and enhancement of artificial islands in critical sea lanes for enhanced operating capacity.

Demographics

Administative Divisions

The Otaran Congressional Republic is divided into 12 provinces, with five metropolitan districts, one capital district, and two special overseas administrations. The provinces are largely divided by island, with each island possessing a north/south or east/west denotation line marking provincial borders. The capital district is located in the less populous and less economically powerful north, which was a decision made by the OCR founders in an effort to balance out the political power of the south. Shanlong and Mohi, the OCR's special overseas administrations, are granted a large amount of autonomy with which to conduct everyday affairs, but recognize the sovereignty of Hono CD over their territory and allow for the OCR to operate military and economic facilities within their land.

Largest Cities in Otaran Congressional Republic 2020 Congressional Institution of Statistics
	Rank		Province	Pop.
Kiribaya Ohalua	1	Kiribaya	Kailahua South	34,861,352	Palm Coast Hono CD
	2	Ohalua	Okailua South	21,414,632
	3	Palm Coast	Kailahua North	16,317,884
	4	Hono CD	Hono CD	11,556,792
	5	Akarua	Okailua North	5,528,092
	6	Nukuvai	Kailahua South	5,259,128
	7	Kirihari	Kanekita	4,731,673
	8	Timauru	Talau	3,982,845
	9	Mt Sori	Okailua North	3,466,557
	10	Makihaya	Kailahua North	2,985,125

Population and Ethnicity

Historical Population of Otara over the last century
Year	Otarans	±%
1920	101,052,627	—
1930	115,827,423	+14.6%
1940	128,682,539	+11.1%
1950	141,226,972	+9.7%
1960	165,273,872	+17.0%
1970	193,153,297	+16.9%
1980	211,527,841	+9.5%
1990	240,775,238	+13.8%
2000	277,632,053	+15.3%
2010	298,629,992	+7.6%
2020	327,532,958	+9.7%

As of 2020, the Congressional Institute of Statistics put Otara's population at 327,532,958 people total. Within the last century, the Otaran population has more than tripled, and has seen growth figures with rapidity the likes of which have never been seen before in the history of the islands. The Otaran Congressional Republic boasts a massive and highly diverse population, with over 20 separate ethnic ancestral groups being reported amongst 4 wider racial groups. It also has a a very high population of ethnically/racially mixed individuals, accounting for over 27% of the population.

The largest population group in the Otaran Congressional Republic are the Otarans, the native population to Otara. Accounting for over 41% of the total population, they have also observed the highest birth rates and proportional growth amonst the separate ethnic groups, rivaled only by population growth amongst ethnically mixed individuals. It is also estimated that over 70% of individuals who identify as mixed have part Otaran ancestry, thereby increasing the Otaran native diaspora amongst the nation's total population to an estimate of 60%, accounting for just over 196 million people.

Individuals who identify as mixed make up a total of 27% percent of the population, a massive portion in comparison to other countries. Mixed people have seen a massive increase in birth rate since the 1970s, and have been rivaling the birth rate of native Otarans for those decades, at some times surpassing it. Though the majority of the mixed-race people in the OCR are of at least half Otaran ancestry, there are also a significant number of non-Otaran mixed race people, accounting for about 1/3 of all mixed race people in the OCR.

Japanese and Anglo Otarans make up 14% and 12% of the population respectively, together accounting for nearly a quarters of the Congressional Republic's total population. While these groups are significantly smaller in proportion and in birth rate than their larger counterparts, they do exert a decent amount of cultural power among the population. Otaran English is the mainstay national language of the Otaran Congressional Republic, and all signs and indicators, both public and private, are mandated to also be translated into Japanese.

The remaining 6% of the population consists of a variety of Macayanesian ethnicities. While the vast majority of these people are recent economic migrants, there has always been a small presence of continental Macayensian people on the Otaran islands. They have seen a steady increase in birth rate since the 2000s, but still remain definitively the slowest growing population on the islands.

Language

The Otaran Congressional Republic's official language is Otaran English. The decision to instill the English language into Otara's population was made by the Congress in 1962 in an effort to modernize Otara and connect it with the global economy. Otaran English, and in some regions, American English, is taught in school tandem with Lua Otara, Otara's native language. Japanese is also taught optionally in school, being the native language of about 12% of the population.

Otaran English is the most widely spoken language in the nation, with about 75% of the population speaking and writing it fluently. Lua Otara is a close second, with about 67% of the population speaking and writing it fluently. Japanese is the native language of about 12% of the population, but a much larger portion of the population (est 40%) are fluent in the language.

Religion

Religion in Otara
Religion			Percentage
Irreligion			43%
Messalinaism			41%
Shintoism			16%

The Otaran Congressional Republic has no state religion, as per the ideal of the separation of religion and state held by the Congress in its founding. Furthermore, a slim majority of the Otaran population identifies as "irreligious." A further 41% identified with Messalinaism, that being the mainstay religion in the Otaran islands since documented tribal civilizations were extant on their land. 16% of the population identified with Shintoism, being a cultural export of the Japanese settlements in tribal Otara.

Education

All primary and secondary education in the Otaran Congressional Republic is overseen by a centralised state administration, determining and reforming a required nationwide curricula along with elective availability every year to be taught in schools from the first year of kindergarten up until the last year of high school. School attendance, between the ages of 5-17 is completely mandatory, but children aged 16-17 may also apply for vocational training or specialised military cadet school as an alternative to formal secondary school. School years are divided into two semesters, granting students a total of three months break between the two month summer break and one month winter break. Dress uniforms are not mandatory in the Otaran school systems, but about half of all Otaran secondary schools operate with either a uniform or a strict dress code, while a more lenient dress code is enforced in the other half.

Palm Coast University operates a world-class library

Otara boasts a 99% literacy rate and a similar numeracy rate, with Otaran students regularly scoring highly in world standardized tests. Otaran students are among the global top performers in STEM-related fields, and score similarly (but not as proficiently) in literacy related areas. The Congressional Republic maintains one of the most well-educated labour forces in the world and by far the most well-educated labour force in Macayanesia by standard metrics. While Otaran secondary education is well-documented to be a highly efficient, producing high scoring students, it has also received scrutiny for its abnormal levels of state control and the pressure it exerts on the mental health of the students that study under it.

Tertiary education in Otara is highly competitive, with eligibility determined by a 6-year cumulative GPA and a multitude of standardized tests, most importantly, the Otaran Standard Proficiency Assessment, or OSPA, taken during a students last year of secondary school. Otara hosts over 600 universities, most of which are government funded, with a total of 28 ranked among the top in the world. Consequentially, Otara is also ranked as one of the most expensive places in the world to obtain a tertiary education. Nevertheless, Otaran students rank highly in terms of tertiary graduation rate comparative to the rest of the world, with 47% of all enrolled students graduating with a degree from a tertiary institution. Members of the Congressional Military working to obtain mandatory documents related to their MoS are paid for by the military itself, meaning that they are able to attend university for free, if needed.

Health

The Otaran Congressional Republic has a universal healthcare system. It ranks in the top 5 globally for both male and female life expectancy. Despite this, mainly due to its climate, Otara has one of the highest rates of skin cancer development in he world. Simultaneously, it has a proportionally high suicide rate, most commonly attributed to a number of sociological and psychological factors relating to rapid modernization and education competition.

Otaran hospitals and medical facilities are renowned globally for their advanced medical equipment, and renowned for their strides made in cancer treatment, particularly in the line of skin cancer. More recently, President Puleleiite Kalua authorized a Congressional act to provide rapid public access to mental health and therapy centers, and hospitals across the country have began expanding to accommodate these new facilities. This is due to an initiative undertaken by the government to address its concerning suicide rate.