United States of the Tao

United States of the Tao タオの合衆国 Tao no gasshūkoku
Flag National Emblem
Motto: Tao ni shitagau Follow the Tao
The Location of the UST in east Ophion
Capital	Ein
Largest	Capital
Official languages	Japanese
Recognised national languages	Japanese, English
Recognised regional languages	Aoban
Ethnic groups (2018)	Taoists (86%) Podians (8.5%) Divergians (3%) Aznazians (1.7%) Other (0.8%)
Demonym(s)	Taoist
Government	Constitutional Republic
• Prime Chancellor	Sora Miroyu
• Speaker of the House	Nori Kenshin
Legislature	Chancellory
• Upper house	House of Chancellors
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Foundation  Independence from ancient POD (2300 BC)
• Stelten Invasion of the Tao	1600
• Aznazian takeover of the Tao	1832
• Independence from Aznazia	June 3, 1903
• Constitution	May 19, 1948
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	Way (₩)
Time zone	UTC+8 (Taoan Time)
Date format	mm-dd-yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+213
ISO 3166 code	TAO
Internet TLD	.tao

The United States of the Tao, sometimes referred to as the UST or simply, Tao; is an independent state in South East Ophion in Sunalaya. The Tao is made up of two main landmasses, one connected by land to the rest of Ophion (bordering Divergia), and Aoba island, along with a multitude of islands.

The Tao has had several colonial overlords in its long and ancient history. As a feudal kingdom in the 16th century, the Izumdo of the Tao was invaded by Felsinia and turned into a colonial state. During the 19th century, the Tao would undergo a short stint with Rhodevus, before Taoist peasants took advantage of a Rhodeve state; only to be colonized by Aznazia in the chaos.

The UST divided into 20 states. Among its 20 Provinces, the most densely populated of which by far is Dajime, which is located on the west coastline; while the state of Ein is the seat of the capital of The United States 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 a 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 BC; most historians and archaeologists, believe that "Tao" was being used far before the days of the ancient census.

History

Prehistory

Archaeologists believe that the first human settlers in the region arrived around 42,000 BC; though evidence shows that humans may only have arrived on Aoba island around 30,000 BC. The UST'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 leaves and sticks.

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, likely for recreational, religious, and medical use. By 2300 BC the first POD settlers moved into the region and inter-bred with the native Taoist population, creating what most consider to be the first modern Taoists.

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 Izumodo (Roughly translates to Kingdom.) of Ein. The Izumodo of Ein would slowly expand, and absorb surrounding states, quickly becoming the most powerful state in the region. By 400 BC, the Izumodo of Ein had almost all of the Tao under its control, mostly as puppet states.

Over the next 500 years or so, the Izumodo of Ein had absorbed, annexed, or subjugated all of the Tao peninsulae, spare a few northern tribal states. In the year 536, Izumo (Roughly translates to 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, Izumo 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 Izumodo, the "Grand Izumodo of the Tao".

Balanced Era

Shortly after the death of Izumo Jurou Shinobu, his son became Izumo Akihiko Shinobu in 551 and sought to expand the newly born nation's borders. This made him a particularly unpopular Izumo at the time. He ordered the easy and short-lived conquests of some northern tribes, which gave the Tao borders very similar to that of its modern-day borders; however this was short lived as Izumo Akihiko Shinobu was not content and ordered invasions into the eastern parts of Divergia, however, the Izumo underestimated the capabilities of the Divergian states, and the two would constantly have fluctuating borders for the next 220 years.

After the wars with the Divergians came to a close, and relations between the two freshened; Newly crowned Izumo Ryuu Katsu had led a rebellion against the Shinobu regime in 802, which still encouraged war with the Divergians. Izumo Ryuu Katsu established a period of isolation and a sense of hostility towards almost all foreigners. With this philosophy put into law, things remained awfully quiet in the Tao for the next few centuries.

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.

Modern Era

Native Taoists in the Aznazian Colonial Forces.

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 UST.

The UST 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 United States 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 Divergian 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 UST 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 UST 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 UST 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 UST 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 and Divergian 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 UST 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 UST 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 UST's 82 nuclear power plants provide relatively clean power to much of the country. The UST 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.

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

Religion

The religious demographics of the UST.

  Taoism (73.1%)

  Bhuddism (12.8%)

  Protestant (4.2%)

  Sunni Islam (3.3%)

  Orthodox Christian (2.7%)

  Other or Athiest (3.9%)

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

There are other smaller religions in play in the UST, 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 UST is a Chancellatorial Constitutional Republic. Under its current constitution it is referred to as the "The Taoist Republic of the United States of the Tao", however, it also notes that in all official documentation and references, it should be simply referred to as the "United States of 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 UST 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 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 UST, it administers national policies and laws, national public services, national recreation, national territories and handles international relations.

Military

Main article: UST Armed Forces

The United States of the Tao has four branches: Army, Navy, Airforce, and Coast Guard. Each branch has a Chancellor which are elected but must qualify through military service in 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

UST 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 UST 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 UST 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 United States 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 being 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 UST has a small agricultural industry, at least relative to what it used to be. Making up only about 5.3 percent of the UST'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 UST's agricultural production currently comes from cash crops, such as: natural rubber, coffee, bananas, and coconuts. The UST does not produce much of its own aricultural products for domestic consumption, especially as food. While the UST 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 UST's industrial sector makes up approximately 31.2% of its GDP. The UST'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 United States 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 UST'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 UST.

The United States 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 UST doubled in last decade and reached 10 million people for the first time in 2012, led by 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 recouperate befor 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 UST's road spending has been extensive. Its 1.2 million kilometres (0.75 million miles) of paved road are the main means of transportation.

Since privatisation 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 UST; 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 UST's trade value.

Energy

A nuclear power plant located in Shintao.

The United States of the Tao is one of the global leaders and largest investors into nuclear energy. While the UST does not usually offer incintives to companies, since 1982 the UST has been offering incintives to companies making the switch to Nuclear energy. The UST has 82 nuclear power plants which provide an estimate 89-93% of the USTs electricity.

Becuase 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 UST 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 effecient than nuclear. It is for these reasons that the UST has not been making a large-scale transition to renewable energies, becuase it is already one of the greenest nations on sunalaya.