Tianlong

Commonwealth of Aldia 阿尔迪亚联邦 Āěrdíyǎ Liánbāng
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "United We Stand"
Anthem: A Brand New Day
Location of Aldia denoted in green
Member States of the Commonwealth
Capital	Heping
Largest Metropolis	Fanrong Metropolitan Area
Official languages	Simplified Myrian
Recognised regional languages	Mizuhese
Traditional Languages	Traditional Myrian
Ethnic groups (2015)	Myrian 82% Orokin 14% Others 4
Demonym(s)	Aldian
Government	Confederate Parliamentary Constitutional Republic
• President	Huáng Lǐjiě (黄理解)
• Chancellor	Wú Míngzhì (吴明智)
• Chief Justice	Tada Aoki (青木ただ)
Legislature	Commonwealth Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Assembly
Formation
• Treaty of Shanliang	April 10th, 1870
• Treaty of Shukaku	September 12th, 1873
• Treaty of Fengfu	December 31st, 1881
• Articles of Confederation	June 1st, 1887
Area
• Total	5,654,250 km2 (2,183,120 sq mi) (3rd)
Population
• 2015 estimate	156,000,000 (155,730,192)
• Density	27.54/km2 (71.3/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2015 estimate
• Total	cR 8.495 Trillion
• Per capita	cR 47,439
GDP (nominal)	2015 estimate
• Total	cR 8.495 Trillion
• Per capita	cR 47,439
HDI (2015)	0.796 high
Currency	Commonwealth Credit (cR)
• Summer (DST)	Not Observed
Date format	DD/MM/YYYY
Driving side	left
Internet TLD	.ali

Aldia (Myrian: 阿尔迪, Romanized: Āěrdíyǎ ), officially the Commonwealth of Aldia ((Myrian: 阿尔迪亚联邦, Romanized: Āěrdíyǎ Liánbāng) , is a confederation of seven constituent states and four territories located in Myria. It is bordered by the Fusoese Empire on both its north and north-eastern lands and situated between both the Emporic Ocean and the Anemoisic Oceans to the west and east respectively. Aldia covers an area of 5,654,250 km2 making it the fourth largest country in the world and has a population of approximately 155 million people as of 2015. Aldia is amongst the most southernmost nations in the world and controls a territory close to Antarctica. As a nation with peoples from a multicultural background the Commonwealth recognizes a variety of regional languages with the Simplified Myrian being the lingua franca of the nation. The national capital is Heping located in the Commonwealth Capital District and its most populous city is Fanrong located in the Republic of Fengfu. The name Aldia means "Unity" in Myrian.

The Myrian peninsula has been a valuable trade region, prior to the creation of a canal in the isthmus connecting the Emporic and Anemoisic Oceans, the city-states of the Myrian peninsula served as the gateways of maritime trade between the east and western worlds. Various kingdoms and empires rose to power throughout the early 3rd and 9th centuries and attempted to conquer the entirety of the Myrian continent. The most famous example being the Zhudao Empire (主导帝国), the largest empire to come into existence in the Myrian continent. Founded in the early 5th century and survived until the 10th century, the Zhudao Empire had a profound impact to the culture of the continent. After the collapse of the Empire the nations of Myria were split into a myriad of city-states, republics & kingdoms, all vying to reunite once again under a single banner. It was not until the 19th century did the idea of peaceful Myrian integration became a popular notion amongst the Myrian nations. Years of negotiations and treaties saw the establishment of the Association of Myrian Nations and eventually the birth of the Commonwealth of Aldia in 1887.

The Commonwealth is led by an elected President who acts as the head of state and an elected Alexandrian style bicameral legislature. The Chancellor serves as the head of government and is appointed by the President as the person who commands the confidence of a majority in parliament. The unified military arm of Aldia is the Commonwealth Self-Defense Forces (CSDF) and maintained by a significant military budget. It is administered by the Commonwealth Military Administration (CMA) while the Chancellor serves as the commander-in-chief of the CSDF. In foreign relations, Aldia maintains diplomatic relations with many nations across Heliste such as the United States of Keija, the Great Empire of Fusou, the United Kingdoms of Vozh, the Atmoran Confederation and the Dominion of Mizuho.

History

Prehistoric Myria

The oldest traces of human habitation in modern Aldia dates back from approximately 2 million years ago. The continent was prone to ice ages, with glaciers & ice sheets commonly reaching up to the northernmost borders of present-day the Shanliang Socialist Republic. This made settling the Myrian continent to be a challenging task by these prehistoric settlers with agriculture only beginning to take place after the end of the last glacial period some five hundred thousand years ago. Humans of the prehistoric era established nomadic hunter-gatherer societies, constantly on the move searching for areas where prey is plentiful. With the end of the last glacial period, the climate of Myria gradually become warmer and as glaciers retreated it revealed fertile land, a result of ancient volcanic eruptions in the region. Agriculture thrived throughout the 2nd millennium and an understanding of metallurgy soon followed allowing Myrian society to develop sophisticated tools made of gold, copper, silver & bronze. Prehistoric cave paintings can be found across the entire continents as many prehistoric humans utilized these naturally made shelters as their homes.

Classical Age

By the 3rd Century various kingdoms, city-states and empires coexisted with one another on the Myrian continent. All sought to dominate one and the other, the southern kingdoms, in particular, were especially targeted owing to their strategic location at the Myrian peninsula and being the centre of maritime trade at the time. The largest and most successful of these classical polities is the Zhudao Empire, whose territories encompassed much of the Myrian continent and had many colonies, vassals & tributary states on the continent. The Empire survived from the 5th until the 12th century when it finally collapsed from political instability. The Zhudao Empire has had a profound impact on the culture of the Myrian peoples, some of its legacies included establishing a standardized written & spoken language throughout the entire continent (Traditional Myrian), establishing basic infrastructure such as sewage & aqueducts and creating a road network that connected trade hubs throughout the continent some of which are still in use today.

After the fall of the Zhudao Empire, Myria has divided amongst various feudal kingdoms & city-states once again. Some of them attempted to portray themselves as continuations of the Zhudao Empire but none were able to hold the same political influence or will as the Empire once did. Plagues were common in the post-Zhudao era as wars consumed the continent. The most deadly is the Red Death, a disease that attacks the brain causing inflammation and death of the host via hemorrhagic stroke. To date, it is not known whether this was a bacterial or viral infection and archaeologists and historians are unable to identify where the pathogen originally came from. Historical archives show the first cases of the Red Death that occurred in the southern port cities of the continent. From here historians speculate that the Red Death was brought to the continent through ships that docked in these ports. Port cities are places where foreign & local goods are exchanged and intermingle. It is possible that the Plague was brought in from another continent, or that foreign animals brought in a pathogen that mutated as it encountered a foreign environment. Regardless of its origins, the Red Death killed an estimated 50 million people as it ravaged the continent for five years.

Feudal Era

After the collapse of the Zhudao Empire, feudalism flourished throughout its former territories establishing Dynasties and lasted until the 15th century. The most powerful was the Wong Dynasty which established a loose feudal confederation of Kingdoms that accounted for 40% of all the Myrian population at the time. In spite of its fractured state, this was a relatively stable & peaceful period of time throughout the continent. No major wars broke out with only limited skirmishes taking place between no more than half a dozen Kingdoms at any given time. The Wong Dynasty established an informal system of collective security amongst its own members, with non-members unwilling to attack lest they bring the wrath of the entire confederation upon them. This era would eventually come to an end by the late 15th century in a series of rebellions collectively referred to as the Serf Rebellion, its name originating from the instigators of the conflict: the lowest social caste of society at the time themselves: the Serfs. Centuries of inequality as a result of the feudal system has left many Serfs disheartened with their lords and many had begun to voice their demand for change. The catalyst of the rebellion originated from one of the vassal lords of the Wong Dynasty itself. What started as a small group of serfs refusing to work unless they were given ownership of the land they worked on quickly escalated into violent protests as armies attempted to forcefully disband the protests.

Word quickly spread across the confederation through travelling merchants & vassal lords requesting assistance to suppress the rebellion in their domains. The serfs had no organized leadership to coordinate their actions but the speed of which open revolts took place meant that the Feudal Lords were unable to provide assistance to one and another either as each lord struggled to contain the rebellions in their own provinces. The Serf Rebellion lasted for six years resulting in millions of deaths across the continent and by the end of the Rebellion the political, social & economic landscape of the continent had been changed dramatically resulting in redrawn borders, new nations and systems of governance established and stability restored. These changes were the result of the Fanrong Summit in 1601, an international diplomatic conference between many if not all ambassadors of Myrian nations to restructure the political order of Myria after the downfall of the old feudal regimes (Myrian: 旧政权, romanized: Jiù zhèngquán).

Myrian Continental Wars

The ratification & adoption of the Fanrong Summit saw peace and stability return to the continent for nearly two centuries.

Geography

Photo of the Tianshi Mountain Range in the background as CSDF personnel launch a drone.

Aldia is host to a variety of climates ranging from the warm grasslands of the north, the western mountain ranges, the Taiyang desert and the southern temperate low lands. Various rivers from originating from the various mountains & valleys in the center of the continent diverge to both the Emporic & Anemoisic Oceans. At an elevation of 8,539 meters above sea level the Tianshi Mountain Range is amongst the highest points of elevation in the Myrian continent.

Climate

Aldia has a predominently temperate climate but there are also arid, polar & tundra regions as well due. As a result it is home to a multitude of biomes such as temperate forests, arid deserts and polar mountain ranges. Precipitation is moderate in the northern lands but it drops off significantly further south of the nation. Aldia experiences four main seasons throughout the year: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Snow can be found during the winter season but is more commonly found in the southern lands of the country, whereas heavy precipitation is more commonly found in the northern areas during the summer & winter months. The hottest temperature ever recorded satnds at 48°C at the Taiyang desert, whereas the coldest temperature recorded stood at -12°C at the Tianshi Mountains. The country experiences a mean annual temperature range from a cold 16°C in the south to 29.5°C in the north. Blizzards are more commonly found at areas near the Taiyang desert as cold wings from the Tianshi Mountains are swept down to the lowlands below. Typhoons occasionally brings heavy rains to the nation, occurring annually during the summer & autumn Typhoon seasons. The Environmental Protection Administration operates a series of satellites, aircraft, ships & drones to monitor the weather and has a dedicated branch of itself to monitor Typhoons and issue storm-warnings in the event a Typhoon is found.

Generally speaking the nation can be divided into the following climate zones:

• The northern warm-temperate zones, the summers are hot with mild winters. Heavy precipitation occurs occasionally in these areas. Occasional snowfall during the winter.
• The central highlands, cold winters and cool summers. Mild precipitation. Occasional snowfall during the winter.
• The southern humid continental climate zone with long winters and cool summers. Winter commonly results in heavy snowfall in these areas.
• The western deserts, dry and cold deserts stretching throughout a large swathe of the country's western coast.
• The western mountain ranges, snow cover throughout the entire year.

Government & Politics

Wu Mingzhi, Chancellor of the Commonwealth of Aldia

All citizens of the Commonwealth are born free & equal in dignity and rights. - Article 1, from the Articles of Confederation

The Commonwealth is a confederate parliamentary constitutional republic based on the Alexandrian system. The Articles of Confederation serves as the nations constitution and is the supreme law of the country. It outlines the powers and responsibilities given to the confederate government from its member nation states. The President is a popularly elected head of state, exercises executive power on the advice of his or her ministers. The Chancellor serves as the head of government and is appointed by the President as the person to command a confident majority in the Commonwealth Parliament. A Cabinet of Ministers is selected by the Chancellor who are then appointed by the President. The President are elected directly by the people with a single-non transferable vote system while members of the Commonwealth Parliament uses a system of proportional representation. The confederal government is separated into three distinct branches: Executive, Legislative and the Judicial.

• Executive: The Executive body is led by the President of the Commonwealth who is the head of state and is the highest office in the Commonwealth. In this capacity they serve as the guarantor of the Commonwealth's constitution, holds limited reserve powers in the event of a political instability and can veto unconstitutional laws before they become law. The President is not permitted to draft legislation and they are, by tradition, expected to refrain from commenting directly towards current issues, especially if those issues are related to the party. This distancing from day-to-day politics and daily governmental issues allows the President to be a source of clarification in matters related to the constitution, voice criticism, influence public debate and act beyond party politics. The Chancellor of the Commonwealth serves as the head of government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the director of domestic governance, policy-making, and foreign affairs. The Chancellor also chooses a council of ministers who is required to not be affiliated with any political parties.

• Legislative: The Commonwealth Parliament houses the central legislature of Aldia, all legislative decision making on the national level takes place in the Commonwealth Parliament. The Commonwealth Assembly is the lower house and proposes legislation to the upper house to be approved and ratified and monitors the executive body of the nation. A total of 520 seats can be obtained in the lower house. The Commonwealth Senate, the upper house, is comprised of 100 seats and is vested with significant powers as it has the capacity to either pass or block legislation put forward by the Chancellor and other parties in the Assembly. The power of impeachment also rests with the Commonwealth Senate. In both the Commonwealth Senate and Assembly, both government and opposition must secure half of the votes available in their respective houses in order to pass a legislative bill.

• Judicial: Most civil disputes are heard in local national Courts and appeals are heard before a High Commonwealth Court. The High Court of the Commonwealth is the country's highest court, and hears final cessation appeals and conducts case reviews. The Commonwealth Constitutional Court hears matters in regards to the legality of laws, general elections and the scope of the authority of state institutions.

Elections

General Elections occur once every ten years in the Commonwealth and is done so in every member state. All citizens of a member state over the age of 18 in the Commonwealth are eligible to elect both the President and members of the Commonwealth Parliament in General Elections. The Commonwealth has full authority to regulate & administer only elections related to the the Commonwealth's Legislature & Executive bodies. It does not have jurisdiction to intervene in the internal elections of its own member states. Both legislative & presidential elections occur concurrently and is held over a period of two days. Voting may be done in person and either by mail/online, approximately 55% of all votes in the last two elections were cast by mail or online. The Commonwealth Assembly has traditionally been dominated by one of two parties: the center-left Progressive People's Alliance and the center-right Conservative People's Coalition. This balance however has been changed since the 2012 election when it saw the rise of two new parties: the eco-centric Greens & the autonomist Commonwealth Reform Pact. The Commonwealth Senate sees a myriad of political alliances vying for power and no single alliance has ever secured 50% of all seats sine the 1998 elections.

Taifeng-class Aircraft Carrier of the Commonwealth Navy

Military

Main articles: Commonwealth Self-Defense Forces

The Commonwealth Self Defense Forces (CSDF) is Aldia's unified military body and consists of the Commonwealth Navy, Commonwealth Army, Commonwealth Air Force, Commonwealth Marine Corps and the Commonwealth Maritime Protection Forces. The Commonwealth Self Defense Forces is administered by the Commonwealth Military Administration (CMA) and supported by a substantial domestic arms manufacturing industry. The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) serves as the primary intelligence gathering and covert operations body of the Commonwealth. Originally, each member state of the Commonwealth continued to maintain their independent military forces and would only contribute forces to the CSDF during times of war. This requirement however was amended and now the CSDF serves as the nation's primary armed forces. Each member state however is allowed to raise and maintain an organized militia, commonly known as the Commonwealth Territorial Forces and are part of the reserve components of the armed forces of Aldia. These Territorial Forces share the same rank, standards & tactics of the overall armed forces but generally use second-hand equipment that are no longer used by the Commonwealth Self-Defense Forces. Training is provided by the CSDF and the Confederate government provides a pre-determined amount of funding that allows all Territorial Forces to maintain their minimum-essential force requirements. Each member state however may increase their individual Territorial Forces funding and equipment, but only with the approval of the confederate government. This is primarily due to the need to maintain a standardized set of equipment, doctrines, strategies & tactics. Aldia has invested heavily in its military, spending approximately cR 500 billion with a military-expenditures-GDP ratio of 5.89%.

Member States

The Commonwealth is comprised of seven member states, all of whom has transferred some of their sovereignty to the Commonwealth.

Flag	Country	Capital	Currency	National Anthem	Type of Government	Official languages
	Republic of Anxiang	Shoucheng	Commonwealth Credits (CRC, cR)	"Here we stand"	Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic	Myrian
	Republic of Fengfu	Fanrong	Commonwealth Credits (CRC, cR)	"United in Diversity"	Unitary Presidential Constitutional Republic	Myrian
	Kingdom of Guanhai	Liwu	Commonwealth Credits (CRC, cR)	"Forward unto dawn."	Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy	Myrian
	Federated Territories of Sanpuku	Okurimono	Commonwealth Credits (CRC, cR)	"Democracy, Liberty & Freedom"	Unitary Presidential Single-Party State	Mizuhese
	Shanliang Socialist Republic	Qiji	Commonwealth Credits (CRC, cR)	"Peace"	Unitary Presidential Constitutional Republic	Myrian
	Republic of Shukaku	Kiseki	Commonwealth Credits (CRC, cR)	"Nunc beati sunt" ("Here we are blessed")	Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic	Mizuhese
	Federal Republic of Wuxian	Xiatian	Commonwealth Credits (CRC, cR)	"We shall persevere"	Federal Constitutional Parliamentary Republic	Myrian

Economy

Aldia's economy is currently valued at $7.39 Trillion (cR 8.49 Trillion), it is the third largest economy by nominal GDP in Heliste and has maintained a mixed economy where both the private and government sectors play important roles. Aldia has a highly diversified economy with major strengths in the mining, energy generation, banking, electronics, information technology, telecommunications, real estate, e-commerce & manufacturing sectors. Its primary financial center is the city of Fanrong. Historically the country has heavily relied upon the taxation of maritime trade that came through the southern port cities. However the dawn of the age of steam has seen a gradual shift from an agrarian society to an industrial & urbanized society. Industrialization began in the late 18th century, long before the Commonwealth was formed and continued until the 1860s. When the Commonwealth was established the government realized that the private sector was the most prepared and well-equipped to stimulate economic growth. At the same time however, they saw the need to establish regulators to ensure that the private sector complies with all required government regulations. It was through this decision that the Aldian Commerce Commission (ACC) was established, a government body to monitor and administer all economic activity within the Commonwealth. It is one of the few institutions in the Commonwealth that has few jurisdiction restrictions, the limits of its authority not restricted by the jurisdiction and sovereignty of individual member states. The ACC is further divided into child agencies that assist its mandate for specific areas of the economy, one such as example is the Department of Commercial Shipping that maintains the merchant navy of the nation.

The Aldian Monetary Administration (AMA) is the central bank of the Commonwealth and like its sister agency, the ACC, is amongst the oldest government agencies in the Commonwealth. The AMA manages the currency, money supply & interest rates of the Commonwealth. It does not however oversee the commercial banking or financial services sector, as those functions have been transferred to the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA is an independent and autonomous government agency responsible for monitoring, supervising and auditing the financial services & commercial banking sector. All firms that operates in the financial sector, both domestic and foreign, must be registered and approved by the FSA before they are permitted to begin operations within the Commonwealth. The FSA conducts both scheduled and unscheduled audits of all firms in the financial services sector. While the ACC is the largest government body, the FSA is arguably one of the most powerful due to its autonomous nature, free from interference from all levels of government as the FSA is ultimately responsible to the public. In spite of the nations rapid industrialization, it has maintained a perpetual policy of agricultural self-reliance. This is reflected in the fact that the agriculture sector accounts for approximately 6% of the country's GDP although only approximately 22% of Aldia's land is suitable for agriculture. Aldia currently has an agricultural self-sufficiency rate between 55% - 60% and is one of the most protected sectors of the country. Aldia is also one of the leading producer of batteries for electric vehicles, controlling reserves of resources key for the manufacturing for batteries.

Science & Technology

Launch of a Lianbang-II Rocket.

Aldia has invested heavily in scientific research, spending almost cR 500 billion in 2012 alone. It is often considered among the most innovating countries in the world, with at least one 1 million citizens employed as researchers in both the private & government sectors and also one of the leading nations in the areas of scientific research. It is one of the largest electronic manufacturers in the world and has resulted in a by-product of the substantial gaming industry. The country is currently revamping its education curriculum with a heavy emphasis towards the science, technology, engineering & mathematics approach in its education. A number of technology companies such as Fengli, Jinque & Youya are leaders in consumer electronics ranging from personal computers, phones, laptops to home electronics and are among the top filers of international patents in 2012. This rush for technological self-reliance stemmed from the harsh experiences that the Myrian nations experienced during the Continental Wars and the Myrian Canal Conflict. These events has had a profound impact on successive governments, vowing to never be left behind in the technological arms race with the rest of the world. The development of supercomputers and unmanned aerial vehicles have become one of the nations most well known recent breakthroughs, the latter being more frequently utilized & featured by the Commonwealth Self-Defense Forces.

Aldia has an active space program administered by the Aldian Space Administration (ASA), successfully launching its indigenous rocket to reach orbit in 1966, its first satellite in 1969 and the first Aldian in space in 1972. It operates dozens of satellites in Low-Heliste and geosynchronous orbit. These satellites include both civilian and military satellites, utilized for a variety of purposes ranging from weather forecasts, to military command & control infrastructure. Aldia relies upon the Lianbang-III class orbital launch vehicle as its primary expendable launch system to send both satellites & humans into space. Aldia has operated and maintained three space stations, the first Zuguo I in 1988 and was deorbited in 1994. The second, Zuguo II was launched and assembled in orbit between 2009 and 2010 and continues to remain operational to date. Zuguo II serves as a scientific research station for Aldian scientists, conducting experiments which will help push the boundaries of spaceflight, both manned and unmanned. The Aldian Space Administration maintains a number of launch facilities, most of which are either located along the coastlines or islands of Myria, with a small number located in the desert and is currently seeking international partners to expand its mandate & mission parameters in space. The ASA is extensively supported by both government funding as well as cooperation from the private sector to procure its launch systems. A number of private companies also offer private commercial launch services for both the government & the private sectors. The most famous of them being Gaige Industries, providing Aldia with its first partially reusable launch system in the form of the Shenyuan 5 rocket.

Energy

Aldia is one of the world's largest energy producers, capable of producing 10,200 terawatt-hours worth of electricity. Aldia continues to rely primarily on fossil fuels to produce its energy but has made significant gains since 2005 to shift towards renewables. As of 2015 coal accounts for approximately 31% of the country's energy source, petroleum 28%, renewable sources 25%, oil 11% and nuclear power 5%. The nation has a substantial number reserves of fossil-fuels such as but not limited to: 30 billion barrels of conventional oil & gas reserves and 15 billion tons of coal reserves. The country's installed power generation capacity stands at 150 million Mega Watts. Aldia is one of the world's leading investor in renewable energy as well as its commercialization, investing no less than cR 100 billion in research & development as well as implementation. In 2010 the government proposed & ratified the Green Initiatives Act, a commitment made by the government to transition into a low-carbon, renewable, reliable & affordable energy. It has an ambitious target to phase out all fossil-fuel based power plants by 2052 starting with nuclear in 2029, petroleum by 2035 and finally coal by 2050. The first real result of this initiative was in 2015 when the first nuclear power plant was shut down. The program has been seen as the country's way of reducing environmental degradation that has been brought about by industrialization in the Myrian continent, as well as eliminating the risk of nuclear accidents and the burden of nuclear waste disposal.