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 14% Japanese Otaran 12% Anglo Otaran 6% various indigenous Macayanesian
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) two 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 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, used commonly 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 1872, 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 (0.004% 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