Nakong

Republic of Nakong 內江共和國 (Shangean)
Flag Coat of arms
Capital	Queensport
Largest city	Ningcho
Official languages	Nakongese Estmerish
Demonym(s)	Nakongese
Government	Unitary dominant-party parliamentary republic
• President	Diane Lau Yuet-kwong
• Prime Minister	Andrew Ng Fan-chiu (SDC)
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	House of Review
• Lower house	House of Deputies
Independence from Estmere
• Jiao conquest	7 June 1402
• Estmerish colonization	1833
• Self-government granted	7 January 1951
• Independence	2 May 1958
Area
• Total	40,015.36 km2 (15,450.02 sq mi)
Population
• 2023 estimate	15,901,548
• 2018 census	15,259,402
• Density	397.4/km2 (1,029.3/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	$506 billion
• Per capita	$31,863
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$258 billion
• Per capita	$16,230
Gini (2020)	42.6 medium
Date format	yyyy-mm-dd or yyyy年m月d日 (CE; Lunar)
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.nk

Nakong (Shangean: 內江), officially the Republic of Nakong, is an island country in Coius. It lies in the northern Honghai Sea, separated from mainland Shangea, its only neighbour, by the Strait of Nakong. The island of Nakong, also known as Baishadao/Pakshado, has an area of 40,015 square kilometres (15,450 square miles) and a population of 15.9 million, with extensive urbanization in the northwestern plateau and along the southern shore but little development in the rugged east or the mountainous interior. The largest city, Ningcho, is a primate city whose metropolitan area comprises a third of the Nakongese population. Other major cities include the capital Queensport (Ching Moon), Pakwan, Patlin and Taihau.

Settled for at least 5,500 years, Nakong was originally inhabited by Proto-Paisha-speaking San Min indigenous groups who came from mainland Shangea. Beginning in the 6th century during the Four Kingdoms period, Shangean migration to Nakong resulted in the spread of Shangean culture and the displacement of the San Min into the highlands. After a period of control by Shangean-speaking city-states and pirate kingdoms, Nakong was conquered by the Jiao dynasty in 1402 and administered as part of the Shangean province of Heping. In 1833, the Embro–Shangean War resulted in the cession of Nakong to Estmere and the creation of the South Seas Colony. During the Great War, Nakong was occupied by Gaullican and Shangean forces until its liberation by Nakongese, Estmerish and Allied forces. Pro-independence sentiment grew after the war, resulting in the achievement of self-government in 1951 and full independence in 1958.

After independence, Nakong faced a period of unrest from Shangean unionists and high tensions with Shangea, culminating in the Coastal Crisis. In response, Nakong sought close relations with Senria and Estmere, resulting in trade and security agreements which helped transform the rural island into a major export-oriented industrial economy. Though Nakong is a constitutional democracy based on Northabbey model, the republic has been ruled since independence by the Self-Determination Congress, which promotes economic liberalism and Paisha nationalism. Nakong is a newly industrialized economy dominated by manufacturing, though agriculture, fishing and tourism are also major industries. Nakong is a member of the CN, ITO, SAMSO, COMDEV and the Embrosphere.

Etymology

The name of the country reflects the Paisha pronunciation of a Shangean name meaning 'inner river' (内江; Morwall romanization: noi6 gong1). As a result, the nation is occasionally known, particularly in Shangean sources, by its Putonghua pronunciation as Neijiang (fuhao: nèi jiāng). The term originally referred to what is presently known as the Ning River, owing to the river's path that ventures deep into the interior of the island. A popular but incorrect folk etymology posits that the name Nakong instead refers to the Strait of Nakong, which rural farmers in Heping allegedly confused for a wide river. The name Nakong has been applied to the whole island since the Jiao conquest in the 15th century, when the newly annexed island was incorporated into Heping Province as the Prefecture of Neijiang. The modern spelling of Nakong was originally coined by Sir Andrew Farnley, an Estmerish colonial official who invented the Viceregal romanization of Paisha.

Other historical names that have been applied to Nakong include the South Seas Colony, the official name of the Estmerish administration between 1833 and 1863, and Baishadao, a generic name often used for the island itself primarily in Shangean sources. The latter is occasionally also rendered in Paisha as Pakshado (Morwall romanization: baak6 sa1 dou2).

Politics

Main article: Government of Nakong

Further information: President of Nakong, Prime Minister of Nakong, and Parliament of Nakong

Diane Lau Yuet-kwong
(劉月光)
President (Ind.)

Andrew Ng Fan-chiu
(吳返照)
Prime Minister (SDC)

Nakong is a unitary parliamentary republic with a government system organized along the Northabbey model, a legacy of Estmerish rule. The head of state is the President, who is elected by a joint sitting of Parliament for a non-renewable four-year term. Unlike in most other Northabbey model states, the Nakongese president has no reserve powers of any kind. Instead, the Prime Minister is appointed and dismissed at the command of the House of Deputies by its presiding officer, the members of the House of Review are directly appointed by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the power to withhold assent from legislation lies with the Court of Appeal. The current president is Diane Lau Yuet-kwong, a children's author and political independent.

Legislative power rests with the bicameral Parliament of Nakong, whose lower house is the House of Deputies and upper house is the House of Review. The 144-member House of Deputies is elected for a four-year term using plurality block voting. As is typical in the Northabbey model, the House of Deputies has the sole right of legislative initiative and alone retains the right to deny confidence and supply to the government. The most recent election occurred in 2020 and was won by the Self-Determination Congress. The House of Review reviews all legislation passed by the House of Deputies and may propose amendments to non-fiscal bills, though it can only temporarily halt the passage of a bill for up to six months. Members of the House of Review, known as comptrollers, are appointed by two ways: the 30 regular comptrollers assume office when they are apponted to the Grand Order of the Orchid, Nakong's highest civilian honour, while an unspecified number of additional ad hoc comptrollers may be appointed by the Prime Minister for exceptional merit when no vacancies are available. Traditionally, former prime ministers are made ad hoc comptrollers upon stepping down from office. Comptrollers, of which there are currently 41, serve for life.

The political scene of Nakong is dominated by the Self-Determination Congress (SDC), a dominant party in the Southern democracy mould that led the nation to independence in the 20th century and won every election since with large majorities. The SDC's political orientation is broadly centre-right, embracing fiscal liberalism and social conservatism, but its key distinguishing ideology is Paisha nationalism, which holds that Paisha-speaking peoples have a separate and distinct identity from broader Shangean culture and that the use of the Paisha (or Nakongese) language should be promoted in all spheres of public life. The SDC maintains power both through genuine public support as well as through institutional factors such as media influence, gerrymandering and public party funding. The largest opposition party is the Democratic Reform Party, though smaller parties also contest elections.

Armed forces

Main article: Nakong Autonomous Security Force