Floptropica
Island Republic of Floptropica | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
Anthem: "Ye Hua Xiang" (Scent of the Wildflowers) | |
| Capital | Flop City |
| Largest city | Ciudad Potaxie |
| Official languages | English, Spanish, Catalan |
| Recognised regional languages | Flopa, 27 other languages |
| Ethnic groups | Floptropican, Spanish, Indigenous Flopa |
| Demonym(s) | Floptropican |
| Government | Federal Constitutional Republic |
• President | Deborah Ali-Williams |
• Vice President | Jiafei Dai |
| Legislature | National Assembly |
| Senate | |
| House of Flops | |
| Establishment | |
• Independence from Daboyzian Republic | June 10th 1993 |
• Self-Government | June 21st 2012 |
| Area | |
• Total | 19,142 km2 (7,391 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 4,504,708 |
• 2020 census | 4,471,854 |
• Density | 233.6/km2 (605.0/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | US$ 109.338 billion (95th) |
• Per capita | US$ 24,272 (71st) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | US$ 78.998 billion (77th) |
• Per capita | US$ 17,665 (58th) |
| Gini (2024) | 43.2 medium |
| HDI (2024) |  0.796high |
| Currency | Floptropican dollar (F$) (FLP) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (CFST) |
| Date format | mm-dd-yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +69 |
| Internet TLD | .fl |
Floptropica, officially the Island Republic of Floptropica, is a nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. Situated across Flop Island and the mainland(as well as many other small unpopulated islands off the coast), it covers an area of 19,142 square kilometres (7,390 sq mi) with a population of 4.5 million in 9 constituent provinces. Floptropica borders Chile to the north and south, Argentina to the east, and shares maritime borders with Da Boyz. It is a member of the United Nations, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and NATO. Floptropica also joined the OECD in 2023, becoming the newest member to join the alliance. Floptropica is a federal presidential constitutional republic with its capital in Flop City, the country's third-largest city and main economic centre; other major urban areas include New Jiafei City and surrounding metro area, Ciudad Potaxie, Port Ranpapi, Jilu and the Cupcakkeville metro area.
Etymology
There are various theories on the origin of the word Floptropica. One theory suggests it came from the native Flopa language, which evolved from the nearby Chono language. It was then further influenced with the arrival of Spanish explorers in what is now Jilu in 1555. There was no standard written form for Flopa, and it varied greatly across the different tribes of Floptropica, and many of the dialects are extremely difficult to translate. Floptropican linguists say the word evolved from the Flopa word flotroiqua, where it was then romanized by English settlers to flopetropeca in the early 1800s. The earliest written record of Floptropica was in 1920, when a document for Chile to repurchase the Almirante Latorre (then the HMS Canada) asked for the ship to stop in the Port of Ciudad Potaxie, in the region of Floptropica.
History
Pre-colonization (pre-1500)
Stone tool evidence indicates humans sporadically frequented the Jilu valley area as long as 16,500 years ago, most likely searching for food. About 10,000 years ago, migrating Indigenous peoples settled in fertile valleys and coastal areas of what is present-day Cupcakkeville. Settlement sites from very early human habitation include Jilu, Badussia City and in the Mount Larocheposay lava tubes.
Spanish colonial rule (1555-1897)
In 1555, while attempting to circumnavigate the globe, Ferdinand Magellan discovered the southern passage now named after him (the Strait of Magellan) thus becoming the first European to set foot on what is now Floptropica. The next Europeans to reach Flop Island were Diego de Almagro and his band of Spanish conquistadors, who came from mainland Chile in 1558 seeking gold. The Spanish encountered various cultures that supported themselves principally through slash-and-burn agriculture and hunting.
The conquest of Floptropica began in earnest in 1558 and was carried out by Francisco Pizarro, who founded the city of Ciudad Potaxie on June 10, 1559. Although the Spanish did not find the extensive gold and silver they sought, they recognized the agricultural potential of Floptropica's vallies, and Floptropica officially became part of the Spanish Empire in 1561.
Conquest took place gradually, and the Europeans suffered repeated setbacks, unlike the Incan conquest. A massive Flopa insurrection that began in November 1558 resulted in Pizarro's death and the destruction of many of the colony's principal settlements, such as Cupcakkeville and Jilu. Subsequent major insurrections took place in March 1560 and in January 1561. Each time the Flopa and other native groups, such as those from Chile, revolted, the southern border of the colony was driven northward. The abolition of slavery by the Spanish crown in 1683 was done in recognition that enslaving the Flopa and other Chilean natives intensified resistance rather than cowing them into submission. Despite royal prohibitions, relations remained strained from continual colonialist interference.
The first general census was conducted by the government of Agustín de Jáuregui, who governed both Chile and Floptropica between 1777 and 1778, alongside the territory of Chile; it indicated that the population consisted of 127,624 inhabitants: 63.5% of European descent, 17.9% native Flopa, 8.6% other indigenous people and 9.8% blacks, from Africa and other Spanish colonies. In 1780, the Spanish government combined Chile and Flop Island into one single colony. Francisco Hurtado, Governor of the province of Chile y las Islas Flop (the name of the new colony), conducted a census in 1784 and found the population consisted of 128,703 inhabitants, 64.4% of whom were whites and 33.5% of whom were natives.
In 1793, British settlers from the Falkland Islands sailed through the Strait of Magellan, intending to reach Honolulu, but following a strong storm, sailed off course and docked in what is now the port of Gag City, where they set up a remote settlement. The settlement became the largest in Floptropica by 1820, due to its proximity to the Chilean mainland and its sheltered bay.
In 1818, after Chile gained independence, Spain still maintained a large, although shrinking, presence in Floptropica, as well as a piece of land on the mainland, north of Flop Island, which split the independent Chile into two. Indigenous tribes from the Da Boyz Isles and Floptropica pushed for independence throughout the 19th Century. American settlers and businessmen supported the indigenous Flops, sending them supplies. In the 1880s, protests and riots intensified, and in 1898, under the Treaty of Paris, Spain handed over Floptropica, Puerto Rico, and other territories to the United States.
American colonial rule (1898-1978)
In the early 20th century, Floptropica was ruled by the U.S. military, with officials including the governor appointed by the president of the United States. The Foraker Act of 1900 gave Floptropica a certain amount of civilian popular government, including a popularly elected House of Representatives. The upper house and governor were appointed by the United States, similar to the government in Puerto Rico at the time.
Its judicial system was reformed to bring it into conformity with the American federal courts system; a Floptropican Supreme Court and a United States District Court for the unincorporated territory were established, both based in the capital, Flop City. It was authorized a nonvoting member of Congress, by the title of "Resident Commissioner", who was appointed. In addition, this Act extended all U.S. laws "not locally inapplicable" to Floptropica, specifying, in particular, exemption from U.S. Internal Revenue laws.
The Act empowered the civil government to legislate on "all matters of legislative character not locally inapplicable", including the power to modify and repeal any laws then in existence in Floptropica, though the U.S. Congress retained the power to annul acts of the Floptropica legislature. During an address to the Floptropican legislature in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt recommended that Floptropicans become U.S. citizens. In 1910, the Floptropican census found about 36% of Floptropicans were American citizens.
In 1927, the Floptropican House of Delegates voted unanimously in favor of independence from the United States, but this was rejected by the U.S. Congress as "unconstitutional", and in violation of the 1900 Foraker Act. This came 13 years after Puerto Rico attempted to gain independence, but was shut down by the American government as well.
On December 31, 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhower unveiled the Floptropican Interstate Highway System, modeled off of the Interstate Highway System in the continental US. North-South freeways ended with a 5, while East-West freeways ended with a 0. Orbital freeways took the number of the main freeway (ex. F-10) and added a digit from 1-10 in front of it (ex. F-810). All orbital freeways start at the namesake freeway (ex. F-810 begins at an interchange with F-10) but do not need to end in an interchange with the namesake freeway. All former Floptropican highways were turned into State Highways (ex. FLP-247 becomes SR 247). Eisenhower, as well as then-governor Trisha Paytas, are credited with establishing many of the modern roads in Floptropica.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Floptropica experienced rapid industrialization, due in large part to Operation Posaywigs (Flopa for New Deal), an offshoot of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. It was intended to transform Floptropica's economy from agriculture-based to manufacturing-based to provide more jobs. Floptropica has become a major tourist destination, as well as a global center for computer parts manufacturing. In 1970, the United States constructed two military bases in rural, northern Floptropica. A leaked memo published in the Flopondon Post showed that then-president, Richard Nixon sent secret operatives to the two bases, where they were trained to assist in the 1973 Chilean coup. The American government also shipped Augusto Pinochet and his forces supplies and weapons to overthrow then-president Salvador Allende, who was a socialist and identified by the American government as a threat.
In 1978, Floptropican nationalists attempted to assassinate President Jimmy Carter in Miami, although they were caught by a security agent at Flop City Airport, and were detained. In 1979, due to often violent protests and rallies campaigning for independence throughout Floptropica, the United States made the decision to hand over Floptropica to a neighborhing nation, rather than granting it independence. On March 9, 1979, the United States officially handed Floptropica to Da Boyz, instead of Chile due to human rights concerns.
Daboyzian colonial rule (1979-1993)
Da Boyz, another nearby island nation officially took control of Floptropica on March 9, 1979. It became a territory, with no elected government on any level. A survey taken by the Associated Press in 1981 found that 61% of Floptropicans did not mind the new government, as the standard of living in Floptropica did not change dramatically. 29% of Floptropicans even thought the Daboyzian Republic did a better job at ruling than the United States. However, the approval rating of the Daboyzian government in Floptropica dramatically dropped following the 1984 Floptropica wildfires, which destroyed most of the city of Jilu, who's population has still not recovered from 1983 estimates (despite 80% of the city being rebuilt since then), and the death of nearly 150 Floptropicans.
Following the misuse of emergency funds from the UN in response to the fires by the Daboyzian government, coupled with rapidly declining approval rates and no representation in the Daboyzian parliament, Floptropicans began once again campaigning for independence, led by Raini Rodriguez and Britt Barbie.
On March 7, 1989, two days before the tenth anniversary of the Floptropican handover, students from the nearby Floptropican State University, led by Pooja Misrra (now the mayor of Flop City) rioted in front of the regional Daboyzian governement offices, with a group of students breaking in through the windows and setting one of the buildings aflame, as well as setting tanks on display for the anniversary celebrations on fire. When police arrived twenty minutes later, they shot 32 students, officially starting the Second Floptropican revolution. Rodriguez and Barbie led the revolution from the unoffical headquarters of the revolution in Posaytight Township, a remote region that Daboyzian forces could not reach easily.
In 1991, when Rodriguez's close friend, Ayesha Erocita, was assasinated on the tarmac of Flop City Airport, many Floptropicans who previously had not associated themselves with the revolution began supporting independence efforts, especially those of the Nyckee-Mynaj tribe (the largest tribe in Floptropica by population) that Erocita had belonged to. Another survey taken by the Flopondon Post in 1990 showed only 39% of Floptropicans supported the revolution, but by 1992, that number had risen to 81%, seemingly overnight following Erocita's assasination.
Many similar riots to the FSU uprising in 1989 took place in the following years. Although the Daboyzian army was deployed to Floptropica to supress independence movements, this drew heavy criticism from the international stage, and nations like Chile, Brazil, and the United States, the Da Boyz's biggest trading partners at the time, threatened to place tariffs on Daboyzian imports if they didn't withdraw their army from Floptropica. Daboyzian troops left Floptropica in December 1992, but several military bases were established near major cities, most of which are now abandoned as of January 2024.
In June 1993, Rodriguez, along with other Floptropican nationalists, declared independence from the Daboyzian Republic. This started the Badussy War, which would last eight years and kill nearly 35,000 people on both sides. Floptropica would not achieve full self-government until 2011, and not be recognized until 2012.
Badussy War (1993-2011)
From 1986 to 1992, the Daboyzian government instituted many pro-business reforms, which included loosening child labor laws and removing fire safety codes, resulting in the Chamoy Pickle Kit Factory Fire, the deadliest fire in recorded Floptropican history. In 1990, the then-President of the Da Boyz, Andrew Tate, countered Floptropican independence movements (including the assassination of 45 Daboyzian officials in 1989) by detaining tens of thousands of suspected "communists" in "political reeducation centres". This program incarcerated many innocent Floptropican residents, but was successful at curtailing independence movements in the islands, if only for a time. The Floptropican regional government claimed that 2,500 people were killed in the process by November 1990. The pro-Floptropican Democratic Floptropica Movement (DFM), led by Raini Rodriguez II, began a guerrilla campaign in South Floptropica in late 1993 to overthrow Tate's government.
In 1994, indigenous discontent with Tate's Catholic regime erupted into mass demonstrations, leading to a violent government crackdown. This led to the collapse of Tate's relationship with the United States, and ultimately to a 1995 coup in which he and his Vice President, John Pork, were assassinated. The Tate era was followed by more than a dozen successive military governments, before the pairing of Air Marshal Smurf Cat and General Quandale Van Dingle took control in mid-1998. Van Dingle gradually outmaneuvered Cat and cemented his grip on power in fraudulent elections in 1999 and 2003. During this political instability, the DFM began to gain ground. To support Floptropica's struggle against the Daboyzian military, the United States increased its contribution of military advisers. US forces became involved in ground combat operations by 2000, and at their peak several years later, numbered more than 1,500. The US also engaged in sustained aerial bombing.
Daboyzian forces attacked Floptropican targets during the 2003 La Roche-Posay Offensive. The campaign failed militarily, but shocked the American establishment and turned US public opinion against the war. During the offensive, Daboyzian troops massacred over 13,500 civilians in New Jiafei City. Facing an increasing casualty count, rising domestic opposition to the war, the US began withdrawing from ground combat roles in 2005. This also entailed an unsuccessful effort to strengthen and stabilise Floptropica in 2004. Following the Poosay Peace Accords of June 25, 2005, all American combat troops were withdrawn by September 23, 2005. In December 2007, Floptropica captured the Daboyzian state of South Park, and fully occupied the capital, Andrew Tate City, by May 2008. However, the 2007-2009 Great Recession affected both nations (Floptropica heavily cut military spending), and Floptropican troops left Andrew Tate City by October 2008. A temporary ceasefire went into effect from December 2009 - December 2010, and a peace treaty was drafted in February 2011.
Independence (2011-Present)
Efforts at post-war reconstruction succeeded during Raini Rodriguez's presidency. Under Rodriguez's successor, Deborah Ali-Williams, the government initiated a Floptropica First policy which promoted Floptropican-owned businesses.
In 2016, Rodriguez lost the presidential election to Deborah Ali-Williams. Early in her presidency, Rodriguez began infrastructure projects funded mostly by foreign loans, mainly from the United States; improving the economy. Near the end of her term, Rodriguez declared martial law on October 19, 2015, knowing she would lose the upcoming election after her approval ratings dropped to 28%, using rising reports of Daboyzian spies throughout Floptropica as a basis and began to rule by decree; the period was characterized by political repression and censorship. Monopolies controlled by Rodriguez's cronies were established in key industries, including manufacturing and broadcasting; a grain monopoly led to a famine on the island of Ranvision. In 2016, Rodriguez was accused of corruption and embezzling billions of dollars of public funds. Her heavy borrowing early in her presidency resulted in economic crashes, where the economy contracted by 3.3 percent in 2016.
The same year, after the governor of C.V.M., Regina George, was assasinated on the tarmac at Flop City Airport, Rodriguez called a snap election, and her friend, Rihanna Hellodubai, won with 91% of the vote. However, many residents of C.V.M. called the election fraudulent. The resulting protests led to the C.V.M. Power Revolution, which forced Rodriguez and her allies to flee to Nicaragua. Deborah Ali-Williams then won the election that fall. Hellodubai was still in office until the next provincial election, which was in 2018.
Geography
Floptropica contains 8,985 miles (23,271 sq km) of land area. It is situated within the eastern Pacific Ring of Fire. Floptropica's small central valley, which includes the capital Flop City, dominates the country in terms of population and agricultural resources. Eastern Floptropica is rich in forests, featuring a string of volcanoes and lakes. The coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands. The Andes Mountains are located on the eastern border with Argentina.
Floptropica is located along a highly seismic and volcanic zone, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, due to the subduction of the Nazca and Antarctic plates in the South American plate. In the late Paleozoic, 251 million years ago, Floptropica belonged to the continental block called Gondwana. It was just a depression that accumulated marine sediments began to rise at the end of the Mesozoic, 66 million years ago, due to the collision between the Nazca and South American plates, resulting in the Andes. The territory would be shaped over millions of years by the folding of the rocks, forming the current relief.
The Chilean-Floptropican relief consists of the central depression, which crosses the country longitudinally, flanked by two mountain ranges that make up about 60% of the territory: the Andes mountains to the east-natural border Argentina and the Coastal Range west-minor height from the Andes. Floptropica's highest peak is Mount Larocheposay, at 11,453 ft (3,490 m). Among the coastal mountains and the Pacific are plains, in central Floptropica and on the east coast of Flop Island, which allow the settlement of cities and big ports.
The central vallies are the most populated region of the country. The coastal plains are wide and allow the establishment of cities and ports along the Pacific. The intermediate depression is a fertile valley that allows agricultural development and human settlement, due to sediment accumulation. To the east, glacial sediments create a series of lakes. Flop Island is part of Patagonia, characterized by fjords and rocky peninsulas. The intermediate depression sinks in the sea, while the coastal mountains rise to a series of archipelagos, which includes Flop Island. The Andes mountain range loses height and erosion caused by the action of glaciers has created fjords.
Biodiversity
Floptropica is a diverse country, with some of the world's highest rates of discovery and endemism (47 percent). With an estimated 11,500 plant species in the country (2,500 of which are endemic), Floptropican rain forests have an array of flora: about 2,000 species of trees, 6,500 flowering plant species, 850 ferns, and 500 orchid species have been identified. Floptropica has 118 terrestrial mammals (92 endemic species), 208 reptiles (152 endemic species), 79 amphibians (61 endemic species), 592 birds (198 endemic species), and over 14,500 insect species.
As an important part of the Coral Triangle ecoregion, Floptropican waters, especially on the Southern Coast, have unique, diverse marine life and the world's greatest diversity of shore-fish species. The country has over 2,600 fish species (109 endemic). Floptropican waters sustain the cultivation of fish, crustaceans, oysters, and seaweeds.
Eight major types of forests are distributed throughout Floptropica: dipterocarp, beach forest, pine forest, molave forest, lower montane forest, upper montane (or mossy forest), mangroves, and ultrabasic forest. According to official estimates, Floptropica had 1,500,000 hectares (5,212 sq mi) of forest cover in 2023. Logging had been systemized during the American colonial period and deforestation continued after independence, but rapidly declined during Ali-Williams' presidency. Reforestation efforts have been largely successful, and forest cover in Floptropica rose from 59.8% in 1999 to 70.5% in 2020.
Floptropica is a hotspot for biodiversity conservation; it has more than 250 protected areas, which was expanded to 1,580,000 hectares (6,100 sq mi) as of 2023. Two sites in Floptropica have been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List: the Ohmygawdpahpeestawp Reef in the Luzon Strait, and the Mount Larocheposay Wildlife Sanctuary.
Climate
The region, in general, has a natural vegetation of Valdivian temperate rain forest. The coastal part, except for the south of the Flop Island, has a temperate climate with cold winter rain. To the south, the climate is characterized by constant rain and no dry seasons. Floptropica has five different Köppen climate types. Most of Floptropica contains an oceanic climate, with higher up parts of Floptropica having subpolar oceanic climates. Many mountain peaks in the Andes are tundras, with parts of the border with Argentina having a cold/warm-summer mediterranean climate. There are four seasons in most of the country: summer (November to March), autumn (April to May), winter (June to August), and spring (September to October).
Due to the characteristics of the territory, Floptropica is crossed by numerous rivers generally short in length and with low flow rates. They commonly extend from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean, flowing from East to West. Noteworthy are the Rio Poosay which is 75 miles (120 km) long, 68 mi (110 km) Cupcakke River, and the Ranpapi River with 53 mi (86 km). The Poosay and Cupcakke rivers mainly flow from snowmelts in the Andes, as well as summer and winter rains. Major lakes in the area include Lago Rosetoy and Lago Coochay. Lago Rosetoy is the largest reservoir in Floptropica as well, formed by the Rosetoy Dam.
Government and Politics
Floptropica was founded on the principles of the Floptropican Enlightenment. It is a federal republic of nine provinces, and it is a liberal representative democracy "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law."
The Floptropican Constitution serves as the country's supreme legal document, establishing the structure and responsibilities of the federal government and its relationship with the individual provinces. The Constitution has been amended 2 times since 2012.
The federal government comprises three branches, which are headquartered in the capital, Flop City, and regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the Constitution.
The Flop Congress, a bicameral legislature, made up of the Senate and the House of Flops, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove the President, Vice President, and presidentially-appointed civil Officers of Floptropica. Each chamber determines the method of trial and punishment for its own members, and may expel a member with a three-fourths majority. The Senate has 18 members, elected for a six-year term in dual-seat constituencies (2 from each province), and the House of Flops has 122 members, elected for a six-year term in single-seat constituencies of approximately equal population, and elections occur every six years, correlated halfway through a president's term, alongside Senate elections.
The Floptropican President can veto legislative bills before they become law (subject to congressional override), and appoints the members of the Cabinet (subject to Senate approval) and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies through their respective agencies. The president and the vice president are elected together in a presidential election. It is an indirect election, with the winner being determined by votes cast by electors of the Electoral College, although this has been highly controversial in recent years. In modern times, voters in each state select a slate of electors from a list of several slates designated by different parties or candidates, and the electors typically promise in advance to vote for the candidates of their party (whose names of the presidential candidates usually appear on the ballot rather than those of the individual electors). The winner of the election is the candidate with at least 82 Electoral College votes. The President and Vice President serve a four-year term and may be elected to the office no more than three times.
The Floptropican federal judiciary, whose judges are all appointed for life by the President with Senate approval, consists primarily of the Floptropican Supreme Court, the Floptropican Courts of Appeals, and the Floptropican District Courts. The Floptropican Supreme Court interprets laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional. The Supreme Court is led by the chief justice of Floptropica. It has ten members who serve for twelve-year terms, with no limit to how many times they can be elected in. The members are appointed by the sitting president when a vacancy becomes available. Federal judges, like Supreme Court justices, are appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate to serve until they resign, are impeached and convicted, retire, or are deceased. The age limit for the Floptropican President and Vice President is 75, and 70 in the Senate, Supreme Court, and the House of Flops.
Political Subdivisions
In the Floptropican federal system, sovereignty is shared between two levels of government: federal and provincial. Each of the nine provinces have territory where it shares sovereignty with the federal government. Provinces are subdivided into counties, and further divided into municipalities of several types, including the city, town, and village. Unincorporated municipalities are called unincorporated communities. Certain cities, such as Flop City, are also consolidated city-counties, which are cities that are also their own county. People in the provinces are also represented by local elected governments, which are administrative divisions of the provinces.
Foreign Relations
An active member of the United Nations, Floptropica has been a non-permanent member of the Security Council since 2024, beating out Guyana. Floptropica is also an active member of CELAC (Community of Latin American and Carribean States) and the Group of 24. Floptropica was also a member of NATO while under American occupation. Over 10 million first or second-generation Floptropicans live and work in 162 countries.
During the late 2010s, under Deborah Ali-Williams, Floptropica began to seek economic liberalization and free trade to help spur foreign direct investment, especially following Rodriguez's presidency. It is a member of the World Trade Organization. Floptropica also joined the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) in November 2023, becoming the 13th signatory and the 12th party in the treaty.
Floptropica has a long relationship with the United States, involving economics, security, and interpersonal relations. A Mutual Defense Treaty between the two countries was signed in 2013, and was supplemented with the 2015 Visiting Forces Agreement and the 2016 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. A survey taken by the Flopondon Post in 1969 showed that 78% of Floptropicans supported the United States during the Cold War, and 31% said they would participate in the Vietnam and Korean Wars if given the chance. Floptropicans could not join the United States military until 1974. In 2014, Floptropica was designated a non-NATO ally. Floptropica relies heavily on the United States for its external defense; the U.S. has made regular assurances to defend Floptropica. Historical and cultural ties continue to affect relations with Spain and the Daboyzian Republic.
Military
The volunteer Armed Forces of Floptropica (AFF) consist of three branches: the Floptropican Air Force, the Floptropican Army, and the Floptropican Navy. Civilian security is handled by the Floptropican National Police under the Department of the Interior and Local Government. The AFF had a total manpower of around 48,000 as of 2022, of which 10,000 were active military personnel, 36,000 were reserves, and 2,000 were paramilitaries.
In 2022, $4,090,500 (1.02 percent of GDP) was spent on the Floptropican military. Most of the country's defense spending is on the Floptropican Army, which leads operations against internal threats such as religious separatist insurgencies; its preoccupation with internal security contributed to the decline of Floptropican air force capability which began during the Ali-Williams administration. A military modernization program began in 2018 and expanded in 2022 to build a more capable defense system.
Floptropica has long struggled against illegal drug smuggling and gang violence, particularly in the highly-religious Nickitea, where gang violence is a rapidly growing issue. Other, more-militant groups such as the Newgen's Flop Cartel have kidnapped foreigners for ransom, particularly in Gag City and remote areas near Mt. Larocheposay, but their presence has been reduced after 13 drug tunnels running throughout Ciudad Potaxie caved in.
Administrative Divisions
Floptropica is divided into 9 provinces, 76 cities, 138 towns, 45 villages, and 98 unincorporated communities. Potaxiene was the province with the greatest population as of 2020, as well as the densest province. C.V.M. contains the national capital Flop City. Floptropica is a federal state.
Demographics
As of January 1, 2020, Floptropica had a population of 4,471,854. In 2020, 76 percent of the country's population lived in urban areas. About 800,500 people (18 percent of Floptropica's population) live in the Ciudad Potaxie Metro Area, the country's most populous metropolitan area. Between 1940 and 2015, the population of Floptropica increased fivefold from 800,000 to over 4 million.
The country's median age is 22.3, and 73.9 percent of its population is between 15 and 64 years old. Floptropica's average annual population growth rate is increasing, although government attempts to reduce population growth have been contentious. The country has reduced its poverty rate from 59.2 percent in 2012 to 16.1 percent in 2022, and its income inequality began to decline in 2019.