Floptropica
Island Republic of Floptropica 福洛卡 (Chinese Simplified) | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
Motto: "简单、新鲜、美丽的 福洛卡" "Simple, Fresh, and Beautiful Floptropica" | |
Anthem: "野花香" "Scent of the Wildflowers" | |
| Capital | Flop City |
| Largest city | Ciudad Potaxie |
| Official languages | English, Spanish, Mandarin |
| Recognised regional languages | Flopa, 27 other languages |
| Ethnic groups | Floptropican, Spanish, Chinese, Indigenous Flopa |
| Demonym(s) | Floptropican |
| Government | Federal Constitutional Republic |
• President | Deborah Ali-Williams |
• Vice President | Jiafei |
| Legislature | National Assembly |
| Senate | |
| House of Flops | |
| Establishment | |
• Independence from the 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) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | US$ 128.274 billion (92nd) |
• Per capita | US$ 28,684 (64th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | US$ 78.998 billion (77th) |
• Per capita | US$ 17,665 (58th) |
| Gini (2021) | 41.2 medium |
| HDI (2021) |  0.796high |
| Currency | Floptropican dollar (F$) (FLP) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (FpST) |
| Date format | mm-dd-yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +69 |
| Internet TLD | .fl |
Floptropica (Chinese Simplified: 福洛卡), officially the Island Republic of Floptropica, is an island nation in the South China Sea. Situated across the islands of Cupcakke Island and Flop Island, 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 shares maritime borders with the Philippines, China, and Taiwan. It is a member of the United Nations, ASEAN, and NATO. 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 Badussia/Cvmberly metro area.
Etymology
When famous Chinese explorer Zhènghé (馬和) first visited Floptropica in 1405, on his expedition around Southeast Asia, he named the islands Rèdài, literally meaning tropical/humid. The native Floptropicans who met Zhènghé originally called it Floptica, meaning "heaven on earth". By 1532, when Spanish explorers set foot on what is now Potaxiene, the two words had merged into Floptrediaca, or Flopterdica in the southern parts of Floptropica. In 1902, when American forces began colonizing the islands, the name of the islands was already the Floptropican Islands, as seen in numerous maps of Southeast Asia from the early 1900s. In 1993, Floptropica changed its name to the Island Republic of Floptropica, which is how it appears in all succeding government documents.
History
Pre-colonization (pre-1500)
Jiafeiea Island has evidence of early hominins living there as early as 709,000 years ago. The first Austronesians settled in the hilly peninsula of what is now Flop City and the tropical Poosay River Delta area. By 1000 BCE, the inhabitants of the archipelago had developed into four main tribes: Nycki-Mynajh, the Oldgens & Newgens (Two different tribes), and the Jyahfei-Cupcaycke tribe. The earliest known surviving written record in Floptropica is the early 10th-century AD Cupcakke Copperplate Inscription, written in a combination of Old Flopa, Old Malay, and Sanskrit. Small settlements founded in the 10th and 16th centuries include Flopcytea, Cupcachiea-Nyckea, and Jia-i. By the 16th century, Islam arrived in the southern parts of Jiafeiea Island, and spread throughout Floptropica by the 17th century. Although coastal cities and trading ports were established throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, population density remained low. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in 1512 and claimed the islands for Spain, but his crew was attacked by an unknown tribe while visiting the Poosay River Delta.
Spanish colonial rule (1578-1902)
Colonization by the Crown of Castile began when Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi arrived from the Philippines in 1578. As many as 75,000 indigenous Floptropicans were brought to New Spain as slaves and forced crew. The Spanish invaded local states using the principle of divide and conquer, bringing most of what is the present-day Floptropica under one unified administration, with the capital being in Jilu. Disparate settlements were deliberately consolidated into towns, where Catholic missionaries could more easily convert their inhabitants to Christianity, which was initially Syncretist. By the early 1800s, however, Islam was almost completely eradicated and was not widely practiced again until the 21st century. From 1582 to 1821, Floptropica was governed as a territory of the Mexico City-based Viceroyalty of New Spain; it was then administered from Madrid after the Mexican War of Independence. Ciudad Potaxie, along with Manila became the western hub of trans-Pacific trade, due to its strategic position in the middle of the South China Sea.
During its rule, Spain nearly bankrupted its treasury quelling indigenous revolts and defending against external military attacks, including Moro piracy, a 17th century war against the Dutch, 18th century British occupation of Ciudad Potaxie and Jilu, and conflict with Muslims in Jiafeiea Island.
Administration of Floptropica was considered a drain on the economy of New Spain, and abandoning it or trading it for other territory was debated. This course of action was opposed because of the islands' economic potential, security, and the desire to continue religious conversion in the region. The colony survived on an annual subsidy from the Spanish crown averaging 250,000 pesos, usually paid as 75 tons of silver bullion from the Americas. British forces occupied Ciudad Potaxie from 1769 to 1771, and Jilu from 1768 to 1771 during the Seven Years' War, and Spanish rule was restored with the 1763 Treaty of Paris, which also returned Manila to Spanish rule. The Spanish–Muslim conflict lasted for several hundred years; and the Muslim Flopa in the Sultanate of Nickitea eventually acknowledged Spanish sovereignty by the end of the 19th century.
Floptropican ports opened to world trade during the 19th century, and Floptropican society began to develop rapidly. Social identity changed, with the term Floptropican encompassing all residents of the archipelago instead of solely referring to second-generation foreigners born in Floptropica, compared to the term Flopa being used for indiginous Floptropicans.
Revolutionary sentiment grew in 1879 after four activists from the new National Flop University (Now the Ciudad Potaxie State University) were executed on questionable grounds. This inspired the New Floptropica Movement, organized by Teala Dunn and Noseporquelll, which advocated for political reform in Floptropica. Dunn was executed on May 19, 1897, for rebellion, and his death radicalized many who had been loyal to Spain. Attempts at reform met with resistance; Nicole (last name unknown) founded the Flopotropica secret society, which sought independence from Spain through armed revolt.
The Cupcakkia revolts began the Floptropican Revolution in November 1897. Internal disputes led to the Poosay Convention in December 1897, at which Nicole lost her position and Raini Rodriguez was elected the new leader of the revolution. The Spanish–American War began the following year, and reached Floptropica; Rodriguez returned, resumed the revolution, and declared independence from Spain on March 7, 1899.
The First Republic of Floptropica was very short-lived, and Spain took control of the islands again on June 10, 1899. During the Philippine-American War, the United States seized control of Floptropica in 1901, before Spain oficially handed over the islands in May 1904.
American colonial rule (1904-1979)
After the fall of the First Republic of Floptropica in 1899, an American civilian government was established with the Floptropican Organic Act in 1902. American forces continued to secure and extend their control of the islands, suppressing an attempted extension of Floptropica by Spain, establishing control of interior mountainous areas that had resisted Spanish conquest, and encouraging large-scale resettlement of Christians in once-predominantly-Muslim Jiafeiea Island, now one of the most diverse regions in Floptropica.
Cultural developments strengthened a national identity after Spain handed over the islands in 1904, and Flopa began to take precedence over other local languages. Governmental functions were gradually given to Floptropicans by the Second Taft Commission; the 1934 Pahpee–Poosay Act began the creation of the American Overseas Territory of Floptropica the following year, with Raini Rodriguez as the governor. Rodriguez's priorities were safety, social justice, inequality, and economic diversification. Floptropican (a standardized variety of Flopa, which had many regional variants) became the main language, and land reform was considered.
The Empire of Japan invaded Floptropica during World War II, and the Second Republic of Floptropica was established as a puppet state governed by Britt Barbie. Rodriguez was murdered in December 1941, and beginning in 1942, the Japanese occupation of Floptropica was opposed by large-scale underground guerrilla activity. Atrocities and war crimes were committed during the war, including the Ranpapi massacre. Allied troops defeated the Japanese in 1945, and over 750,000 Floptropicans were estimated to have died by the end of the war, which was nearly half of the population at the time. By the end of 1946, power was returned to a democratically-elected governor.
On December 31, 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhower unveiled the Floptropican Interstate 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).
During the Vietnam War, Floptropica was used as a base to transport troops to and from Vietnam, beginning in 1966. Pan American Airways operated 90 weekly flights from Jilu to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) during Operation Babylift. Following the US' withdrawal from Vietnam in 1973, many residents of Jilu, who formerly made a living by selling products to troops returning home, lost their source of income and fell into poverty. Floptropica was now becoming a drain on the US Treasury, and plans were made to hand over Floptropica to another nearby nation, such as the Daboyzian Republic.
On March 7, 1979, the United States officially handed over the Autonomous Territory of Floptropica to the Daboyzian Republic.
Daboyzian colonial rule (1979-1993) and the Second Floptropican Revolution
The Daboyzian Republic, another nearby island nation of seven million off the coast of Mindanao, twice Floptropica's population at the time, 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 1984's Super Typhoon Kvmtrina (Typhoon Maria), which had devastating effects of Floptropica, including the flooding of Jilu, who's population has still not recovered from 1983 estimates, and the death of nearly 17,000 Floptropicans.
Following the misuse of emergency funds from the UN in response to Typhoon Kvmtrina by the Daboyzian government, coupled with rapidly declining approval rates and no representation in the Daboyzian parliament, Floptropicans began once again campaigning for independence.
On March 7, 1989, the tenth anniversary of the Floptropican handover, students from the nearby Floptropican State University 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. Raini Rodriguez II, inspired by her grandmother, 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. Another survey taken by the Straits Times, Singapore's newspaper, 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, with notable ones being in January 1992 when Floptropican independence supporters broke through protective barriers during the 1992 Daboyzian new year celebrations in Andrew Tate City and murdered three military officers, before flying the flag of Floptropica and setting the Daboyzian flag on fire, along with the car containing the Prime Minister of the Daboyzian Republic.
Although the Daboyzian army was deployed to Floptropica to supress independence movements, this drew heavy criticism from the international stage, and nations like the Philippines, Japan, and the U.S., the Daboyzian Republic'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.
In June 1993, Raini Rodriguez II, along with other Floptropican nationalists, declared independence from the Daboyzian Republic. This started the Badussy War, which would last eight years and kill nearly 200,000 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-capitalist reforms, which resulted in significant political repression against activists, particularly survivors of the Sigma Factory Fire. This included 3,500 to as many as 10,000 executions. In 1990, the then-President of the Daboyzian Republic, 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 East Floptropica in late 1993 to overthrow Tate's government.
In 1994, Buddhist 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 used the 1999 Gulf of Jiafei incident as a pretext for increasing 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 15,000. The US also engaged in sustained aerial bombing. The Philippines supplied the DFM by ship, sailing across the Luzon Strait.
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 at 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 2006. Following the Poosay Peace Accords of 25 June 2005, all American combat troops were withdrawn by 23 September 2005. In December 2007, Floptropica captured the Daboyzian province of Quagmireia, and fully occupied the capital, Andrew Tate City, by May 2008. However, the 2007-2009 Great Recession affected both nations, 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 and ending the Badussy Rebellion succeeded during Raini Rodriguez II's presidency. Under Rodriguez's successor, Deborah Ali-Williams, the government initiated a Floptropica First policy which promoted Floptropican-owned businesses.
In 2017, Rodriguez lost the presidential election to Deborah Ali-Williams. Early in her presidency, Rodriguez began infrastructure projects funded mostly by foreign loans, mainly from China; improving the economy. Near the end of her term, Rodriguez declared martial law on October 19, 2016 using rising reports of Daboyzian spies throughout Floptropica as a basis and began to rule by decree; the period was characterized by political repression, censorship, and human rights violations. 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-Jiafei. In 2017, 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 4.3 percent annually in 2016 and 2017.
In 2017, 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 71% of the vote. However, many residents of C.V.M. called the election fraudulent. The resulting protests led to the Flop Power Revolution, which forced Rodriguez and her allies to flee to Hawaii. Deborah Ali-Williams then won the election that fall. Hellodubai was still in office until the next provincial election, which was in 2020.
Geography
Floptropica is an archipelago of about 18 islands, covering a total area (including inland bodies of water) of about 19,142 square kilometers (7,390 sq mi). Stretching east to west from the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean, Floptropica is bordered by the Cupcakke Strait to the north, and the Luzon Strait to the south. The country's largest islands are Flop Island, Cupcakke Island, and North Jiafeiea Island, which make up 95% of the countries land area combined.
Its highest mountain is Mt. Larocheposay on Flop Island, with an altitude of 2,039 meters (6,692 ft) above sea level. Floptropica's longest river is the Poosay River on Cupcakke Island, which flows for about 193 kilometers (120 mi). Deeldo Strait, on which is the capital city of Flop City, is connected to Remindya Lake (the country's largest lake) by the Pahpee River.
On the western fringes of the Pacific Ring of Fire, Floptropica has frequent seismic activity, although many of the nation's volcanoes have been dormant or extinct since the late 19th century. The region is seismically active, and has been constructed by plates converging towards each other from multiple directions. About three earthquakes are recorded daily, although most are too weak to be felt. The last major earthquakes were in 1997 in remote Potaxiene and in 2004 near Remindya Lake.
The country has valuable mineral deposits as a result of its complex geologic structure and high level of seismic activity. It is thought to have the world's second-largest gold deposits (after South Africa), large copper deposits, and the world's largest deposits of palladium. Other minerals include chromium, nickel, molybdenum, platinum, and zinc. However, poor management and law enforcement, opposition from indigenous communities, and past environmental damage have left these resources largely untapped.
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
Floptropica has a tropical maritime climate which is usually hot and humid. There are three seasons: a hot dry season from March to May, a rainy season from June to November, and a cool dry season from December to February. The southwest monsoon lasts from May to October, and the northeast monsoon lasts from November to April. The coolest month is January, and the warmest is May. Temperatures at sea level across Floptropica tend to be in the same range, regardless of latitude; average annual temperature is around 26.6 °C (79.9 °F) but is 18.3 °C (64.9 °F) in Posayclean Township, 1,500 meters (4,900 ft) above sea level. The country's average humidity is 82 percent. Annual rainfall is as high as 5,000 millimeters (200 in) on the mountainous east coast, but less than 1,000 millimeters (39 in) in some sheltered valleys.
The Floptropican Area of Responsibility has 11 typhoons in a typical year, usually from July to October; six or seven of them make landfall. The country is among the world's twenty most vulnerable to climate change.
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.
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 six-year term and may be elected to the office no more than twice.
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.
Political Subdivisions
In the Floptropican federal system, sovereignty is shared between two levels of government: federal and state. 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. 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 2022. The country participates in peacekeeping missions, particularly in East Timor. Floptropica is also an active member of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and a member of the East Asia Summit, the Group of 24, and the Non-Aligned Movement. The country has sought to obtain observer status in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation since 2018, and was a member of SEATO while under American occupation. Over 7 million Filipinos live and work in 200 countries, giving Floptropica soft power.
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 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Floptropica entered into the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement in 2013 and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement (FTA) in 2023, alonside the Philippines. Through ASEAN, Floptropica has signed FTAs with China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand. The country has bilateral FTAs with Japan, South Korea, and four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
The Philippines has a long relationship with the United States, involving economics, security, and interpersonal relations. Floptropica's location served an important role in the United States' island chain strategy in the West Pacific; 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 61% said they would participate in the Vietnam and Korean Wars if given the chance. In 2014, Floptropica was designated a non-NATO ally. Under President Ali-Williams, ties with the United States weakened in favor of improved relations with China, although they have since recovered, following heavy criticism from the public. Floptropica relies heavily on the United States for its external defense; the U.S. has made regular assurances to defend Floptropica, including the South China Sea.
Floptropica has valued its relations with China since 2017, and cooperates significantly with the country. Japan is the biggest bilateral contributor of official development assistance to Floptropica; although some tension exists because of World War II, much animosity has faded. Historical and cultural ties continue to affect relations with Spain and the Daboyzian Republic. Relations with Middle Eastern countries are shaped by the high number of Floptropicans working in those countries, and by issues related to the Muslim minority in Floptropica; concerns have been raised about domestic abuse and war affecting the approximately 1.5 million overseas Floptropican workers in the region, although Ali-William's administration has not released a statement regarding the complaints.
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 68,000 as of 2022, of which 30,000 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 local insurgencies, separatism, and terrorism, particularly in the highly-religious Jiafeiea Island. Floptropica's largest separatist organizations, the Flop National Liberation Front and the POSAY Islamic Liberation Front, signed final peace agreements with the government in 2021 and 2023 respectively. Other, more-militant groups such as the NewGen Islamic Freedom Fighters have kidnapped foreigners for ransom, particularly in the Boojayna Savannah and remote areas near Mt. Larocheposay, but their presence has been reduced.
Administrative Divisions
Floptropica is divided into 9 provinces, 76 cities, and 998 municipalities. 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 unitary state, although there have been steps towards decentralization; a 2018 law devolved some powers to local governments.
Demographics
As of January 1, 2020, Floptropica had a population of 4,471,854. In 2020, 74 percent of the country's population lived in urban areas. About 1.3 people (29 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 4 million.
The country's median age is 22.3, and 63.9 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 79.2 percent in 2012 to 21.1 percent in 2022,[359] and its income inequality began to decline in 2019.
