Raocuengh

Raocuengh (: "壮國", tr. Zhuang Gwok, [ˈbæk fɔŋ]; : Tày-Nùng), officially known as the The Autonomous Governate of Raocuengh (Rao: 自治區壮國; Bakanese: 生菜昆自治悭; Yuenese: Chính Quyền Tự Trị Tày-Nùng), is an   of Beifang located in the southeast of the Eurybian. Consisting of 4 major islands and dozens of smaller landmasses, the archipelago has an area of 20,425 km2 (7886 mi2). Dakai Nong is the capital city as well as most populous and is the financial, cultural, and political center of Raocuengh.

The Rao Archipelago was believed to have been formed after chain volcanic eruptions occurred nearly 350000 years ago, creating the largest island of Bei'xdakbu. Across a span of 50000 years, unstable volcanic activity formed the other three major islands, Nuengxdakgoeng, Heungdakboh, and Aubohmeh.

Humans migrated to the island chain about 13000 years ago sometime during the Upper Paleolithic period. Archeological evidence suggests the existence of an advanced pottery culture centered around Heungdakboh. (TBC)

Etymology
"Raocuengh" is the native name for the island archipelago. "Rao" means "Sea People", while "Cuengh" means "Realm".

The island chain has been called several names throughout its history, with its earliest mention in 3rd century CE Bakanese records as "Lo-Keng." Other names such as "Mou Xeng", "Hung Xiu", and "Tai-Krep" were used for the various dynasties of Raocuengh.

Under Bakanese administration, the islands were organized into two protectorates and one governorate, all administrated by a Governor-General. They were called "Yut-fei", "Hong Bao Do", and "Bak Dao", respectively. In 1982, the region was elevated to the status of an autonomous Imperial Dependency. Since then, the archipelago is officially referred to as "Lou Kweng.

In the Yue language, the country is called "Ràng Khánh", a term independent of the Bakanese or Rao meanings. Other names include "Tày-Nùng", and "Quốc gia Đảo Tây". It is also called "Rào Khánh", though it is used less commonly.

Prehistory and Antiquity
The migration of proto-Wu peoples split into two groups, the Kren-Pa and the Yxing Hai, respectively. The latter migrated to the island chain during the Upper Paleolithic era, giving rise to a clay pottery culture cultivated sometime in the 2nd millenium BCE, though traces of this group are all but nonexistent save for a few amphorae. A pseudo-tribal confederacy arose sometime in the 9th century BCE, centered around the island of Aubohmeh. Though records of its history are considered to be semi-mythical, neighboring Bakanese peoples mentioned them as the Yat-Fung, "barbarians in the West", a title likely stemming from the stories told by traders at the time. First official contact with the Rao islanders was established under the administration of King

Modernisation and Fu Gwok Movement (1852-1915)
Despite economic reforms passed in the early 18th century to adapt to rising Artemian dominance, Beifang gradually fell behind due to conservative attitudes towards modernisation by the emperor. Legislative vetoes of imperial decrees had already reduced the power of the throne, but with the arrival of Teuton colony ships to Kesh, many in the Siwu and Si-ga houses saw the looming threat of Artemian colonisation. A skirmish with a Teutonian warship saw the loss of 4 Gwan Fat - class warships.



The Grand Campaigns (1915-1926)

 * See more: The Grand Campaigns

Beifang participated in the Grand Campaigns on the side of Teutonia and Kodeshia via its historical alliance with Mero-Curgovina. Entering the war in 1919, the Siwa legislature issued a formal declaration of war on Tiperyn and its allies while supporting Kodeshia in its land reclamations against Artemian imperialism. Upon the entry of the Caliphate and Guurdalai into the war, Beifang launched a massive invasion of west Guurdalai and sent expeditionary forces to Alvakalia to combat the Caliphate. Additional troops were also deployed to Mero-Curgovina to fight Tiperyn and Republican forces in Artemia. The initial stages of Bakanese entry were lackluster, as fighting on the Kesh front ended in brutal stalemates. Guurdalaian troops had effectively locked down defensive borders utilising trench warfare tactics and machine guns of Tiperyn origin. The Kesh front did see the first extensive use of Beifang's air force and would mark the expansion of an official air corps. The gradual defeat of Guurdalai led to peace treatises and concessions to Kodeshia and Beifang, the latter both of whom supported Alvakalian independence against a crumbling Teutonic Empire.

Yindong Crises (1963-1976)
The destruction left in the wake of the Great Kesh War ravaged the regional economy. Refugees, war reparations, and reconstruction created a rift between the mostly intact Bakanese economy and the neighboring countries. While Alvakalia, Kodeshia, and Guurdalai rebuilt their respective nations, Beifang experienced positive economic growth for 5 years, upheld mostly by domestic commerce and banking. In 1963, the economy suffered badly after sanctions from Artemia and Avalonia wreaked havoc on Bakanese exports. Faced with overproduction and a potential market upset, the Yindong was automatically devalued by 0.083% in a span of 3 months. tbc

Demography
Beifang had an estimated population of 116,560,000 as of 25 June 2018.

Language


95% of Beifang's population can speak Standard Bakanese or Min Bakanese, as it is considered the lingua franca, while 52% of the population either speaks a dialect of Bakanese or knows a second regional language. Historians believe that the 8 tribes of Wu had their own languages with unique dialects of ancient Bakanese. Studies of old records have proven for example, that Yang Bakanese was mutually unintelligible with Yelang Bakanese. After the Unification Wars, it is believed that the Min dialect became more prominent around the Wu area and the old proto-languages either adopted Min words or merged with Min. During the time of the Kodeshian domination, Bakanese was exposed to the Kodeshian language and consequently absorbed many loanwords; up to an estimated 15% of Standard Bakanese is intelligible with Kodeshian with an additional 45% of the vocabulary consisting of loanwords. Regional dialects are still highly reminiscent of the original languages once spoken by the other tribes. The Bakanese script is a modified form of Kodeshian calligraphy, though characters are not mutually understandable between the two.



On the other hand, Yue is often classified as its own language group due to its geographic isolation away from the other tribes as well as its linguistic preservation since the days of the Minyue. Yuenese and Bakanese share many common words with each other; the former often containing many naturalised words and phrases from Bakanese and Kodeshian. Yuenese also has considerable foreign influence such as borrowed vocabulary from Mero-Curgovina and Anglic traders. An estimated 41% of Bakanese people can speak Yuenese despite ethnic Yue making up only 27% of the population. Contrastly to Bakanese, Yuenese utilises a Latin alphabet instead of Kodeshian characters due to more exposure and influence to Artemian traders in the neo-classical era. However, linguists have confirmed that Yuenese once used form of calligraphy with roots in Kodeshian, though character designs and script look nothing alike.

Beifang also contains fusion languages, resulting from the Artemian colonial era. The special port of Tsih-Pa Ra was a former Mero-Curgovinian trade outpost that grew into a bustling economic hub in the late 19th century. The majority of the population there speak Meronese, a unique dialect of Bakanese with over 85% of its vocabulary consisting of loanwords from Mero-Curgovinian.

Considered a universal language, Anglic is spoken primarily in urban areas of the country. Places with a large number of expatriates or foreigners often have signs and demarcations in Anglic. The language is also the official international business language of the nation, learned by students all throughout their years of schooling. It is believed that Anglic was first introduced to Beifang in the early 19th century when Tiperyn traders arrived to the Far East and established commercial relations.

Government
Beifang is ruled by an   lasting over 1500 years, making it one of the oldest modern nations on Anterra. The Upper Legislature, the Siwu House of Nobility, is comprised of noble lords that descend from the feudal lords of medieval Beifang. The Lower Si-Ga House of Proletariats represents the interests of the common people and is a democratic element heavily influenced by Artemian Enlightenment ideas. The Emerald Throne is the seat of power for the emperor, who has limited but considerable powers over the legislature.

Monarch

 * See: List of Bakanese Dynasties and Monarchs

Provinces and Territories
The Wu Megapolis Area is the most populous province in Beifang and is the cultural, political, and economic center of the country. Originally 4 separate prefectures, the province was formed in 1981 with the Zan Hing Hing economic reforms. By combining the 4 prefectures, companies and economic factors were now centered around one dense area in the country. With a staggering population of 55.7 million people living in a metropolitan area about 39,380 km2 (15,200 sq mi) large, the province has one of the largest concentrations of people in the world with about 1415 people per/km2. The area has a well-established reputation as a world-class city while dominating geo-economics in East Kesh with a rich history dating back nearly two millennia.

Military

 * See more: Bakanese Navy

The Imperial Armed Forces is the military of the Imperial State of Beifang. Formally established in 503 CE, its modern iteration was formed in 1856 with the formal restructuring of military services and doctrine. With the help of Mero-Curgovinian and Teutonian advisors, Beifang had transformed its feudalistic levy armies into a rustic, modern power.

Economy
One of the largest economies on Kesh and in the world, Beifang has stood as a bastion of pro-entrepreneurial policies and a business-friendly market. For most of its history, the country relied heavily on the fertile lands and natural harbours around the lake, with economic activity mainly centered around the cities of Quang Chau and Taywu. It wasn't until the establishment of the Mero-Curgovinian trade outpost of Tsih-Pa Ra (Scipara in Mero-Curgovinian) that the nation began to undergo gradual economic reforms in order to adapt to the rising globalised trade system and the growing power of the Artemian nations. In the latter half of the 18th century, Beifang fought a brief naval skirmish against the early Teutonian fleets that colonised the nearby lands of later Alvakalia. Upon seeing the strength and importance of a modern navy, the Siwu Council of Nobility forced the conservative Emperor Yue Kong (Viet Cuong) to sign the 100 Compromises Treaty, which limited the authority of the Emperor and placed matters of the economy and legislature into the hands of the Siwu and Si-Ga legislative houses. The opportunistic noblemen opened the country to Artemian influences and immediately witnessed an influx of new technologies and ideas brought in by western traders. The Fu Gwok Koeng Gwan (Nước Giàu Quân đội Mạnh) or Fu Gwok (Phú Quốc) Movement in 1852 saw the rise of a new class of entrepreneurs, industrialists, and the implementation of laissez-faire government economic policies whilst a growing middle class developed a large, favourable market for foreign companies to invest in the country throughout the 19th century. Young students were often sent abroad primarily to Teutonia and Mero-Curgovina to study western economic theories and law. In modern times, the shipping sector accounts for 7% percent of the GDP while the manufacturing sector accounts for 29%. Private enterprise makes up an astonishing 82% of the country's economic output with the public sector holding only 9%. The economy is dominated by service industries, although shipbuilding, shipping, transportation, and biotech make up large shares. The Taywu Stock Exchange is one of the largest on Kesh, listing 2,142 companies as of 2018 worth a combined total of $4.1 trillion. As such, Beifang can be considered one of the maturest and most westernised economies in Kesh.

Economic system
The Commission of Trade and Commerce has strict guidelines and standards that pervades all levels of economic activity in the country. Beifang implements a unique variation of the system known as, in which the means of production are owned privately, but the state has considerable control over the allocation of credit and investment as well as intervening in the economy to protect and advance the interests of businesses. The central government invests heavily in its private sector with often lavish to a level dubbed "" by many business-goers. Ironically despite Beifang's for big corporations, many upstart small businesses find success in the country due to the  managed by the government and a large pool of skilled human capital to grow a small company.

Foreign investment is also a key factor in Beifang's development sector, as it drives private land owners outside of the Wu megacity area to usher in, where barren land is reclaimed as fertile and habitable soil. Since 2000, approximately 82,000 km2 has been reclaimed from the desert sands and developed as either human dwellings or agricultural and manufacturing plots. However, economic consequences have resulted in the migration of businesses out of the condensed and competitive megacity area in favour of more open, cheaper land out in the green Sik Wa areas. Subsequently, the economic importance of the Wu megacity has waned in the last few years but remains the powerhouse of Beifang's economy.