Yeosan Islands

The Yeosan Islands, officially the Equatorial Republic of the Yeosan Islands, is an island nation comprising an eleven-island chain lying entirely on the Equator, located 1,840 km east of Komishima, and 3,080 km east of Akiteiwa and continental Kesh.

Etymology
The name "Yeosan" derives form the words 여 (yeo), meaning 'many', and 산 (san), meaning 'mountain'. The name is an, and its first recorded usage only dates back to 8th century, with the first encounter between the Yeosani and the people from mainland Kesh. It is widely accepted for the name to have been in use for longer before that, however, no other form of material evidence exists.

History

 * Main article: History of the Yeosan Islands

Prehistory

 * Main article: Tethys migration

During the Bronze Age, in the second millennium BCE, the first Yeosani civilizations started as small riverine communities in East Kesh, particularly in a small part of the territory that encompasses present-day Kodeshia and Selengeria around the Shimao river. This people group spoke what has been categorized as, the oldest known relative to the modern Yeosani language. Based on old Kodeshi and Yeosani records, the Yeosani people, formerly known in the continent as Shiren (meaning 'people of the Shimao River'), were subjected to linguistic oppression from Narangol and Kodeshi states alike, in time driving a sizable amount of their population to flee continental Kesh. It is estimated that around a thousand Yeosani people fled the continent, while less than half of them actually reaching the islands that today encompass the Yeosan Islands, with the remaining settling in Shimakawa or Komishima, closer to the mainland, or dying at sea. As indicated by the earliest evidence found in the Yeosan island chain of human presence, it is believed for these first Yeosani civilization to have reached the islands around the years 2290 and 2280 BCE, where they settled for a long time on the island of Ilsan, the largest of them, before inhabiting the remaining islands.

Pre-colonial kingdoms

 * Main article: Insular Kingdoms of the Yeosan Islands

Colonization

 * Main article: Colonization of the Yeosan Islands
 * See also: Akiteiwa

Independence from Akiteiwa

 * See also: Grand Campaigns

In January of 1926, as a result of the Grand Campaigns, the government of Akiteiwa had begun to loose influence and hold on its territories in Tethys Ocean, that had until that time been fully integrated within the country's political system and cultural sphere. In the case of the Yeosan Islands, this period of loosen authority, combined with the newly acquired legislative autonomy, made way for the rise of separatist movements and a rapid spread of republicanism as a major ideology among the native population. Many anti-monarchist protests took place during the months of February and March across all islands, with the largest of them being the Sit-in of Saekung on 3 March 1926, during which nearly 30,000 people sat down in the main street of the colony's capital as a form of peaceful protest for an independent Legislature.

On 15 April of 1926, the Royal and Imperial Diet of Akiteiwa passed the ??? Decree, a legislative act that increased the sovereignty of the Territory of the Yeosan Islands, and in turn removed nearly all of the Akitei Legislature's authority over the Yeosani parliament, having the effect of making the Territory a sovereign nation in its own right. That very same year, the position of Prime Minister of the Yeosan Island was created, and only two months later, the Constitution of the Yeosan Islands was established as the supreme law. Akitei officials were repatriated and replaced with Yeosani ones, and all establishments that didn't carry Yeosani designations up until that point were renamed.

Transition into a republic

 * Main article: The 1950s in the Yeosan Islands

A few decades following its independence, the Yeosan Islands became ground for a new wave of republican insurgent movements and growing anti-monarchist feelings among the general population, particularly outside of the main island of Ilsan where the presence of native Yeosani people was more prominent. This was especially solidified at the beginning of the 1950s with the start of, in which Akiteiwa found itself heavily involved, as the population of the Yeosan Islands, and in particular its government, feared the possible retributions, consequence of the country's direct association with Akiteiwa. Toppled with this was the decreasing interest from the Akitei government in the Yeosan Islands as a state less so than the interest for its Akitei citizens living in the islands.

On 3 June 1951, a referendum was held by the Prime Minister at the time, Kim Baek-Son, backed by the Parliament in regards to the republican movement that had risen in the country. At 85% of the votes, the overwhelming majority of the population expressed to be in favor of a Yeosani head of state, with most of the opposition comprising virtually all citizens of Akitei origin. A week later, the Government of the Yeosan Islands announced on 10 June 1951 that it intended to become a republic by 13 January 1952, resulting in the replacement of the hereditary title of Emperor of the Yeosan Islands, and the position of Prime Minister, with the elected positions of President and Vice President of the Yeosan Islands. Despite of this, the country wished to maintain close relations with Akiteiwa in consideration for its Akitei population.

On 13 December 1951, six months after the announcement for the transition was made, the New Yeosani State Bill was introduced to the Parliament. Passed on 31 December, the Bill made amendments to the Constitution of the Yeosan Islands, introducing the office of the President of the Yeosan Islands to the replace the role of Emperor of the Yeosan Islands and Prime Minister. The following week, on 3 January 1952, the Prime Minister Kim Baek-Son nominated himself as temporary President of the Yeosan Islands until proper elections on 15 April of that same year, on the 26th anniversary of the country's independence, to which the Parliament agreed, and the general public showed no opposition given Baek-Son was already the holder of an elected position. He took office on 13 January 1952, and three months later on 15 April the country held its first presidential elections, electing former Member of Parliament Yoon Sun-Hyung as the first official President of the Yeosan Islands, and Hwang Tae-Byeok as Vice President.

Government

 * Main article: Government of the Yeosan Islands

The Yeosan Islands is a, comprising six territories. The Constitution of the Yeosan Islands is codified, and establishes a in the form of the, the , and the.

Executive

 * See also: President of the Yeosan Islands, Vice President of the Yeosan Islands, Chief of the Yeosan Islands

The of the Yeosan Islands is the President, a 6-year term position. The President isn't directly elected by the people, instead they are the head of the political party or coalition to obtain majority at Parliament during, and apart from being head of state, the President is also the of the armed forces. Presidents will always be elected jointly with a candidate for who, after elections, becomes second-in-command in event of the President's absence. Vice Presidents are also granted the position of Chairman of Parliament, and are in charge of overseeing all parliamentary sessions.

A ceremonial Head of State exists in the form of the Chief of the Yeosan Islands, a title that predates that of President. This position was removed during the Akitei occupation of the islands and was readopted with the country's transition into a republic in July of 1952 as a way to reclaim Yeosani cultural identity in all aspects of government. Today the Chief of the Yeosan Islands has no actual power in government, however, because of its position as a symbol of national and cultural pride, they're considered one of the most influential entities in the country. In modern times the Chief is the one to formerly hand over the title of President during presidential ceremonies, as it is a way to showcase the union between the government and the people (represented by the Chief). By convention all Chief will show support for the elected officials as to maintain order amongst the general public.

The Cabinet of the Yeosan Islands, formed by the, is a body of high-ranking state officials part of the Executive power, tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the departments known as , that in turn handle specific areas of politics (e.g. Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc.). The Ministers are drawn from the Legislature, through a process of, between a preselected group of candidates from the different political parties and coalitions.

Legislature

 * ''Main article: Legislature of the Yeosan Island

The Legislature of the Yeosan Islands comprises a body known as the National Parliament of the Yeosan Islands, simply referred to as Parliament, which is itself divided in two chambers: an upper house and a lower house. The upper house, or Senate, hosts elected representatives, known as Senators, of the 6 national territories in an amount that is proportional to the population of each one. The lower house, or Popular Assembly, is formed by national representatives, known as Premiers, elected by the total population as a whole, and the number of which is also proportional to the country's population. As of 2022, there is one Premier for every 15,000 citizens. Premiers and Senators both have a term of 6 years, and general elections occur every 3 years in turns. All legislators will run for elections as either part of a political party or as independent.

The law-making process in the Yeosan Islands starts in either one of the chambers of Parliament, when a legislator or coalition proposes a bill to the chamber. Once a bill is proposed, it must obtain a quorum in order to move to the other half of Parliament, this means more than half of the present chamber must vote in favor of the proposed bill. Shall a quorum be reached, the bill is passed to the remaining chamber, where the same voting system is held. If quorum is reached in both chambers, the bill is then passed to the President, who has the power to either veto or pass the bill as a law. Aside from legislators, the President and Vice President can also propose bills, as well as any citizen granted they comply with the existing requirements.

Judiciary

 * Main article: Judiciary of the Yeosan Islands

The Judiciary of the Yeosan Islands is a fairly small branch of government when compared to the Legislature and the Executive. This branch comprises a Supreme Court formed by eight judges known as Magistrates, all of whom are directly appointed by Parliament and approved by the Chief of the Yeosan Islands. The Magistrates are in charge of interpreting and applying all laws passed at Parliament, and dictating fitting punishments in the event the law is broken. The Supreme Court is located in the capital city of Saekung, however, in an attempt to reach all of its citizens, every island is home to a High Court, created to serve the purpose of, without replacing, the Supreme Court across the entire country. High Courts are formed by four judges each, called Senior Judges, who are specifically instructed to act in direct correspondence with the Magistrates.

Every court in the county is categorized into two: Courts of Appeal, and Courts of Query. Courts of Appeal are the where all cases are presented at the first instance, and more often than not, they will all be resolved within the Court of Appeal, however, in cases where a case is wished to be contested even after its initial resolution this is done in the Courts of Query, specifically designed to go over and analyze all disputed cases. The Supreme Court and the High Courts, though categorized as Courts of Query, are also listed as "courts of last resort", meaning that a case could be presented on the first instance to the Supreme Court but only in matters of national urgency or public demand.

Military
As of 2020, the Yeosan Islands has no form of military personnel or equipment. Most of what could be considered part of military forces in the country are patrol ships, with the sole purpose of defending the Yeosan Islands' territorial waters, and enforcing the respect of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by other larger nations. Police forces do exist and are particularly necessary as to maintain equal order among all the islands, something that has been proven challenging in the past due to the geographical disconnectedness.

In 2017, when asked about the military status of the nation, the former President of the Yeosan Islands, Hae Taek-Byeol, issued the following statement: "The government of the Yeosan Islands has no interest in directing a portion of its Gross Domestic Product to the creation and maintaing of a military. The Yeosan Islands has remained neutral, peaceful, and geographically protected since its inception in 1952, and the world powers have shown this government no reason to believe otherwise. Military action goes against the main beliefs of the Yeosan Islands, which is that of no violence, a belief rooted in our nation's history." (Translation from Yeosani by Im Seok-Joon, 18 December 2017.). Today, the Yeosan Islands is the only sovereign nation in the world without a proper military force.

Geography

 * Main article: Geography of the Yeosan Islands

The Yeosan Islands is an archipelago comprised by eleven volcanic islands located on the West Tethy Ocean, by which is surrounded on all sides, and lying entirely on the line of the. Nearby are Tiperyn's and Akiteiwa's Komishima Islands to the west, and Chezzetcook's Iles Saint Croix to the east. The islands have a total surface area of 19,478 km2 (7,520 sq mi), making it the 124th largest country by total land area. The islands, stretching from west to east, are categorized into two groups: the Major Islands to the west, and the Minor Islands to the east, separated by the Strait of Yonggil.

Because of its location south of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the islands are receptors to wind coming from their southeastern side, making this side of all the islands more humid and prone to precipitation, while casting a minor rain shadow effect on the northwestern side of the archipelago, making it drier in comparison. Because of this, the biggest concentration of flora on the island nation is concentrated on its southern side, which is also where most of the population is settled. Due to the islands' location, seasonal change is virtually non-existent, as the temperature remains stable all year round. Instead the country experiences changes in humidity.

Located between the convergent boundaries of the Akitei Plate and South Tethys Plate to the northwest, and the Boreal Plate and South Tethys Plate to the northeast, the Yeosan Islands is subject to a consistent frequency of earthquakes, raging anywhere from 0 to 7-8 in the Richter Scale, with the largest numbers being far less common. The islands are also, though in much less frequency, exposed to possibility of tsunamis. The largest earthquake to have reached the islands took place a few miles north off the easternmost island of Cheunam in the territory of Geunsam in the year 1996, reaching 8.2 on the Richter Scale, after which the country entered a state of tsunami alert. The Yeosan Islands is also lying directly over a volcanic hotspot, signifying a constant overflow of magma and lava that is dumped into the ocean from the country's volcanoes.

Economy

 * Main article: Economy of the Yeosan Islands

Tourism

 * Main article: Tourism in the Yeosan Islands

For much of its modern history, the Yeosan Islands has always relied on tourism as its main source of income. As of 2018, the tourism industry represented nearly 70% of the service sector's contribution to the total GDP at nearly $45.255 billion. Tourism became increasingly common in the country during the 1970s, as the Yeosan Islands not only began to gain international recognition, but also to be included in political and economic discussions with the Tethys Ocean drawing increasing attention. The Ministry of Tourism of the Yeosan Islands began to produce commercial ads to be broadcasted in the mainland in hopes that they would draw in tourists from Eastern Kesh nations such as Kodeshia, Beifang, and of course, Akiteiwa.

Demographics

 * Main articles: Population of the Yeosan Islands, Languages of the Yeosan Islands

As of 2020, the Yeosan Islands had a total population of 1,317,494 people, 90% of whom lived in the territories of Ilsan and Hangu. The country's official language is, spoken by everyone in the country with very few little exceptions. Despite being one of the smallest nations in population and surface area, the Yeosan Islands is the only sovereign island nation in the Tethys Ocean.

Population
The last census in the country took place in October 2020, ten years after its previous census in 2010, and it was conducted by the Department of Population, part of the Ministry of Homeland. Censal results tend to take between one and two weeks to be publicly announced due to the often delayed communication in between the islands, and the insistence from the government to keep the process manual as opposed to electronic. Almost 1,082,000 people live in the islands of Ilsan and Hangu alone, making up for nearly 90% of the total population, with the remaining 10% living in the rest of the islands, most of whom are concentrated on the territories of Jeongseom and Jeonyeok.

Religion

 * Main article: Heuksaeng, Michigami

The Yeosan Islands has two official religions: Heuksaeng and Michigami. Heuksaeng is the native religion of the Yeosan Islands, with around 89% of the population adhering and practicing it on a daily basis. Michigami is the major religion of Akiteiwa, and it was introduced to the Yeosan Islands during colonial times. About 8% of the population follows this religion, particularly those of Akitei origin. The remaining 3% are comprised of irreligious persons, or those adhering to other East Keshian religions, such as Daoism or Confucianism.

Heuksaeng
Heuksaeng, from the Yeosani word 흙생 (meaning 'life of the earth') is the main and native and religion of the Yeosan Islands. It's a polytheistic religion based around the idea of sentient nature and. Followers of Heuksaeng pray and pay their respects to the Order of the Eight Gods, each of which represents a different aspect of nature, society, and life (Life, Death, Health, Wealth, Crops, Voyages, Peace, and Conflict). In its beginnings, people would worship the Gods in temples the second of each month, to ask for the blessings of the following month, and although this remains a common practice among the most orthodox followers of the religion, most people have adopted a more “casual” approach, praying and asking for a specific God in a given situation (e.g.: praying to the God of Voyages before a trip).

The head of Heuksaeng is the Gathering of Bukko, an eight-people group consisting of the descendants of the Witnesses of Bukko. The Witnesses are the first group of people to have seen the Eight Gods' doing, a trait that is believed to be passed down in hereditary fashion. The Witnesses formed the Gathering of Bukko sometime around the year 800 BCE, named after the location of the sighting, and wrote the book of Malsaeng, the text that acts as the main source for religious texts in Heuksaeng. Since the death of the first Witness, their direct descendants have been taking over their position in the Gathering for centuries. The deities of the Heuksaeng pantheon are the following: