Nation/The Oan Isles

The Realm of the Oan Isles (La Domain d'Ilés d'Oan in French or Luounuatika ta Oareatu in Oan) is a largely island tropical nation located in The East Pacific on the planet Urth. It belongs to the Auroran continental region and has colonies that span the length of the Pacific Ocean and are located on Gondwana. It shares one of two land border with Staynes Caltharus to the north west, while Lazlowia and East Malaysia lie to the north west, Xiopothos, lies to the west, Stratarin and Setzna lie to the east and shares its second land border with Rijelv to the south east, while Celannica (also known as the Celan Empire) lies to the north east in the Gulf of Gondwana.

The Oan Isles is a constitutional monarchy and direct democracy. The head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces is the Defender, Ese Ulua, while the executive branch is made up of the collective head of government, the National Council. The legislature is made up of all the adult citizens who vote on, debate and propose bills through an online app. The government has three layers: national, provincial and local and three branches with checks and balances between them: legislative, executive and judiciary. The rule of law and rights of the people are respected in practice and enumerated in the Third Consitution of the Oan Isles.

The Oan Isles is spread across multiple timezones and has one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones on Urth and a large surface area. The Oan Isles experiences earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. It is often hot and humid. The Oan Isles is mostly mountainous and covered in tropical rainforests. The majority of people live in cities, the largest of which are the Port of the Rock and the capital city La Rochelle. The Oan Isles has an excellent trackrecord in environmental protection and is a mega diverse nation. The national animal is the Spix's macaw.

The Oan Isles has a diverse population. The vast majority of the population human. The largest cultural group is the polynesian Oan ethnic group followed by the white, Indian and black groups. The Oan Isles has many religions, Christianity by far the largest followed by Oan traditional religion, Hinduism and Buddhism. The Oan Isles has a population of approximately 120 million people. Minority and women's rights are respected in practice.

The Oan Isles has a strong economy with high economic growth, that is dominated by the state and state-owned enterprise. It has a large welfare state. Its population is largely well educated and productive. It has a large pool of natural resources such as hydrocarbons, fish, wood and minerals, a large agricultural sector, a large manufacturing sector based on robotics, machinery and electronics and by far the largest sector being the tertiary sector dominated by financial and transshipment services, tourism and information technology. It has a GDP of approximately 4,8 trillion USD. Its main trade is with Auroran Continental Assembly member states particularly Tuvaltastan, Dragonia and to a lesser degree Emberwood Coast.

History

Geography

The Oan Isles is made up, mostly of islands. The only continous land area is on the colony of Oan Gondwana. The Oan Isles lies from 0° latitude to 27°S latitude and from 140°E longitude and 133°W longitude. It has an area of 500,000km² or 312,500miles². It has ??? islands, atolls and islets. It has a length of ???km or ???miles and a breadth of ???km or ???miles. The Oan Isles is generally mountainous. The It has an average elevation of 1,200m. Its highest point is Heavenly Mountain, which has a height of 4,000 metres above sea level. Its lowest point is sea level. Its longest river is the Huana River (or the River of Light which has a lenth of approximately 780km and has its source in the Truimphant Mountains thay form part of the border with Rijelv.

Most of the islands on the west were formed from volcanic activity when the tectonic plates of the Pacific and Auroran Shelves experienced a great degree of movement ??? years ago. The islands from the centre to the east are residues of continental drift. This is explained by immense differences in their mineral compositions. Large reserves of igneous rock such as marble and granite can be found, along with the presence of many extinct or dormant volcanoes. Those to the east are characterised by metamorphic and sedimentary rock such as dolomite. The Oan Isles has abundant mineral resources. It has ??? kilolitres of untapped natural gas reserves and ??? kilolitres of petroleum reserves. It has a large amount of sea salt measuring some ??? kilotonnes.

Biodiversity

Oan Gondwana and some eastern islands have a savannah and grassland. This means it has a reasonably well developed tree networl, but is is not thick enough to be called a forest, and lacks many smaller bushes and shrubs fhat would characterise it as a thicket. The grassland is rather straight forward in that there are enormous plains. The rest of the country often has thicker tree networks, and coupled with the consistent precipitation, are called tropical rainforests. There are mangrove forests on some islands. There are succulent and fine leafed plants in a small part of Oan Gondwana, where the it is very dry, sandy and hot, with almksy desert like conditions. There are many palm trees, such as date and coconut palms which are often called the "national tree".

The Oan Isles is a megadiverse country. It has many endemic animal species. These include cranes, storks, herons and other waterbirds who enjoy the many rivers, lakes and wetlands. There are also many eagles, vultures, parrots and macaws and birds of paradise. There are also many amphibians these include newts, salamanders, toads and frogs some of which are poisonous. There are also many arthropods such as tarantulas and scorpions, beetles, matises, mosquitoes, glow worms, kaiko bugs and many more, some being poisonous or vectors of disease often found in the new and sparsely inhabited colonies in the central pacific. There are many mammals such as enormous fruit bats, capibara, otters, sloths, great and lesser apes and monkeys, hippopotami, many lesser members of the genus panthera and wild members of the genus canis such as dingoes and wild dogs, and antelope. There are many reptiles such as constrictors and venomous snakes, giant lizards, crocodiles and alligators, and chameleons.

There are enormous amount of marine wild life. This include the gigantic network of coral reefs. They are not only attractive for their vibrant colours, but provide shelter and food for many animals. These include eels, star fish, anemones, urchins, seaweed, tuna, clown fish, hake, dolphins, whales and porpoises, manatees and catfish, sea slugs and cucumbers, clams, mussels and other shell fish, crayfish, shrimp and prawns.

Climate

The vast majority of the Oan Isles have tropical climate. The Oan Isles lies between the tropic of Makara and the Aequator. They are mostly humid and hot with average temperatures of 30°C and humidity levels of ???. The highest recorded temperature was 50°C in Aequator Island. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -12°C on the peak of Heavenly Mountain. The mountains often rise so far above the earth and into the sky, that they temperatures drop well below freezing. The water on their summits is perpetually frozen, forming glaciers.

The West and Central parts of the Oan Isles have three seasons. The Summer is hot and humid and lasts 4 months, with consistent, but medium rainfall. The Monsoon lasts for four months and it rains torrentially. Cyclones often occur in this period. The largest was Cyclone Salua, killing 300 people apprpximately 90 ago. The winter months have medium temperatures and less rain. Droughts do intermittenly occur due to the El Niño phenomenon. Oan Gondwana and the eastern islands have cooler temperatures and drier conditions although it seldom drops below 5°C even in winter.

Politics

The politics of the Oan Isles take place in the framework of a constitutional monarchy and direct democracy.

The Defender of the Realm, is the head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces, Ese Ulua He is elected every seven years by the Council of Chiefs from among its members. The Defender appoints the National Council with the approval of the National Assembly and appoints the members of the National Court with the approval of the National Council. He represents the Oan Isles and its people, performs or presides over various rituals and ceremonies, confers honours, designates national monuments and symbols, and presides over meetings of the Council of Chiefs. He haa reserve powers to deal with emergencies.

The National Council is the collective head of government of the Oan Isles and forms the executive branch of the national government. The members discuss and vote on major issues together. Every year the position of Chairman rotates among them. The chairman presides over meetings, enforces the rules, represents the body and coordinates their activities. This is cutrently Locklyn Le Roy. They develop policies and execute policies and oversee departments that fall within the purview of their portfolios. The portfolios and their officeholders are as follows:

• Member for Foreign Affairs: Locklyn Le Roy
• Member for Defence: Kiahuaeni Luawuye
• Member for Finance, Labour, Trade and the Economy: Kia Uye
• Member for Police, Corrections, Security and Justice (Justice Minister of The Oan Isles): Iohana Toaye
• Member for The Sea, Agriculture, Forestry and the Environment (Nature Minister of The Oan Isles): Aia Salua
• Member for The Home, Health, Welfare and Social Development (The Home Minister of The Oan Isles): Noa Toaye
• Member for Transport, Energy, Mineral Resources and Urban Development (The Urban Minister of The Oan Isles): Saul Takalua
• Member for Education, Science, Tourism, Sport and Art (Education Minister of The Oan Isles): Lua Oaye

The governments of both the provinces and the local communities have an executive component led by the Governors and Mayors respectively, elected by their provincial and local assemblies every five years to lead the executive branches of those governments.

The legislative components of the national, provincial and local governments, reflect the direct democratic nature of the Oan Isles. The National Assembly is made up of all adult citizens who are allowed to vote, the Provincial Assembly is made up of all adult citizens who have a right to vote who have lived in the province for over two years and the same applies to local assemblies. They debate, vote on and propose bills through an online application.

The judicial system follows common law in all criminal and most civil cases and customary law in personal and family matters when the matter applies to ethnic Oans. The National Court is the highest court, receives appeals and has general jurisdiction over the whole nation. Provincial Courts receive appeals and have general jurisdiction in the provinces they preside over. Regional courts and local courts conduct trials or civil applications. In all cases except the National Court, when a vacancy occurs the judges of the relevant court propose a replacement to the Defender of the Realm for his approval.

Political parties do not exist in the Oan Isles as the electorate forms the legislature.

Foreign relations

The Defender represents the Oan Isles. The daily work of diplomacy is handled by The Member of the National Council for Foreign Affairs. The National Assembly must ratify all treaties and domestic agreement. The government foreign policy is mostly focused on Auroran integration and cooperation and economic development. The Oan Isles is a member of the World Assembly and of the Auroran Continental Assembly. The Oan Isles maintains strong relations with Dragonia and Tuvaltastan.

As a member of the ACA, the Oan Isles has numerous responsibilities. These include providing or permitting the free movement of goods, services, capital and citizens of Auroran member states, refraining from declaring war upon other members and in fact defend th from unprovoked attacks. It is also obliged to maitain embassies with all member states, which it does. The Oan Isles refrains from joining other pacts or alliances such as the South East Pacific Coalition and Fire Pact Alliance due to its tenuous position in the Pacific ocean, where it lies between its most important member states.

It further exchanged embassies with TheCelan Empire, Atlaesia and Mexregiona.

Military

The Defence Forces of the Oan Isles form the military of the Oan Isles. They are responsible for protecting Oan territory and her allies and projecting her power overseas. They also conduct antipiracy, counterterrorism, antipoaching, disaster relief and humanitarian aid operations as well. The Member of the National Council for Defence is responsible for their daily administration and political direction. The highest commissioned officer is the Marshal of War. The Defence Forces are made up of four branches: Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard is responsible for law enforcement at sea during peacetime and forms the reserve force of the Navy during war. It employs 100,000 personnel, has close to 400 vessels and 1,000 aircraft.

The Army forms the land component of the armed forces. It employs 160,000 personnel, has close to 3,000 vehicles and 200 aircraft used mainly for support and transport. It operates the land component of the Oan mobile anti missile defence mechanism called the Titanium Shield which deflects and or destroys short, intermediate and long range ballistic missiles, purchased from Freyport Arms, a company from Aquitaiyne. Due to the heavy urbanisation and thick jungles of our nation, the army is trained in guerilla and urban warfare. Its combat focuses more on artillery than infantry or cavalry (which has mostly been reduced to ceremonial roles).

The Navy forms the marine component of the armed forces. It employs 75,000 personnel, operates 400 ships, 200 submarines and 700 air craft. It operates the marine component which comprises the bulk of the mobile Oan anti missile defence system, developed indigenously by Oan Aerospace Defence Systems Ltd. The Navy has several nuclear rotary and fixed wing aircraft carriers which form the core of the carrier strike groups, the main units in which the navy is strategically organised and deployed.

The Air Force forms the aerial component of the armed forces. It employs 55,000 personnel and operates 2,000 aircraft among them fixed wing, rotary and electronic aircraft. It further operates 20 active Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. 20 ICBMs capable of carrying nuclear warheards are deactivated ever since the Oan Isles renounced the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The air force is equipped with several air superiority fighters, bombers, advanced helicopters and drones.

The Defence Force has an annual budget of 100 billion USD which forms approximately six percent of the budget and fiver percent of GDP. Its main suppliers domestically are the Airfields of the Oan Isles Ltd., Aerospace Defence Systems Ltd., Shipyards of the Oan Isles Ltd. and the Arms and Munitions Corporation Ltd.. It was supplied by Halcyon Arms, Lyras Arms, Royal Beauforts Shipwright Guild and Covenant Arms. It is working closely with Celannica to develop advanced amphibious vehicles and vessels.

Administrative divisions

The Oan Isles is made up of 6 provinces which comprise what is typically called "the home islands". This is because they are the original islands from which the Oan nation originates and the vast majority of the population, economy and infrastructure of the Oan Isles. These are The Provinces of the:

• Rock Island -- which is where the capital city of the nation, La Rochelle and Port of the Rock are located. It has a total population of 40 million people and a density of 5,000 people a square kilometre. The indigenous rain forests have largely been reduced to public parks scattered through out the large cities. A large amount of land is acquired through land reclamation.
• Heavenly Island -- has a population of 30 million people. They are also very closely packed together into a small space. Peripheral islands are preserved as marine sanctuaries and wildlife conservation while the main island is an agglomeration of many cities, the largest being Heavenly City.
• Serenity Island -- is slightly more " laid back" than the preceding provinces, but it is still densely populated. It has 20 million people. The rainforests are preserved as public parks while the peripheral islands are left unscathed from the destructive power of man. Serenity hosts the annual airshow that forms celebrations for the armed forces and a showcase for defence technology. Like all the provinces and cities, they have avoided destroying their beaches by refusing to build close to them except in key areas.
• Crystal Island -- while the tallest mountain is Heavenly island, this island is more jagged and difficult and has the highest average elevation. The cities are built high into the mountains and dug into valleys and tunnels. This results in the unique cityscapes of this island province. It has close to 10 million people.
• The Northern Islands once had the most number of islands. Its population was split up more across islands. It has a population of 7 million people.

There are additionally colonies or more formally known as unincorporated territories. This means that because the political, financial and other difficulties that the state is facing, it is unable to extend certain rights or deliver certain public services or establish certain institutions. The government is then forced to govern the areas itself, directly. The Oan Isles has a number of such places, these are:

• Harmony Islands -- These form the southern portion of the newly acquired territories to the north of home islands of the Oan Isles named by General Oaluoa Uye. They have a population of 3 million people, mostly located in or around the city of Harmony
• Tranquility Islands -- These are the northern most islands. They have a population of 2,5 million people, most of live around or in Tranquility City. Some of these islands, such as Aequator Island have been availed to the Emberwood Coast Space Program for use as launching site.
• Pristine Islands -- This is the collective name for all the Oan islands in the Pacific between the home islands and Gondwana. They have a total population of 500,000 people who are relatively dispersed fairly evenly throughout the islands although the city of Pristine City, which is at the middle point of the Pacific, is the most built up settlement.
• Oan Gondwana -- This is the first piece of continuous continental part of the Oan Isles and probably the most strategic other than the home islands themselves of course. They connect the Gulf of Gondwana to The Pacific Ocean, a first. Their major settlement are the Port of the Light and La Lumo which house most of the population of 4 million total settlers. Oan Gondwana has diverse ecosystems and untapped natural resource potential.

Economy

The economy of the Oan Isles is considered a socialist welfare model. This means that industries are either heavily regulated or dominated by state owned companies, firstly, and that extremely high taxes are used to pay for a large social welfare system such as public education, subsidised food and housing and free healthcare.

The economy of the Oan Isles is driven by domestic consumption, the scupulous exploitation and efficient use of available human and natural resources, prudent financial policies and fiscal discipline, an innovative and productive workforce. The additional land space, the natural resources and space it avails and increased access to strategic markets such as Setzna and Celannica have further bolstered the economy. In fact annual growth is predicted to hover around 7 to 10% over the next decade, which has allowed the state, as the main driver of the economy, room to innovate further into fast-growing economic sectors such as the space industry.

The country joined the Auroran Continental Assembly in which, among other things, tarrifs and other barriers to trade have been reduced. Similar agreements are in place with other countries. In fact the state has pursued an aggressive policy of international cooperation to boost the access of Oan businesses to foreign markets. For example the Grocers of the Oan Isles Ltd., the largest Oan supemarket chain store is opening up shops in Tuvaltastan and Emberwood Coast while the Airfields of the Oan Isles Ltd. is aiming to produce aircraft for Adumara. The Oan Isles is located at a strategic position, connecting Aurora to Gondwana, and being in proximity to the wealthiest markets on Urth such as The Staynes-Caltharus Empire.

The country has a PPP GDP of close to 5 trillion USD. It uses the Oan dollar, a currency backed by huge foreign exchange reserves and a very low interest rates that is effectively managed by the Bank of the Oan Isles. Unfortunately debt hovers close to 70% of GDP. Most of it is absorbed by local creditors and forestalled by beneficial payment agreements. Close to three quarters of the economy are dominated by the state and state-owned businesses resulting in wasted spending of close to several billion dollars. It has exports of around 500 billion dollars.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Sectors

Agriculture is a large sector. Much of it is dominated by practices that have arisen from a lack of land space. This is called factory farming. Animals are bred and produce is often grown in massive factories and greenhouse like skyscrapers respectively. Much of the livestock market is supplemented by massive imports of around 640 million USD from Tuvaltastan of Tuva cattle, sheep and chickens, which are also being proliferated in farms in the newer colonies as a long term breeding exercise rather than a short term consumer spending cut. Through government subsidies, food prices are quite low and food inflation is both constant and low, allowing Oans access to good food. Agriculture is dominated by the production of grains such as maize and meat such as beef and chicken. The Farmers of the Oan Isles Ltd. and Ranchers of the Oan Isles Ltd. are the biggest companies in the sector, pioneering a new model of chain farms, abattoirs and ranches.

Fisheries is a gigantic sector. The Oan Isles has access to pristine and abundant seas. These give it access to a large amount of fish and marine wildlife. The sector is heavily regulated to prevent its abuse by corporations. This has sparked innovation. Fish farms were introduced and are spread throughout the seas. This focused and concentrated production of fish generates massive profits that have far exceeded wasteful fishing practices of many countries. Sardines, mussels, hake, tuna, mackerel and anchovies are the biggest generators of money. Due to the enormity of the available fish and marine reserves expensive animals such as abalone are available, where they are often forbidden from consumption in other countries.

Forestry is another big sector. The Oan Isles benefits from massive forests which are dominated by hardwood trees. This has bolstered the production of paper, furniture, and wood for construction.This industry is also heavily regulated to prevent the ruthless exploitation of natural resources that serve as a home for wildlife. The Oan Isles has always been careful to avoid being heavily dependent on its forests, preferring to preserve them. This is why most of the wood is sourced from invasive trees or plantations.

Construction, Manufacturing and Mining

Mining and mineral extraction have been small parts of the economy, most of the metals and stone, and sand for construction and land reclamation have been imported. The home islands of the Oan Isles did not and do not have abundant mineral resources. This forced the manufacturing sector to innovate by recycling. 95% of the household and business waste is recycled. This allowed manufacturing to remain sustainable for a very long time. Plastic, glass, metals and organic waste (often used for the manufacture of cellulosic ethanol and fertilizers) are the main sources of revenue. This ability to recycle effectively, other than offsetting a lack of resources, has helped to preserve vital marine life, and forests, allowing other sectors to enjoy profits and longevity.

Manufacturing, while large and diverse, generates a large amount of money from electronics particularly foundry chips. Electronics are consumed voraciously. This fact, coupled with state encouragement has created a thriving sector. The total income generated from is around 300 billion dollars. Household electronics and advanced hardware manufacturer, Metatron Corporation Ltd. is one of the largest such companies in the industry. From furniture, to gym equipment, to televisions and computers, to robotics, the Oan Isles is innovating in a formidable sector.

Construction is another major industry. It stems from overcoming the challenges the Oan Isles. The Oan Isles has significantly more people who need shelter and who need infrastructure to build a productive economy. While per woman fertility is low, overall growth easily outpaces the demand for space. Laws are put in place to protect nature and prevent cities from eliminating what is left of the forests and increasing in girth. This means that builders must always build higher buildings, often demolishing old buildings to make way for taller ones. Many buildings especially in La Rochelle, Port of the Rock and Heavenly City rise well above a kilometre, the highest being the Pinnacle of Heaven, reaching 3 kilometres above the ground. This new construction often needs more roads, railways, sanitation and other infrastructure to be buiit to accompany it. This means that there is always work for the construction sector, which generates impressive revenues and makes extraordinary amounts of money.

Mining itself has sat at the back bench of the economy. But the Oan Isles has almost sextupled its area. Its control of massive waters have availed it minerals it has never fathomed having access to: fossil fuels. The renewable energy industry is firmly established and these reserves could hardly provide for all the Oan energy needs, but they have created an economic opportunity to absorb the impact of overpopulation and the demands it makes and financial gains for the state and prudent companies. While there is very limited exploration or exploitation of these resources, it is believed that the reserves could reach three billion barrels in total.

Demographics

Culture

Health

Education

--The Oan Isles (talk) 23:14, 18 March 2017 (EDT)