Sakaro

Sakaro, officially the Republic of Sakaro (Sakaian: Malo Awai i Sakaro), is a sovereign country in East Artopa comprising the entirety of the Taenic Island chain, the Odo Islands and numerous smaller islands. It is situated in the West Dunic Ocean and is neighbored to the west by Ke-Atsung and to the north by Harkon. Sakaro is an island country spanning across an archipelago which covers 319,338 square kilometers (123,297 sq mi); the three main islands are Paialua, Kahkini and Molokinau. Toitara is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Ohana, Kapaoka, Hanakani, Nosaia and Waimako.

Etymology
The origin for the name of Sakaro is not universally agreed upon by modern etymologists, however a common explanation that is generally accepted in the mainstream is that it descends from Saka Roa, a figure from ancient Seke oral tradition who is said to have established the first settlement on the island of Kahkini, though it remains unknown if he existed in reality. Another, less widely accepted explanation is that it stems from the term Sarao, which was the name given to the Seke by the first Maraoan settlers during their arrival in the Late Seke Period.

Prehistory
The first human inhabitants of the Sakaian archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BT. The Early Seke Period, named after the first Seke people to have arrived in Molokinau, was followed by the Mid Seke Period in the first millennium BT when new inventions were introduced from East Artopa. The population of the modern-day Sakaian islands during this time was not substantial owing to the Seke still being a hunter-gather and early agriculturalist population divided among many disparate tribes over a large area. While widely dispersed, the Seke were still able to reach a considerable degree of sedentism and cultural complexity, integrating initially limited influence from several East Artopan societies of a more advanced nature as contact was made with external populations along the East Artopan coast across the Asha Sea and West Sakaian Sea. The Early Seke Period and Mid Seke Periods were rich in primitive stone tools and jewellery made from bone, stone, shell and antler; pottery figurines and vessels and lacquerware.

The advent of the Maraoan people from the Meymaylan Islands brought fundamental transformations to the Sakaian archipelago, compressing the millennial achievements of the Neolithic Revolution into a relatively short span of centuries, particularly with the development of metallurgy. The onset of this wave of changes was, until recently, thought to have begun around 400 BT. Evidence now suggests the new phase started some 500 years earlier, between 1,000 and 800 BT. Radiating out from Lawatua and southern Paialua, the Maraoans, endowed with bronze and iron weapons and tools initially imported from the Meymaylan Islands and the wider Dunic, slowly supplanted the Seke throughout large swathes of Sakaro. They also introduced weaving and silk production, new woodworking methods, glassmaking technology, and new architectural styles. Although the Maraoan technologies originated in their homeland, there is debate among scholars as to what extent their spread was accomplished by means of migration or simply a diffusion of ideas, or a combination of both. The expansion of the Maraoans brought about a gradual fusion with the indigenous Seke, resulting in a substantial admixture genetically and leading to what is now considered the modern Sakaian ethnic group.

The population of Sakaro began to increase rapidly, perhaps with a 10-fold rise in the mixed Seke-Maraoan tribes, proto-kingdoms and early city states over the course of several centuries. Calculations of the population size have varied from 1 to 4 million by the end of the Seke Period. Skeletal remains from the late Seke period reveal a deterioration in already poor standards of health and nutrition of the 'pure Seke', in contrast to 'pure Maraoan' and mixed Seke-Maraoan archaeological sites where there are large structures suggestive of grain storehouses. This change was accompanied by an increase in both the stratification of society and tribal warfare, indicated by segregated gravesites and military fortifications. The 'Immigration Theory' from historians and scholars in the 1880s and supported by genetic and linguistic studies suggests that continued, prolonged immigration in several waves from both the Meymaylan Islands as well as several other Dunic Island chains also contributed to the predominance of the Dunic Islander genotype and culture over the Seke, estimates as to the annual immigrant influx from the Dunic has ranged from 500 to as high as 4,000.

During the Early Marao Period, which immediately succeeded the Late Seke Period, the mixed Seke-Maraoan and pure Maraoan tribes gradually coalesced into a number of more centralized and organized kingdoms. The earliest written work of history to mention Sakaro, a Sincheon Dynasty atlas completed around 54 CE, states that Sakaro, referred to as Kaeso, was divided into over eighty different kingdoms. A later Sincheon work of history, the Sajo, states that by 240 CE, eight kingdoms (Laua, Nanoko, Anahe, Kaha, Asa, Kipara, Mojin, Kuia) had gained ascendancy over the others and that the situation had greatly stabilized. According to the Sajo, these kingdoms were located in the same regions as the six of the top eight most populated cities in Sakaro today and all of which apart from one (Nanoko) were of mixed Seke-Maraoan ethnicity, though modern historians continue to debate various aspects of their depictions in the Sanjo. Two of these kingdoms; Laua and Kuia were confirmed to have been ruled by female monarchs as originally stated in the Sanjo. This status quo in Sakaro; popularly known in the mainstream as the 'Reign of the Eight Kingdoms' would last for almost a thousand years and would come to define Sakaro's classical era.

Classical history
The Mid Marao Period, which began as early as 540 CE marks the beginning of the country's classical period and is notable for being the first time that the name Sakaro is used for the archipelago and is generally considered to be when the first seeds of a Sakaian national identity would be planted. This period is commonly thought of as a sub-division of the wider Reign of Eight Kingdoms period, which saw a mostly static status quo, largely free from inter-kingdom war for almost one thousand years. Despite this peace extending across borders, the eight kingdoms themselves were not immune from internal strife during this period. In-particular during the Mid Marao Period, the most powerful of these kingdoms; Asa was subjected to a coup from the twin eldest sons of the then reigning King Wirihana, with the two men sentencing their father to an unceremonious house arrest on a far-off private estate and seizing control of Asa's Royal Court. Known by contemporary historians as the Wirihana Incident, this event was followed by the twins implementing wide reforms throughout the Asa Kingdom; the First Asa Reforms were based on Ruhinist ideas and philosophies from the south of Sakaro originally imported from the Meymaylan Islands but later developed upon over centuries by those that had migrated and their descendants. These Reforms nationalized all land in Asa, equally distributing it among cultivators and issued the first 'household registry' to enable quicker, more efficient tax collection.

Geography
Sakaro is an archipelagic country along the Dunic coast of East Artopa. The three main islands are Paialua, Kahkini and Molokinau, another seventeen islands are considered "major islands" by the Sakaian government, while the remaining 3,857 islands are classified as "remote islands", Sakaro is comprised of two separate island chains, the Taenic Island chain and the Odo Island chain. The territory covers 319,338 square kilometers (123,297 sq mi) making Sakaro the [x]th largest island country in the world, the [x]th largest country in the world and the second largest island country in East Artopa. The country has the [x]th longest coastline and the [x]th largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world. The terrain is a mix of rugged, mountainous and grassland.

Climate
Large regions of northern Sakaro, such as most of Molokinau and Kahkini belong to a cool humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with four distinct seasons, large seasonal temperature differences, warm to hot summers and cold winters. whereas the climate in southern Sakaro, including most of Paialua and all of Lawatua and the Odo Islands are of the humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with shorter winters and very hot and humid summers. Sakaro is generally a rainy country with high humidity, in the Odo Islands precipitation is especially heavy, with the rainy season beginning in May in the Odo Islands, and August for the rest of Sakaro, typhoons are common at this time of year. Because of its wide range of latitude, season winds and different types of ocean currents, Sakaro has a variety of climates, with a latitude range comparable to the range between northern Hyokoku and southern Dunica. Toitara's range is comparable to that of the Kolsian capital Sarka or Dunican city Bansumi.

Biodiversity
The wildlife of Sakaro includes its flora, fauna, and natural habitats. The islands of Sakaro stretch a long distance from north to south and cover a wide range of climatic zones. This results in a high diversity of wildlife despite Sakaro's isolation from the mainland of Artopa. In the north of the country, north of the Yana Strait, there are many subarctic species which have colonized Sakaro from the north. In the south there are south-east Artopan species, typical of tropical regions. Between these areas lies the temperate zone which shares many species with Ke-Atsung. Sakaro also has many endemic species that are found nowhere else in the world, making it home to many endangered/rare species. Sakaro has nine different forest ecoregions which reflect the uniquely varied climate and geography of the islands. They range from subtropical moist broadleaf forests in the Odo Islands to temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in Kahkini and temperate coniferous forests in the cold northern portions of Molokinau. Sakaro is home to over 85,000 species of wildlife as of 1950, including the Kahkini brown bear, the Red-crowned crane and the Sakaian macaque

Government and Politics
Sakaro is a federal parliamentary republic and has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system under its constitution since its federation in 1750. It is one of the world's oldest federal states, in which power is divided between the central (federal) and state and territorial governments. The Sakaian system of government maintains various elements derived from the political system of West Artopan democracies such as Carrisia and Sylvia, as well as newer, conventionally Baltecan concepts such as federalism, a written constitution and strong bicameralism with an elected upper house.

The federal government is separated into three branches:

In the Senate (the upper house), there are 48 senators: six from each of the states. In the House of Representatives (the lower house) there are 520 representatives elected from eight-member electoral divisions, typically known as "districts" or "seats", allocated among the states on the basis of population. Simultaneous elections for the two chambers of Parliament are ordinarily held every four years, with both senators and representatives being given six year term limits before being legally required to take a two year break from the occupation, normally leading to what is known as a "successor campaign" when a Member of Parliament begins their electoral bid for their second consecutive election season, in which they will largely run their campaign based off of their choice to replace them halfway through the term (this is typically influenced by the party leadership).
 * Legislature: the bicameral Parliament, comprising the Senate and House of Representatives.
 * Judiciary: the Supreme Court of Sakaro and other federal courts whose judges are appointed by the Prime Minister and his cabinet.
 * Executive: the National Council, which is responsible for maintaining the legitimacy of the Prime Minister and his cabinet.

Sakaro's electoral system uses preferential voting for all lower house elections, while the upper house utilizes proportional representation. As a parliamentary system, the party with a majority percentage of the votes in the House of Representatives forms a new government with the consent of the National Council and its leader becomes Prime Minister. In the event that no party has majority support, the National Council will appoint the Prime Minister and if called upon will dismiss one that has been subject to a vote of no confidence from a joint-session of Parliament.

There are three major political groups that most often form government both federally and in the states: the Liberal Party of Sakaro, the Sakaian Social Democratic Party and the Heartland Party. In Sakaian political culture, the LPS is considered centre-left, the SSDP left-wing and the Heartland Party centre-right to right-wing. The Heartland Party is the nation's newest major political force and the result of a merger between the Conservative Party of Sakaro and the United Sakaro Party after the right wing was largely displaced following the outbreak of the World War in the late 1930s, the subsequent collapse of militarist, nationalist sentiment in Sakaro and the renewed rise of pro-labor movements and the SSDP. Independent members and minor parties have also gained representation in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The most recent federal election was held on July 20 1954 and resulted in the Liberal Party of Sakaro, led by Aolani Ao'Nara, being elected to government.

States and territories
Sakaro has eight states — Lautoka, Hakopo, Tahana, Kahalu, Makani, Taera, Odo and Aiahela — as well as two territories — the Dunic Ocean Territory and the Lahowee Territory. The states and territories are federated administrative divisions in Sakaro, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing polities with incomplete sovereignty (having ceded some sovereign rights to federation) and have their own constitutions, legislatures, departments, and certain civil authorities (e.g. judiciary and law enforcement) that administer and deliver most public policies and programs. Territories can be autonomous and administer local policies and programs much like the states in practice, but are still constitutionally and financially subordinate to the federal government and thus have no true sovereignty. Every state and territory is self-governing with its own independent executive government, legislative branch and judicial system, while Sakaro's various 'micro-territories' that constitute the nation's hundreds of smaller islands only maintain local governments overseen by departments of the federal government.

State and territory governments have executive authority to legislate on matters concerning their citizens, subject to the limits of the federal constitution. Each state and internal territory (except the Dunic Ocean Territory) has its own legislature, although the federal government can override any territorial legislation. The federal Supreme Court of Sakaro acts as a final court of appeal for all matters and has the authority to override any state judiciary. While all states and internal territories have their own judicial system, which is subject to appeal to the Supreme Court, most external territories are subject to the judiciary and legislature of either a state or internal territory. Each state of Sakaro is a successor to historical Sakaian kingdoms and city-states, and each has its own state or territorial constitution. The Lahowee Territory for the most part operates indistinguishably from the states, even though it does not have constitutional status as a state, and territorial legislations can be overridden.

Military
The Sakaian Armed Forces' are the unified military forces of Sakaro. Established in 1753 as the successor to the numerous distinct and separate armies of the once independent Eight Kingdoms three years after the passing of the Sakaro Act and the formal Federation of the Nation, the Sakaian Armed Forces include the Sakaian Army, the Sakaian Navy and the Sakaian Army Air Force. It is controlled by the Department of Defense, a civilian cabinet-level ministry of the Sakaian government and the Prime Minister of Sakaro is its commander-in-chief. Each of the three service branches is assigned its own role and domain, the Army conducts land operations, while the Navy conducts maritime operations, with the Marine Corps, a sub-department of the Navy being responsible for amphibious and maritime littoral operations. The Army Air Force is the youngest service branch and conducts air operations both independently and in support of the Army, while the Navy maintains its own aviation capabilities. Forming a critical part of Sakaro's nominally pacifist 'forward defense' foreign policy, the Armed Forces area of responsibility includes East Artopa, the Dunic Ocean, Escana and Western Balteca. The SAF draws its personnel from a large pool of professional volunteers and conscripts, with the National Military Service allowing the government to conscript any healthy, eligible male between the ages of 17 and 28, however, any broadening to this age or the requirements for conscription must be approved by Parliament. The Sakaian Army maintains a special operations capability in the form of the Special Tasks Regiment.

Culture
While contemporary Sakaian culture combines influences from East Artopa, West Artopa and Balteca, traditional Sakaian culture is still very much the majority product of Dunic Islander influences brought in during its early history. Traditional Sakaian arts include crafts such as lacquerware, swords, heavy tools such as hammers, and abstract art made from plant life; performances of Ropata (fire dancing), Pekama (group drum dancing) Herangi (comedic story performance) and Roha (ukulele dancing) among other practices. The Sakaian government has a long developed system for the protection and promotion of both tangible and intangible Cultural Properties and National Treasures. Several dozen sites in Sakaro have been inscribed in the World Heritage List, a number of which are of cultural significance. In the modern era, Sakaro has made increasing efforts to export its culture to the rest of the world.

Arts
Sakaian art is a wide and varied category, covering a range of styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture, ink painting and calligraphy on silk and paper, woodblock prints, ceramics, origami and more recently comic books imported from abroad. Prior to its meeting with the Western world, Sakaro has been unique in its resistance towards the importing of foreign ideas and cultural elements, namely due to government interference and paranoia of the ruling elite surrounding their much larger neighbors in East Artopa. The earliest complex art in Sakaro was produced in the 7th and 8th centuries at the behest of King Timoti of the Kuia Kingdom. In the 9th century, as the Sakaians continued to develop indigenous forms of expression, the secular arts became increasingly important and until the late 14th century when [insert war] broke out, both they and religious arts flourished, though at the time and currently most Sakaian art still tend to be secular in nature. In the modern era painting is the preferred artistic expression in Sakaro, inspired by Western artistic expressions and able to be practiced by amateurs and professionals alike, whereas in the past painting was typically an upper-class form of art, while the masses preferred making abstract pieces and models from various plants and other flora, as well as coral and tortoise shells. Major art institutions in Sakaro include the Gallery of Tahana in Hanakani, the National Gallery of Sakaro, National Museum of Sakaro and National Portrait Gallery in Toitara, and the Art Gallery of Kahalu in Ohana.

Media
No Oomalu Lele (1913); a Sakaian production and one of the world's first feature-length narrative films spurred a boom in Sakaian cinema during the silent film era. During the 1920s and 1930s, the government would subsidize Sakaian film studios and cinemas as part of a scheme to promote the proliferation of Sakaian culture through the new form of media and after the outbreak of the World War in 1936, Sakaian news broadcasters would find a new way to disseminate new information to the masses through the use of 'news reels' playing in cinemas. Following the release of the first mass-produced television set in the late 1940s, Sakaians were early adopters and as of 1955 approximately 64% of households in Sakaro have at least one television set. The Sakaian Academy of Film and Television Awards (SAFTA) are Sakaro's premier film and television awards and host an annual SAFTA Ceremony in which the year's top productions, actors and other creators are nominated and chosen, the first ceremony to be broadcasted on television was in 1953. Sakaro has one public broadcaster; the Sakaian Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) and two commercial broadcasters; the Northern Television Corporation (NTV) and Radio Television Sakaro (RTSK). Each major city has at least one daily newspaper and there are four national daily newspapers, the Toitara Index, the Kaikoura, the Financial Review and the Waaka.

Cuisine
Sakaian cuisine offers an array of regional specialties that use traditional recipes and local ingredients, although in comparison to much of the world, Sakaian food culture has not developed as significantly or has been refined as well as it has been elsewhere. Seafood, noodles and rice are traditional staples and have formed the basis of the Sakaian diet for millennia and most historically national dishes have one of these two elements involved, fruits and vegetables were also signatures. However, with the introduction of Western food culture from the 16th century onward, the Sakaian appetite has changed and diversified considerably. Steak pies and variations of such made from goose, lamb and swan have over time are one such example of a comparatively new staple that has become popular despite their foreign origin, while chicken is another once foreign foodstuff that has now become as common in Sakaro as rice and seafood, lamb- a third example- is most commonly cut into chops and shanks and used for special occasions. Popular Sakaian beverages include oia, which is a combination of coconut milk and watermelon and is normally intended to be a refreshing accompaniment to large meals, and following Western contact an ever increasing number of brands of wheat beer are now one of the country's most consumed beverages, with the first commercial brewery having been opened by a Carrisian merchant in 1803 in Kobi, near Toitara.

Sports and recreation
Rugby, surfing and football are the predominant sports in Sakaro during the summer and winter months, respectively. A rowdy and rambunctious people, sport has often shaped the Sakaian national identity through events such as the Eight Kingdoms Cup and the Noaka Holokai Cup. Historically, rugby and football have been more popular than traditional Sakaian sports which ordinarily were more combat-oriented and have generally lost favor in the public and corporate eye as time has gone on. Similar to their West Artopan counterparts, major professional sports leagues in Sakaro practice a system of promotion and relegation for their teams. The media plays an important part in Sakaro's sporting landscape, with many sporting events televised or broadcast on radio and in recent years television as well, alongside television and radio there are also several magazine publications dedicated to sports as a whole or even specific sports, while most notable newspapers carry sports pages also. As a nation, Sakaro has competed in and today competes in numerous international events, including the Olympics (both summer and winter), football World Cup and rugby World Cup. Rugby, football and netball are the most common sports practiced by children in the Sakaian education system, starting as young as 5 or 6 for the latter two and 10 for the former.

There are a number of major professional sport leagues in Sakaro:


 * Sakaian Football League (SFL) and SFL Women's
 * Rugby National League (RNL) and RNL Women's
 * Touring Car Championship (TCC)
 * Sakaian Surf Association (SFA) and SFA Women's
 * Iwana Netball Conference (INC)
 * Sakaian Basketball League (SBL), and SBL Women's