Tauland
Tauland (Dutch: Taulandt or Tauland, Chinese: 桃國, Táwgwó), officially the Republic of Tauland and formerly Formosa, is a country in eastern Asia. It shares maritime borders with Japan to the northeast, China to the west, Viet Nam to the southwest, and the Philippines to the south. The Republic consists of over 250 islands stretching over 2,000 mi. from east to west. New Hague in the north is the country's capital, while the southwestern metropolis of Zeelandia is the most populous urban area.
Republic of Tauland Republiek van Taulandt | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 | |
| Capital | New Hague |
| Largest city | Zeelandia |
| Official languages | Dutch |
| Common languages | Chinese varieties Loetsjaans Corean Various others |
| Lingua franca | Tauaans |
| Ethnic groups |
|
| Demonym | Taulander |
| Establishment | |
• Establishment of the Dutch Formosa Colony | 1624 |
• Elevation to Dominion | 1816 |
• Independence from the Netherlands | 1891 |
In the early 17th century, Dutch attempts to colonize the island of Formosa were successful, creating a rapidly-expanding colony that would last for almost two centuries. In 1816, the Formosa Colony became the Dominion of Tauland following the tumultuous Augustine period. Eventually, in 1891, Tauland gained complete sovereignty from the Netherlands, becoming the first Asiatic ex-colony to achieve independence.
Terminology
The name Tauland, emerging in 1739, comes from the now-extinct indigenous Formosan language Siraja. Ta'u, as recorded in the 17th century, means 'human' or 'man'. This was then added to the Dutch suffix -land to create the name Tauland, literally meaning 'place of the humans'. In Chinese characters, the Tau- is often rendered with the character 桃 ('peach blossom'). Thus, the name of the country has often been mistakenly said to mean the 'land of the peach blossoms'. Another common misconception, particularly among Europeans, is that Tau- comes from the Cross of Tau, a Christian symbol resembling the Greek letter 𝜏 (Greek: ταυ, tau).
Older names still used include Taywan (臺灣), which was recorded as the Chinese name for the island since at least 1635. Formosa, literally 'beautiful' in Latin and first applied by Portuguese and Spanish sailors, is still used to refer to the island in certain languages and in poetic or literary contexts.
Geography
The main island, known variously as Formosa, Taywan, or Tauland proper, makes up approximately 96% of the Republic's land area, measuring around 3.58 million hectares. Smaller islands include the Pescadores in the west, the Loetsjoe archipelago of the northeast, and the southernmost territory of the Paracel Islands.
The country mostly lays on and near the Tropic of Cancer, giving it a largely marine, humid subtropical climate with small tropical pockets in the very south. The highest parts of the country, along the Tauland Range (Dutch: Taulandt Bergen; Chinese: 大山, Tàa Sāan, lit. 'Big Mountains'), the primary mountain range of the country, have a colder polar climate. Running across the entire body of Tauland proper, the Range's most recognizable features include Mount Jade as well as its diverse flora & fauna.
History
Government and Politics
Tauland is a unitary constitutional republic with a parliamentary system, having evolved from the colonial administration of the Dutch East India Company and the dominion government. It takes heavy inspiration from the Dutch political system with some slight adjustments accounting for local traditions and realities. In general tho, it can be said that the political system
Executive
Tauland's head of state and government is called the Raadspensionaris, elected by popular vote. Unlike many other heads of governments in the “Staten generaal system” the Readpensionaris of Tauland has quite a bit of executive power. He dictates, together with the council of foreign affairs the foreign affairs of Tauland, as well as being the commander in chief of the Tauland Defense Force.
Legislature
The country has a bicameral legislature known as the States-General (Dutch: Staten der Tauland). It consists of a lower house called the House of Citizens (Huis van de Burghers), which is directly elected by the popular vote. The upper house, the House of Lords (Huis der Heeren), has its members appointed by provincial estates.
Administrative divisions
Tauland is divided into nine first-level administrative divisions.
| Name | Cities | Creation | Type | Map | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | Largest | |||||
| Haagland | HL | New Hague | Province | |||
| Heuveland | HV | Heuvelstad | Hollandia | |||
| Schuylerland | SY | Schuylerstad | Oosthaven | |||
| Tusschenland | TC | Toekoe | Tenghoe | |||
| New Zeeland | NZ | Zeelandia | ||||
| Oostvanberg | OB | Zuiderzee | Lonckjouw | |||
| Bergen | BR | New Arnhem | ||||
| Loetsjoe | LT | Nafa | Overseas region | |||
| Pracel | PC | Rotzele | Overseas territory | |||
Governmental institutions
Tauland Defense Force
The Tauland Defence force (TDF) is the military organization responsible for the defence of the Republic of Tauland and its national interests. It consists of the Tauland air force, Taulandse vloot and de Landmacht. It has an active strength of 120,000 with a suspected reserve consisting of 800,000 and is supported by the department of defence and several other civilian agencies.
During Tauland her first decades of independence it realized quickly that it needed a combined and integrated armed service. This led to the creation of the joint board in 1904 which was dominated by the Navy, due to Tauland her reliance on foreign trade. Over time with the introduction of the air force, and the advent of new technologies the navy her dominance became less. It was only n 1939 that the joint staff was created, creating an equal integrated command structure.
The TDF is technologically sophisticated but relatively small, compared to its neighbours. Although the 120,000 full-time active-duty personnel look impressive. Compared to its neighbours Tauland her military is small, to offset this it focuses on quality. This has created a situation where even the conscripts are better trained than most full-time soldiers in the region. The TDF is supported by a significant budget by worldwide standards and can deploy forces around the regions and support independent operations.
Demographics
Ethnicity
Tauland is a multiethnic society. Composed of several different ethnic groups most notably:
Taulanders: Miscegenation (Inter marriage) is commonplace and has resulted in the formation of an ethnic group known simply as the Taulanders, who make up around two-thirds of the total national population. Most have Han Chinese, Dutch, and Aboriginal ancestries. Taulanders are usually trilingual in Dutch, Tauaans, and a third non-Germanic language. They are mainly Protestant Christians but also practice Buddhism and Daoism.
Chinese: Chinese Taulanders are descendants of immigrants from mainland China from the 16th century to the 19th century. Most are from the Banlam region and the Leunggwong region and thus speak Banlam or Cantonese along with the two official languages. Most have syncretic practices combining Buddhism, Christianity, and Chinese salvationist religions. They make up one-fifth of the population.
Aboriginals: Taulander aboriginals make up around 2.5-5% of the country and are descendants of Malayo-Polynesians. They often speak a Formosan language such as Tayal, Paywan, or Pangtsja. Since the 18th century, aboriginals have been staunchly Christian, specifically adhering to the Calvinist tradition. Animism is also common amongst rural aboriginal communities. A few aboriginals have Ljoetsjoean ancestry from 19th century intermarriages.
Coreans: Coreans have been living in Tauland since the 17th century, specifically since the Battle of Chiangtung Bridge in 1652 when several soldiers settled around Hollandia. As a separate community they make up around 3%, while 10% of Taulanders have some kind of Corean ancestry. Corean spoken on Tauland is heavily influenced by the Tsjalla dialect and the Chinese languages. Most Taulander Coreans practice Catholicism or Protestantism, while a fraction are Buddhist.
Ljoetsjoeans: Ljoetsjoeans make up 4-5% of the country and mostly live in the Ljoetsjoean Archipelago. They usually speak one of the Ljoetsjoean dialects and Tauaans. Buddhism is the majority religion and is syncretised with indigenous shamanism.
Maynillamannen: A small minority from the Philippines exists along the southern shore and in urban areas, most of them descendants of late-19th century emigrants due to the Philippine Revolution. Maynillamen - as they are called - speak Tauaans and Dutch usually along with Spanish, Ilocano, Tagalog, or Pangasinan. Roman Catholicism is their dominant religion while a few adhere to the Protestant churches.
Population size
Culture
Language
Dutch dialects
1.) Tauland Standard Dutch (TSD): Closest to Hollandic Dutch, but has some features distinct to Tauland; most notably unique vocabulary and a distinct phonology. There is no significant grammatical difference between Tauland Standard Dutch and Hollandic Dutch with TSD being considered little more than a dialect of Hollandic. It is the language most commonly used in school and government and is considered prestige language of the nation.
2.) Tauland Colloquial Dutch (TCD): More commonly known as "Tauaans" is an informal and unstandardized Dutch-based creole, infusing influences from Cantonese, Hokkien, Corean & Japanese. It is mostly spoken in urban areas, and particularly the strongest within the lesser educated groups, the youth and those descendent from recent immigrants. Tauaans is notable for it's simplification of Dutch grammar, fast-direct way of speaking and use of slang.