Tauland
Tauland (Dutch: Taulandt, Chinese: 桃國), officially the Republic of Tauland and formerly Formosa, is a country in East Asia. Neighboring countries include China to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. New Hague is the capital, with the southwestern Zeelandia being the largest city on the island.
Republic of Tauland Republiek van Taulandt | |
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 Flag | |
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| Capital | New Hague |
| Largest city | Zeelandia |
| Official languages | Tauland Dutch |
| Common languages | Hokkien Corean Loetsjaans Others |
| Lingua franca | Tauaans |
| Ethnic groups |
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| Establishment | 1624 |
Etymology
The name Tauland consists of two parts: tau (Siraja: tayw) and land (Dutch: landt). It was formerly called Dutch Formosa during its early colonial years, coming from the Portuguese name for the island - Ilha Formosa, or 'beautiful island'. It is unknown when the name was first used to refer to the island. The earliest mention the name Tauland was in 1739, when it was mentioned in a colonial document. However, it was not until the 19th century that 'Tauland' become a common name for the nation. The name was officially adopted in the Treaty of Batavia in 1891. Several renderings of the name Tauland exist in Banlam (thokok), Corean (도란, toran), Japanese (Tōgoku), and other languages. Dating from at least 1635, the Chinese name Tayowan (臺灣) is used colloquially by Chinese speakers.
Geography
The main island, known historically as Formosa or Tayowan, makes up 96% of the area controlled by Tauland, measuring 35,808 square kilometers and lying some 180 kilometers across the Tauland Strait from the southeastern coast of mainland China. Smaller islands include the Pescadores, the Ljoetsjoe Archipelago, and the territory of the Paracel Islands.
The eastern mountains, known simply as the Tauland Bergen, are heavily forested and home to a diverse range of wildlife. There are several peaks over 3,500 m, the highest being Mount Jade at 3,952 m. The tectonic boundary that formed these ranges is still active, and the island experiences many earthquakes, a few of them highly destructive. There are also many active submarine volcanoes in the Tauland Strait.
Tauland lies on the Tropic of Cancer, and its general climate is marine tropical. The northern and central regions are subtropical, whereas the south is tropical and the mountainous regions are temperate. The average rainfall is 100 inches per year for the island proper; the rainy season is concurrent with the onset of the summer monsoon in May and June. The entire island experiences hot, humid weather from June through September. Typhoons are most common in July, August and September. During the winter, the northeast experiences steady rain, while the central and southern parts of the island have sunshine.
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.
Executive
Tauland's head of state and government is called the Raadspensionaris, elected by popular vote.
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 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 | |||