|
[[File:Wat mai.jpg|thumbnail|left|The Wat Mai Buddhist Temple and Monastery]]
=== Language ===
The demographic composition of the Asian Pacific Islands reflects political and economic ages of prosperity and growth. The term "Islander" is a term that encompasses 30 indigenous cultural and ethnic groups. These groups are extremely closely related. This is why they are grouped together as a unit. The largest sub-ethnic group are the Ainu people, who make up a third of all Islanders. They are followed by the Lao, Viet, Han, Siam, Nihon and Pino groups. Islanders make up 80% of the population. Nearly 20% of the population is made up of foreigners i.e. Oans, the indigenous people of The Oan Isles. Through centuries of migration (with a rapid increase in the 21st century), the Oan people came to call the Asian Pacific Islands, a second home. This diversity in practices and beliefs tends to create friction in the social order. Some xenophobic attacks have been reported on Oan nationals over the years. Competition for resources fuels the fire.
Islander is the official and most widely spoken language. 70% of the population speak the language as a first language while 90% of the population have some level of competency. It is made up of Manby dialects that differ from island to island. These dialects are easily mutually intelligible. The most widely spoken foreign language is the Oan language followed distantly by [[Wikipedia:English|Staynish]].
The largest religion is [[Wikipedi:Buddhism|Buddhism]]. 60% of the population adhere to this complex faith. 20% of the population ascribe to a set of spiritual beliefs collectively called the Islander Folk Spirituality. The Oan immigrants brought their own religions and beliefs as well. 12% of the population adheres to the Polynesian branch of [[Wikipedia:Protestant|Protestantism]]. 8% of the population follows Oan Folk Spirituality. Interestingly, religious adherance is divided along ethnic lines. The religious adherance is strongly followed. It influences the national identity and national politics. For example, the Birthday of Siddartha Gautama (who became the Buddha), is celebrated annually.
=== Religion ===
The change and growth of the population is affected by immigration and emigration, birth and death. Immigration is much higher than emigration. In spite of the Islander Civil War, birth rates are much higher than death rates. This has allowed the population to grow at a remarkable rate of 5%. With sizeable amounts of water, fuel, food and energy being exported to The Oan Isles, resources can become strained and competition can occur.
Islander religious beliefs are highly complex. Most practice and believe in a mixture of religions. The Buddhist religion is the mostly widely practiced religion. Many people hold to the Mauist doctrine that believes that Polynesian people are uniquely and distinctly chosen and protected by a supernatural being called Maui.
In spite of the war, the state has remained buoyant on its commitment to supply every citizen with water, food, shelter, power and sanitation. Although strained by war, it has effectly cared for the whole nation. Every citizen has access to decent sanitation and waste removal, electricity and other public services. Due to the uneven distribution of income, some people have better access to services and resources than others. Many people in the rural areas have more limited access to decent sanitation and electricity than people in the city. In fact 40% of citizens live in rural areas, while 60% of them live in urban areas.
Some Buddhists and animists rationalise Maui as a unique spiritual force or energy that originates or passes through Polynesia. There are some Mauists who adhere to the [[Abrahamism|Abrahamist doctrine]] that believes that Maui was sent by the Creator to protect the Polynesian people, just as the Archangel Michael was sent to the Israelites.
The distribution of gender has been slightly more lobsided than in other countries. Women outnumber men. 56% of the population is made up of women and 44% is made up of men. This process has been attributed to a strange phenomenon in the process of conception that has been studied immensely. The balance of children to adults, especially in the wake of a war, is a cause for concern, as there is an equal amount of adults and children. Family planning has been introduced to mitigate the propensity of people, especially the poor and rural people, to have large families.
Some Christian denominations also exist. They also hold to the Mauist belief to varying degrees. Protestants generally avoid the topic, but Catholics believe that Maui is an archangel of the Polynesian people, similarly to the Abrahamist view.
The official language is Islander. It has many slight variations, that are called dialects. The dialect that is widespread, used by the state and considered the standard one is the Ainu dialect. All people can speak some dialect of Islander to some extent, including Oan immigrants. Oan is the lingua franca. It is taught as a second language in schools, and is spoken by more and more peoppe due to an increase in the number of Oan people and access to Oan entertainment and media.
=== Ethnic groups ===
The vast majority of the population (about 70%) form part of the Islander ethnic group. The Islander ethnic group is comprised of many tribes. The largest of which is the Ainu group which makes up a third of all Islanders. It is followed by the Viet, Lao, Siam, Han, Nihon and Pino tribes.
Oans are the biggest foreign group, making up 15% of the population. Kōhatuan people make up 5%, [[Morstaybishlian West Pacific Territories|West Polynesians]] 5%, Noan people 3% and the rest make up 2%. Most Polynesians have lived here for generations and they have deeply anchored roots in the Asian Pacific Islands. Nonetheless, they maintain strong links to their countries of origin.
=== Development ===
The overwhelming majority of the population have access to basic needs such as primary healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, potable water, literacy and shelters. Over half the people live in cities. Unfortunately, the cities suffer from urban decay and there are shantytowns on the outskirts of cities of economic migrants from the rural areas.
| 