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#REDIRECT [[Ni-Rao (Empire)]]
{{WIP}}
{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = August Empire of Ni-Rao
|common_name = Ni-Rao
|image_flag = File:Nirao Flag.png
|alt_flag = The flag of the August Empire of Ni-Rao
|image_coat =
|alt_coat =
|symbol_type =
|national_motto =
|national_anthem =
|image_map =
|alt_map = <!--alt text for map-->
|map_caption =
|capital = Amao
|largest_city = Krist
|official_languages = Raonish
|national_languages =
|ethnic_groups = Feline 83%<br />Elven 14%<br /> Other 3%
|ethnic_groups_year = 2020
|demonym = Raonite
|government_type = [[wikipedia:unitary state|Unitary]] [[wikipedia:parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[wikipedia:constitutional monarchy|constitutional monarchy]]
|leader_title1 = Empress
|leader_name1 = Morau XII
|leader_title2 = Grand Vizier
|leader_name2 = Doran Imo
|leader_title3 =
|leader_name3 =
|leader_title4 =
|leader_name4 =
|legislature = Council of Five Hundred
|upper_house =
|lower_house =
|established_event1 = State of Ni established
|established_date1 = c. 1800 BCE
|established_event2 = State of Rao established
|established_date2 = c. 1600 BCE
|established_event3 = Merger of the Crowns
|established_date3 = c. 900 BCE
|established_event4 = Charter of Amao ratified
|established_date4 = July 19th, 1791 CE
|area_rank =
|area_magnitude =
|area =
|area_km2 = 599237
|area_sq_mi =
|area_footnote = <!--Optional footnote for area-->
|percent_water =
|area_label = Total
|area_label2 = <!--Label below area_label (optional)-->
|area_data2 = <!--Text after area_label2 (optional)-->
|population_estimate =
|population_estimate_rank =
|population_estimate_year =
|population_census = 45,074,215
|population_census_year = 2020
|population_density_km2 =
|population_density_sq_mi =
|population_density_rank =
|GDP_PPP = <!--(Gross Domestic Product from Purchasing Power Parity)-->
|GDP_PPP_rank =
|GDP_PPP_year =
|GDP_PPP_per_capita =
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =
|GDP_nominal = $425,250,000,000
|GDP_nominal_rank =
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|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $9,450
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank =
|Gini = <!--(Gini measure of income inequality; input number only; valid values are between 0 and 100)-->
|Gini_ref = <!--(for any ref/s to associate with Gini number)-->
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|HDI = <!--(Human Development Index; input number only; valid values are between 0 and 1)-->
|HDI_ref = <!--(for any ref/s to associate with HDI number)-->
|HDI_rank =
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|currency = New Deben
|currency_code = NRN
|time_zone = [[wikipedia:UTC|UTC]] -8:00
|utc_offset =
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|utc_offset_DST = <!--in the form "+N", where N is number of hours offset-->
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}}
The '''August Empire of Ni-Rao''', commonly known as '''Ni-Rao''', is a constitutional monarchy located in northwestern [[Gondwana]].

==History==
===Ancient History===
[[File:Ni-rao merger.png|left|200px|thumb|Approximate borders of the State of Ni (in blue) and the Kingdom of Rao (red) at the time of the Merger of the Crowns in 900 BCE, superimposed on modern borders.]]
The two immediate predecessor states of Ni-Rao were the State of Ni, a city-state on the northwestern coast of Gondwana that dates to approximately 1800 BCE, and the Kingdom of Rao, which was originally located further inland and has been dated to approximately 1600 BC. The primary population of both states were felines who are believed to have migrated to the coast from the interior of the continent. As the historical record indicates that the languages spoken in Ni and Rao were written in similar scripts with nearly identical grammar, it is believed that both groups of felines descend from the same population. Fragments of tablets found in Ni dated to 1500 BCE show that the royal court of Ni was concerned at the time that "countrymen of Rao are almost indistinguishable from our own [citizens] and can commit crimes among us unnoticed."

Conflict between the two states was common, although not typically severe. Villages on the frontiers of both states often changed hands. In approximately 900 BCE an event known as the "Merger of the Crowns" occurred and Ni and Rao were merged into a single state. However, the records written in each state both indicate that it was their own army that conquered the other state. As literacy and the ability to write were both restricted to a select class of scribes in both states, written records are scant, and it remains uncertain if the Merger was caused by one state conquering the other or by mutual consent. The head of state of the newly-combined state was called the Emperor, a tradition that continues to the current day.

The first Emperor of Ni-Rao was Ramar, who ordered that a great stone tomb be built for him to be interred when he died. He ordered that the tomb be built on what had been the border of Ni and Rao, as an "eternal testament" to the unification. The tomb took the form of a stepped pyramid, with each successive layer smaller than the one below it. The stone came largely from the eastern highland regions of what had been Rao, and was moved from eastern quarries to the site by river. Significant amounts of slave labor were used in its construction. Ramar is popularly said to have died the day after the pyramid was completed, although modern historical analysis indicates he was alive for at least one or two years after completion. The construction of the Tomb of Ramar spurred a tradition in Ni-Rao of massive monuments and extensive funerary rituals and myths centered around the Emperors.

===Expansion===

After the Merger of the Crowns, Ni-Rao began an era of expansionism, as it grew larger by taking control of neighboring areas. The surrounding areas were populated largely by other feline populations that had migrated from the interior jungles in roughly the same manner the Ni and Rao people had. Ni-Rao was the wealthiest of the feline polities living along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Northwestern Gondwana, and as it expanded, its wealth and military strength increased as well. By the 1st Century CE, Ni-Rao occupied most of the coastal lowlands of the eastern gulf coast region north of the Flame Channel. Throughout the first millennium, various military campaigns expanded northward towards the Danvreas Range and eastward across the highlands toward the interior of the continent.

A series of military defeats from eastern tribes in the 6th Century CE largely ended Ni-Rao's expansion to the east. Also around this time, the era of pyramid building began to decline, as the economy had since weakened and labor was needed in agriculture rather than in the service of the Emperors to build tombs. Ni-Rao's borders would remain largely fixed for some four hundred years. This era of stagnation is known as the First Dark Age of Ni-Rao, although in contrast to the name the general populace was not largely suffering, and there were significant improvements made to agriculture, roads, and defensive fortifications on the frontier. Expansion began to pick up again in 900 CE, focused primarily on expanding into the north, across the mountains of the Danvreas Range.

The western portion of the Danvreas Range is relatively shorter than the rest of the range, especially in the westernmost spur that curves southward and forms the southern border of what is today the [[Tavari Union]]. There is a pass in the mountains near the Lakes of the Four Sisters that Ni-Rao used to expand northward into what are today [[Tavari Union#New Rania|New Rania]] and [[Tavari Union#Tavaris|Tavaris]]. Additionally, while Ni-Rao has traditionally never been a maritime power, it did expand by sea to the north and, at its territorial maximum, to the west across the Gulf. The areas north of the mountains were largely inhabited by various human and elven peoples - groups that had never had any contact with Ni-Rao before. By and large, the humans and elves responded harshly to Ni-Rao's expansions, and there was violence in the northern frontiers almost constantly.

===Decline===
[[File:Ni rao maximum.png|left|200px|thumb|The approximate territorial maximum of Ni-Rao, in 1300 CE.]]
Ni-Rao reached its territorial maximum in approximately 1300 CE. At that time, in addition to its traditional holdings in the eastern gulf coastal lowlands and highlands, it also held significant holdings in the north, reaching as far north as what is today [[Tavari Union#Bana|Bana]] and controlling part of King's Island in what is now [[Acronis]]. However, also at around 1300 CE, the various Tavari elven tribes consolidated into a single Kingdom of [[Tavari Union#Tavaris|Tavaris]]. Tavaris, which held the remaining portions of King's Island, launched a campaign to expel Ni-Rao from the island very soon after unification, and succeeded. At the time time, a concerted effort by the human and elven tribes of Bana began to push back from the north. Ni-Rao, over-extended, faltered militarily and began to lose control of the northern reaches.

In about 1400, a plague struck Ni-Rao that was quickly expanded across the entire empire in part, it is believed, by rats that were hidden among the cargo of various traveling merchants. The plague reached, and struck particularly hard in, the northern reaches that had less stable supply lines and infrastructure. However, all areas of the country were affected by the plague, and between 1400 and 1500 CE, approximately 1 out of every 6 residents of the country died. The plague did not affect non-felines, however, meaning the humans and elves opposed to them were made relatively stronger as Ni-Rao was weakened. Ni-Rao held on to the region surrounding what is now Ranisport until about 1550, but the arrival of Tavari exiles from Acronis weakened their holdings further, and eventually the felines retreated back to the south of the Danvreas Range.

===Recent History===
[[File:Piramide Chichen-Itza - panoramio (2).jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Tomb of Emperor Ramar, a popular and well-preserved Raonite monument.]]
The 17th Century started with Ni-Rao in a state of general disarray and poverty. For this reason, the Acronian Empire began a campaign of humanitarian aid in Ni-Rao, led largely by the [[Akronism|Church of Akrona]]. This would lead to Acronis establishing a colony, called Enaro Metravaník or Emerald Coast, in the northern regions of Ni-Rao in 1668. This was done without the express consent of the government of Ni-Rao, which theoretically claimed the area but had ''de facto'' ceded control to Acronis because it could not afford to defend the area or maintain its infrastructure - both things that Acronis was doing in the area already. This establishment of an Acronian territory on the mainland of Gondwana, immediately south of Tavaris, was considered by both Ni-Rao and Tavaris to be a massive breach of the status quo and led to the [[History of Tavari-Acronian Relations#Fourth War|Fourth War]] between Acronis and Tavaris. Ni-Rao joined the war on the Tavari side.

While Acronis initially suffered great losses in the beginning of the Fourth War, Acronis' population served as an advantage that allowed it to outlast both Tavaris and Ni-Rao, especially after the King of Acronis conscripted virtually the entire adult population of the Empire into military service. Eventually, Acronis pushed Tavaris back, and after ending the Tavari threat, Ni-Rao's weak military could not withstand the full attention of Acronian forces. Ni-Rao surrendered in 1680 and signed a treaty agreeing to return to the status quo ante bellum. While not explicit in the terms of the treaty, this surrender effectively ceded Ni-Rao's claim on Emerald Coast.

With its holdings winnowed, Ni-Rao lost status as a regional power. The 17th and 18th Centuries saw Ni-Rao adopt a constitutional monarchy as the general populace began to resist the traditional system of feudal authority. Ni-Rao's economy was largely agricultural, although as the Industrial Revolution spread, some industry did take hold in the major population centers. Population slowly increased. Additionally, the economy saw a boost as international trade came to the region and foreigners took note of the ancient pyramids and tombs. The monuments became an international tourist destination, and the government focused resources on repairing and maintaining the pyramids and in things such as roads and hotels in the region. The ancient monuments of Ni-Rao remain a popular tourist destination to the current day. Also in the 18th Century, a religious movement known as the New Ranites (from Rania, a city in the east that is believed to share an etymology with the word "Rao") rose up and eventually left Ni-Rao to cross the Danvreas Range and re-inhabit the gulf coast in that region.

Since the Fourth War, Ni-Rao has primarily remained neutral in international affairs. Ni-Rao did not participate in the [[Great War]], unlike nearby powers such as Acronis, Tavaris, and Bana. Ni-Rao has typically had poor relations with Acronis and New Rania, its immediate neighbors, but has not maintained a military strong enough to present a threat to either of them. It established trading relations with other powers in the area, including the colonies like [[Lunaria]] and [[Vultuca]], Great Powers such as [[Great Morstaybishlia]], [[Salovia]], and [[Asendavia]], and other nearby states such as [[Ragea]] and [[Iassath]]. Ni-Rao is a popular place for foreign multinational manufacturing corporations to set up factories, as labor laws are lax in the country and wages are generally low. Ni-Rao has avoided joining modern international organizations such as the [[Alliance of Northwest Gondwana]]. Ni-Rao's foreign policy of isolationism from global affairs is broadly popular. Ni-Rao tends to place great emphasis on seeing itself as the conservator of feline culture in general and its own culture in specific, both things that majorities of Raonite politicians and citizens feel would be threatened by further involvement in international affairs.

==Government==
===The Sovereign===
Ni-Rao is a constitutional monarchy. The current reigning sovereign is Empress Morau XII, who has been on the throne since 1964. The Empress is nominally the Head of State, but in actuality can act only on the advice of the Prime Minister. Unlike such monarchies as [[Acronis]], the Empress has no reserve powers. Any action of the Empress must be countersigned by the relevant Vizier (equivalent to a Minister in other countries), and it is the Viziers - not the sovereign - who are politically responsible for the actions of the state. However, under the law, it is the Empress who appoints the Grand Vizier and members of the Supreme Council (known otherwise as the Cabinet), dissolves and summons the Council of Five Hundred, and is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The Empress is briefed regularly on matters of state and, while she holds no governing authority, she holds significant influence in the government. Outside of formal constitutional roles, the monarch is seen as a guarantor of Raonite culture and history. Throughout history, monarchs frequently visit ancient monuments and other cultural sites, a tradition the current Empress has upheld. The Empress regularly participates in ancient rituals before and after the harvest and also in times of drought or other natural disasters.

===Council of Five Hundred===
The legislature of Ni-Rao has consisted of exactly 500 people for over a thousand years. Originally the Council was an advisory body summoned by the sovereign at will to provide advice, not to ratify laws. Over the course of time, it came to be that the Council's assent was required for the imposition of taxes and for permission in raising a standing army. However, these conventions were never entrenched law until the ratification of the Charter of Amao in 1791, which created the modern constitutional monarchy that Ni-Rao has today. Prior to the Charter, the sovereign tended to hold to these conventions primarily because of political pressure or even armed revolt from the populace.

Several different methods have been used to elect the Council over the course of time. Since 1999, members are elected in a closed-list proportional system, in which citizens cast a vote for a political party and parties are granted a number of seats in the council in accordance to their proportion of the vote. In order to be granted seats, a party must reach at least 4% of the national vote. The office of Grand Vizier, the head of government of Ni-Rao, is appointed for nomination by the Council of 500, and the government must hold the confidence of the Council in order to remain in office. Other Viziers in government are appointed from among the members of the legislature by the Grand Vizier to the Supreme Council, which is usually called the Cabinet to distinguish it from the Council of 500.

==Economy==
[[File:20171126 Angkor Wat 4712 DxO.jpg|left|thumb|300px|The Temple of Shoni, the largest tomb and funerary complex in Ni-Rao and the country's most popular tourist destination.]]
The economy of Ni-Rao is much less developed than most of its surrounding countries. Standards of living are generally lower in Ni-Rao than the international average, as are wages. Approximately a third of the population of the country lives under the international poverty line. The largest sector of the Raonite economy is tourism. Millions of tourists visit the ancient monuments a year.

Outside of tourism, the economy is largely based in agriculture and mining. Timber and paper products are a large agricultural sector, although they are both in decline as old growth forests are lost to deforestation. Rubber, palm oil, cocoa, sugar, fruits and nuts are also important crops. Beef-based agriculture, beans, corn, rice, and soy are newer, non-traditional sectors of agriculture that are quickly increasing as more land is made available by deforestation. In mining, diamonds and other precious gems are available in relatively high concentrations in the eastern highlands. Copper was traditionally mined in Ni-Rao but reserves have largely been depleted. There are also some coal reserves in Ni-Rao, although these are also believed to be approaching depletion. Metals such as gold, silver, lead, nickel are the most common commercially extracted in Ni-Rao. Ni-Rao also has particularly high reserves of bismuth.

A significant portion of the Raonite economy is dependent on remittances from Raonites working abroad sending money home to their families. Wages earned in more stable currencies are valuable to Raonites, as the New Deben is a very weak and unstable currency compared to the global average. The New Deben was introduced in 2002 in a currency revaluation in which 100,000 Debens became worth 1 New Deben. The Tavari Dollar is commonly circulated in Ni-Rao in an unofficial capacity. Especially in the major urban areas, much economic activity takes place in the "informal economy," otherwise known as the black market, in cash transactions that avoid government taxation. Raonite cities are known for their street vendors and expansive bazaar-like markets.

[[Category:Nations]] [[Category:Gondwana]] [[Category:Acronis]]

Latest revision as of 23:20, 5 January 2024

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