Cataduanes

RP History
An island nation in South East Asia, it is characterised by its history of colonial oppression in the past in which Spanish colonisers invaded and overthrew the native Merdicas Kingdom leading to hundreds of years of colonial rule in which Spanish settlers intermarried among the natives forming a Mestizo populace that eventually assimilated the dwindling Merdicasi natives. Spanish rule came to an end during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, with Cataduanes based branches of the 'CNT' anarchists uniting with the peasant rebel groups (the Katipunan) and seized control instituting a popular front government that encompassed the left wing, with the new native Anarcho-Syndicalist 'CCT' (Confederacion Collectivo de Trabajadores, largely the old Katipunan) uniting with the CNT, the Anarcho-Syndicalist movement dominates the Co-alition that essentially governs Cataduanes, the Co-aliton government is also termed the 'Frente Popular' or Popular Front. After Franco's victory in Spain the island became a haven for many Spanish republicans of all ideologies. The Political situation in Cataduanes is volatile with the communist 'PCC' (Partido Communista Cataduano) and the socialist 'FSD' (Federacion Socialista y Democratia) distrustful of the dominant CCT and each other, outside of government are the 'PLN' (Partido Liberal Nacionales) which represents the remnants of the old liberals, the monarchist 'PBD' (Partido Bangsa Datulo) who advocate the rule of the old Datu's or native princes, who in colonial times were co-opted by the Spaniards, the 'PMI' (Partido Marxismo Internacional) a splinter group from the PCC, and the HMU (Hizb Mussalman Urang) party which represents Cataduanes small but growing Muslim minority. The provinces all elect there own councils from the village level and upwards, the provincial councils or 'Ateneos' send representatives to the Commissariat (senate) in the capital, in addition to these provincial Commissars the commissariat is joined by the sitting commissar who has powers that correspond to a speaker of parliament, the sitting Commissar also represents Cataduanes on the international stage, at the moment none of the parties hold the Sitting Commissars position, with the unaffiliated Army Commissar, Erramun Sendoa, the commander of the army (Hukbong Cataduańo Mapanghimagsik) holding the position. This has led to some accusations that Commissar Sendoa is looking to establish an Army Junta however as of yet such accusations remain unfounded.

Due to the prevalence of factions the provinces are similarly split, with the CCT controlling Culion, Coron Norte, Romblon and Merida, the PLN hold El Nido, the PCC dominate Samal and Coron Sur while the FSD control Marinduque.

The capital of Oltaloro is renowned for its 'Ciudad Vieja' or old town based around the San Martin harbour and the Santiago fortress, its narrow cobbled streets and dilapidated colonial buildings give it an old world charm, in marked contrast the new districts on the Magalona hills largely built since the influx of revenue from the growing Uranium and Aluminum extraction industries, a marked contrast to the old town and the small towns surrounding the capital. Also of note is the second city of Cataduanes, Subanon, where the ruins of the old Merdicas capital of Mahapari attract tourist who come to see the intricate stone carvings of the ruined temple and palace complexes. The old spanish colonial capital of Villa Merida further up the coast from Oltaloro is noteworthy for its history but since independence has slipped into neglect and is considered a backwater.

Cataduanes is renowned for its ´Wild Beared Pig´, a species close to extinction; however goverment reserves have been set up in protected forest areas in an attempt to avert the extinction of the national symbol of the nation.

Game History since entering Cybernations
As a Nationstates player Cataduanes joined the ODN upon invitation from a fellow nationstates player, Pope Hope, and has since applied itself to serve the ODN faithfully as a member of the armed forces. The Sunny Island nation has also been invloved with the Popular Front, a proposed loose co-alition of the Left wing nations in CN, which became a catalyst for the unifacation of the ICSN and ICP (now both defunct.)

With the start of The Great War the armed forces of Cataduanes had been serving mainly in offensives against the Federal Dutch Union in conjunction with GATO member, Zeroth Reich, a second front has been opened up against James of the Universe. The culmination of the Great War has seen the Island come out stronger and the army demobilized in peacetime. However conflict with the small COBRA alliance led to more military action in which the Cataduanes military showed a good account of itself.

Since the war with COBRA the peace within the ODN and by extension Cataduanes has remained stable, even when the chaos of the 2nd Great War threatened and Commissar Erramun Sendoa has steered the island nation to even closer relations within the ODN and remaining a patriotic member of the Orange Defence Network.

WIth the ODN deciding to not involve itself in GW2 the island nation was forced to watch as its many comrades in the ICP were cut down, this was to be repeated as the LSF were cornered and chrushed by Nordreich. However the outbreak of GW3 has seen the island nation march to war against the GOONS (fighting Wolfraim, Kakakaka and Point Given), a conflict in which the nation fought despite horrendous losses and was only 52 infra points away from ZI. Since the end of GW3 the Freestate was engaged in restoring lost infrastructure, and laboured hard as an ODN military officer in the subsequent reforms to the ODN armed forces following the war. However in late June of 2007 the reformation of the ICP (reformed with the blessing of NoV and the NPO) saw the Freestate resign its membership of the ODN after 14 months of service, on the 5th July the Cataduanes Freestate officially became a member state of the reformed ICP.

However this change of allegience was to be ill fated with the Golden Sabres and NoV launching a unwarranted surprise attack. The attack was also aided by Team Orange sanctions imposed by IRON which crippled the Freestate's revenue and long term ability to fight. The unjustifiable war ended with the ICP being forced to disband and all members of the non defunct ICP forced to pay reparations. The Freestate subsequently returned to the ODN along with a number of other ICP members.

With the entrance of the ODN into the Just war (also called by some the Unjust War) the Freestate was once again been sent to war, this time far better equipped (than in GW3) for the type of warfare that currently characterizes CN warfare. After a number of weeks fighting the war settled down as the GOONS slowly but surely dissappeared.

After some thought the Freestate returned to its adherence to Left wing principles and for the second time resigned from the ODN, this time to join the CPCN. The Freestate helped the CPCN defeat the attempted coup mounted by the militant Marxist-Leninists led by then party chairman Demokratikos, with the coup consigned to the dustbin of history the Freestate has played a high profile role as Commissar Erramun Sendoa was duly elected to head the Foreign Affairs Commissariat of the CPCN. And has helped the CPCN sign a number of treaties with the most vital being the establishment of a TOA/ODP with ODN, and the entrance of the Party into the Orange Unity Treaty(OUT).

After months of stalwart service to CPCN the eruption of the GATO-1V war has seen Cataduanes join GATO's fight for survival. This is due to the MDP between CPCN and GATO that was dissolved in the opening days of the war, with Cataduanes and other CPCN member nations opting to honour the spirit of the treaty and join the fight.

Geography


Cataduanes is noteworthy for its San Vicente Volcano which has lay dormant for some 400 years, this 2,060 m high volcano is symmetrically shaped and is a iconic symbol of the nation, it is located in the center of the island amid 3 extinct volcanoes, known locally as the Tres Reyes or Three kings (there exist at least 9 active yet smaller volcanoes throughout the Curon mantain provinces). Off the western coasts are the islands of El Nido and Romblon.



The local climate is largely hot, humid, and tropical in the lowlands. The average yearly temperature is around 26.5°C (79.7°F). In the Curon Mountains the climate during the dry season is pleasant and sunny, but it is alpine, with thick forest and snows during the winter.

There are three recognized seasons (all seasonal names are in Cataduaño and Mahabeño):

Verano/Tag-init (the hot season or summer from March to May)

Otoño/Tag-ulan (the rainy season from June to November)

Invierno/Taglamig (the cold season from December to February).

The southwest monsoon (May-October) is known as the Habagato/Habagat and the dry winds of the northeast monsoon (November-April) as the Viento-Zabio/Amiha.

Geo-Political subdivisions
After independence the country was divided into 9 Communidades (provinces), abolishing the old Spanish system of the 14 Barrio's. The majority of the Communidades are tropical in terrrain except for alpine like provinces of Coron Norte and Coron Sur. El Nido and Romblon are small islands off the western coast.

Culion (containing the capital Oltaloro)

Merida 

Marinduque

Coron Norte

Coron Sur

Busuanga

Samal

El Nido

Romblon

Demographics
The Mestizo's or Cataduaños represent some 78% of the population, the ethnicity and culture is a blend of the now extinct Merdicasi and the spanish conquerors, the language is a creole language combining Spanish, Malay (Merdicasi) and Chinese elements.

The Mahabeños are also descendents of the Merdicasi natives however they have retain more of their indigenous language and culture, they form 9% of the population and are largely concentrated in Samal province and eastern Basuanga province.

The Spanish population constitute 6% (this includes the community of descendents of Catalan refugees)of the nation and are spread across Culion, Romblon & El Nido provinces, the majority of whom arrived as refugee's from Franco's triumph over the second Spanish Republic. Among the those counted as Spanish are an assortment of descendents of Europeans with various nationalities who had fought for the second Spanish Republic, while fully integrated into the Spanish society around them many retain pride in their ancestry, the largest in number are the Germans (descendents of Germans who fought for the Spanish republic during the civil war) who are concentrated in the capital. Also of note is the vibrant Catalan community that is in official censuses classed as Spaniards (much to the Catalan's chagrin), the Catalans are by and large bilingual with some 80% using Catalan as a mother tongue (and Spanish for inaction with non-Catalans), they are largely concentrated in the capital especially in the Barrio Negrenses area of the city.

Ethnic Chinese, also known as the Juachis, make up 5% of the population and are concentrated in Merida and Culion provinces, the Juachis were originally Cantonese migrants who had settled during the age of the Merdicas kingdom but it remained a small population until the influx of Cantonese migrants from the early 20th century greatly expanded the numbers of the Jauchis, The Juachis have fully retained their Cantonese language and customs, the Chinatown of the capital Oltaloro city is famed for its vibrancy.

A tiny Basque community (1% of the total population) exists in Oltaloro city where they live mainly in the 'Luxemburgo' barrio (city area). They are largely the descendents of refugee's from the Spanish civil war, they have retained their unique language and customs rather than being assimilated into the Spanish community and have contributed many leading figures to the Popular Front and the Militia's.

Religious Demographics
Since Independence religion has had no official status in Cataduanes and the Catholic Church in Cataduanes lost much of its land, however it continues to remain a force and it is estimated that at least 70% of Cataduaños are committed Catholics. Among the Spanish population an estimated 55% could be classed as committed Catholics. In modern times the arrival of missionaries from the Orange Catholic Church has led to small minority of adherents among the Chinese minority and a tiny following among Mestizo's in Oltaloro City, while the Hare Krishna movement and Bhuddism have gained small but growing numbers of converts in the Capital.

Among the Maharbeños the religious traditions of the ancient Merdicas remain in existence. The Merdicas faith was largely a syncretic faith combining elements of shamanism, nature and ancestor worship and Hinduism, this faith now known as 'Merdicasismo' has also absorbed Christian elements, this faith exist alongside conventional Catholic faith with many families attending Mass on Sundays but retaining statues of the Merdicasi gods to worship within the home.

The Jauchis are a mix of Catholics, Confucians, Taoists, Buddhists and a small community following the Orange Catholic Church.

Islam has found converts largely on the northern coast of Merida province and in Samal province. Islam in Merida dates back to the early 1920's when Spanish colonial troops of Moroccan origins introduced the faith to the local fishermen, as a result the coast rapidly underwent conversion and now form a slight majority on the north Coast of Merida, the majority are Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school. Islam has begun to make inroads into Samal province with a small but growing number of Muslim converts to be found on the northern coasts of Samal province around the port of Ardar, in contrast to the Muslim Cataduaños the Muslims of Ardar are Sunni's of the Shafi`i school as a result of Malaysian missionaries.

Education
The Island is home to two universities, the oldest is the 'Colegio de Torrevieja' in the city of Merida and was established during spanish colonial rule (when it was known as the 'Esquela Coloniales') having survived the ravages of the spanish civil war and the subsequent independence to become the premier educational institution in the freestate. The second university is the 'Universidad Pamatasang de Oltaloro' which is based in the Barrio Canlaon area of the capital Oltaloro.

Economy
In recent times the Uranium mines of Samal province have shot to prominence and are now the biggest source of revenue for the Freestate, also of note is the Aluminium mines of Marinduque province. In Busuanga, Culion, Coron Norte & Sur and Merida rice farming remains the dominant industry, Along all the coasts fishing is the largest employer.

Energy Production
With its seemingly limitless stocks of uranium the Freestate recently embarked on an ambitious program of expansion of the Nuclear energy sector, with construction of 10 new reactors to supplement the 14 ageing reactors built in the pre-GW3 era.



With the new reactors coming online the nuclear sector now produces about 78% of the freestate's electricity, with the remainder being taken up by the declining fossil fuel power station sector. With the growing enviromental concerns of the leadership plans were recently announced to phase out the fossil fuel energy sector in favour of further expansion of the nuclear sector in the coming years.

Media
The national media is independent and split along political lines. In the print sector the newspaper 'Verdadera' is the broadsheet of the CCT, other major daily prints include 'Tiempo' from the communists, 'Merdicasy Hoy' from the Socialists and the spanish language 'Libertad' which represents the large spanish populations in Oltaloro, El Nido and Romblon. 'Mar' is the socialist affiliated paper of the ethnic Chinese.

There are 3 terrestial TV channels Tele Cataduanes 1, Tele Cataduanes 2 and Merdicasy Hoy, all 3 are jointly run by the various factions of the Popular Front. However the proliferation of international satellite TV outside of the government control has led to a growing awareness of the outside world.

Sports and Popular Culture
The traditional sports vary with the west of the island and sections of the central areas of the Curon possessing a tradition of Bull fighting handed down by the Spanish colonisers, while in the east of the island Cockeral Fighting is king. However Football (or Soccer as it is known in some parts of planet Bob) is the biggest spectator sport by far, Professional Football in Cataduanes can be traced back to late 20's.

Armed Forces
Please see the Hukbong Cataduańo Mapanghimagsik article.