NATION APPLICATION
Shortform name: Samurasat (饒野)
Long/native name: Republic of Samurasat (共和饒野)
Real life culture influence: Philippines
Real life culture of former colonizer: Vietnamese (Van Xuan)
Population: 35,689,802
GDP (PPP) per capita: 12,050圓
GDP (nominal) per capita: 5,992圓
Military manpower (active/reserve): 392,249 (active), 17,000 (reserve)
Language(s): Tagalog, Visayan, Cebuano, Vietnamese (Kinh), etc.
Nation description: Samurasat, officially the Republic of Samurasat (Chữ Thiên: 共和饒野; Tagalog: Kongwa Samurasat), also known by the Kinh exonym Nhiêu Dã, is an island country in South Jungju. It is surrounded to the east and south by the Eastern Ocean and to the north and west by the Nhiêu Dã Strait. Its name Samurasat comes from the Sanskrit words samudra [sea] and sarasat [root] and means “Land Rooted in the Sea”. The Kinh (Vietnamese) exonym Nhiêu Dã is unrelated to the nation’s endonyms, because it means “Land of Bountiful Plains” in tribute to the lush layout of the Samusarat islands. Samurasat is based on the real-world peoples of the Philippines.
The history of Samurasat begins in the 13th Century. Over a dozen polities covered the islands. These polities engaged in trade both locally and with South Yoju, which allowed for the spread of Bhavanism (Hinduism) and Orthodox Tathaism (Theravada Buddhism) and for the Dharmicization (Indianization) of these polities. After two centuries, the Kingdom of Murawayan became the dominant polity on the island and expanded its territory across nearly a quarter of Samurasat’s current boundaries. In the 1650s, Murawayan formed diplomatic ties with the emerging colonial power Vạn Xuân and later became a tributary of Vạn Xuân in the 1670s.
In 1737, Murawayan united all of the Samusarat islands, founding the Kingdom of Samurasat. Sinjuan colonial activity in Namju and Yangju, and Cheongju made Samurasat a regional hub. As the kingdom’s influence grew, it began to fall under Sinjuan cultural influence, especially from Mandic (Vietic) nations. Some of these influences included the adoption of Chữ Thiên (字天/천자 Cheonja), spread of Ekayana Tathaism (East Asian Buddhism) and Sinjuan philosophies such as Doism (Taoism) and Neo-Yuism (Neo-Confucianism), even though Dharmic religion and philosophy continue to be dominant.
The Kingdom of Samurasat transitioned to a constitutional monarchy in the 1890s, and the role of the monarchy would slowly be reduced to a figurehead or ceremonial role. Samurasat aligned itself with the Contingent Powers during the Great Eulhae War, officially joining the conflict in 1940 after an incident with Jeongmian naval forces off the coast of Timog-Puluan (lit. "Southern Island", southernmost island of Samurasat). Between 1940 and 1943, Samurasat amassed a regional sphere of dominance, annexing several major Yangjuan islands, which it was forced to relinquish after the war.
After Eulhae, Samurasat's government fully transitioned to a more democratic system and declared the current republic in 1950. The Samurasat monarchy still exists, though are generally treated as ceremonial figures and have no influence or power in the government. Today, Samurasat is one of the most developed countries in its respective region. Its citizens have access to universal healthcare and education, and is a popular destination for tourists and Yangjuan immigrants.
Are you willing to drastically alter your nation in order to fit with Tiandi canon?: Yes
Main/puppet/NPC: NPC
User (Wiki profile, Discord username, or NS nation): Re.min.a
Link to map claim (optional): It's labeled under *Samtoi
How did you find out about Tiandi?: Active member
