United Republic (Celestial Ascendance)

The United Republic of Tiangong, often shortened to simply United Republic, also called simply Tiangong, is a sovereign state in North and East Asia. The United Republic is the second largest nation in the world, as well as a superpower and the most populous democracy. The capital of the nation is Republic City, which is also the largest city in the world. The nation is led by a democratically elected President, which is currently Asami Saito.

Often regarded as one of the most liberal and secular nations in the world, the United Republic is the second largest economy in the world and is home to many different peoples, religions, cultures and languages. Originally consisting of several provinces of China, the United Republic declared independence from China in 1802, unifying into the United Republic of Tiangong, with Sakura Yangcheng as its first President. After a five-year revolutionary war, China renounced its claim on their former territories and recognized the independence of the nation. Despite the damage that the war had done, the Republic was able to quickly rebuild. Immigration to the newly found nation was immense, as it was one of the most liberal and free nations at that time. Developing new technologies and inventions, the United Republic became a great power.

In 1990, the United Republic was briefly reorganized into the Earth Empire under Kuvira Laghima, and under her rule, it expanded into the largest state in world history, causing the Great War. Ultimately, Laghima realized her flawed ideals, and surrendered, allowing peace to return to the ravaged world.

Despite the challenges that the nation had to endure following the war, none of these proved impossible to overcome and today the United Republic is one of the leading nations in the world. It is a former member of the United Nations and its Security Council, which it left in 2010, citing its "uselessness" as the main reason. President Saito however, supports rejoing the organization.

Etymology
The United Republic of Tiangong's name is self-descriptive: a federation of states, united into one republic. The name Tiangong derives from the Chinese word meaning "heavenly palace" (天宮). The Japanese form of the name is Tengoku (天国), which means heaven. The Korean form, Cheongug (천국) also means heaven or paradise.

Geography
The United Republic of Tiangong is the second largest nation in the world by area, after the Native States of Sinica, spanning more than 14,127,000 kilometers. The United Republic borders three nations: Perm, Khaganligi and China. It also has maritime borders with the Native States of Sinica at the Beiji Peninsula.

Administrative divisions
The United Republic consists of six great regions: Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Manchuria, Hanleng and Mongolia. These regions are semi-autonomous and are governed by a High Minister (Shogun in Japan). The nation consists of 50 states, which are represented by two senators each. There are 1,000 districts in the nation, who elect one person each to represent them in the House of Representatives.

Landscape and climate
The landscape of the United Republic is diverse. In the far South, on the island of Taiwan, the climate is hot and tropical; while in the far north, there are cold polar deserts, completely voided of life. The highest point of the nation is Mount Fuji, located on the Japanese island of Honshu. The southermost regions of the nation are dominated by the dry and wet seasons of the monsoons, which may cause large differences in the winter and summer temperatures. The large taigas of Hanleng (Chinese: 寒冷) in the north, mostly covered in pine and fir trees, are not very populated, though still contain large urban areas. Beaches occur naturally in the south of the nation, in Japan and Taiwan, though articifial ones exist in cities located at more northern latitudes. The longest river in the nation is the Zülge river. Temperatures range from tropical in the far south to polar in the far north.

Military
Main article: Military of the United Republic

With 5,1 million active troops, the Unifcation Army (UA) is the second largest standing army in the world. The Unifcation Army consists of the Ground Forces, the Navy, the Air Force and the Rocket Force. The country has the highest military budget in the world, with a yearly budget exceeding 900 million euro.

The United Republic is a recognized nuclear weapons state and has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, with an estimate considering at least 1,000 warheads in the nation's possession. The United Republic is a recognized military superpower and has an standing army of at least 5 million, the second largest in the world, after China. The United Republic produces most of its weapons, with only a few of them imported.

Conscription is outlawed by the Constitution, and the army consists entirely of volunteers.

Despite its large military, the United Republic is considered one of the most peaceful countries in the world.

Politics
The United Republic of Tiangong is a federal democratic constitutional presidential republic and the world's second oldest democracy, after Akset. The United Republic is regularly placed extremely high on the Democracy Index, usually being ranked the most democratic nation in the world. The United Republic is also frequently called a consensus democracy, taking the rights and decisions of the minority into account.

The United Republic consists of 50 states, who hold a significant amount of autonomy and are each represented by 2 senators. There are three levels in the nation: federal (or national), state, and local. All states are divided into several districts, depending on their population. There are 1000 districts in the nation, so each district represents approximately 0.6 million people. All elections use the instant-runoff voting system, meaning if no one gets an absolute majority, the candidate with the least amount of votes is removed and the their voter's votes are transferred to their second choice. This is repeated until a single candidate has a majority of more than 50%.

The federal government is composed of three branches: The House of Representatives has 1000 voting members, each representing a congressional district for a two-year term. The districts are divided proportionally in the nation. All representatives are directly elected by the people.
 * Legislative: The bicameral congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives, can propose and vote on new laws, veto the president, dismiss the president, declare war, approve treaties and remove any sitting member of the government
 * Executive: The President, who is the Supreme Commander of the military, can declare war, can propose bills (not supported by at least 2/3 of the Senate), appoint members of the federal cabinet and enforce federal laws and policies.
 * Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the President with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those found unconstitutional.

The Senate has 100 members with each state having 2 senators, directly elected by the people.

The President is directly elected by the people as well, and is allowed to run for an infinite amount of times.

Foreign relations
The United Republic has an established structure of foreign relations. The United Republic is a former member of the United Nations, which it left in 2010, citing its "uselessness" as the main reason. Ironically, its headquarters is still in Republic City.

All sovereign states have established relations with the United Republic and maintain their respective embassies in Republic City

The United Republic has good relations with most countries, but continues to regard monarchies as archaic. The United Republic frequently criticizes absolute monarchies such as Kemet or the Khmer Empire. Monarchs and royalty are forbidden to enter the nation, and are deported if caught. This attracted much controversy after Princess Senkhara of Kemet was deported in 2013, after trying to go on a holiday in the nation.

Human rights
The United Republic is one of the most progressive nations in the world and is usually ranked as one of the most tolerant nations on Earth. The United Republic was the first nation to legalize euthanasia, most drugs, same-sex marriage, genetic engineering, cloning of humans and recently, polygamy.

The United Republuc is officially secular and religion is seen by the majority of the population as a non-issue. 21 of its 25 Presidents have been nonreligious, including the current President, Asami Saito.

Women face virtually no discrimination and have had the same rights as men since the nation's foundation, the nation's first President, Sakura Yangcheng, was a woman.

Demographics
A census in 2015 counted 600,000,123 people, making it the third most populous nation in the world (after China and the Khmer Empire). Because of its large tracts of uninhabited or scarcely populated land, the United Republic has merely a population density of 42.47 inhabitants per square kilometer. The most populous cities are Republic City, Tokyo, Seoul, Osaka and Tsengzao.

Ethnicities
The main ethnicity of the United Republic is East Asian which make up nearly 60% of the population. The birth rate of the nation is relatively low, but due to high immigration rates the nation will continue to grow in population.

Religion
The United Republic is one of the least religious countries in the world, with approximately 80% of the population considering themselves irreligious.

Society
The United Republic is considered to be the most progressive, democratic and liberal nation in the world. It is the second oldest democracy in the world and firmly believes in the ideals of equality and freedom. Most of its citizens share these ideals, and are proud to be citizens of the nation. Few things are seen as weird, and people of all kinds are accepted within the society.

A remerkable aspect of the United Republican society is its opposition to any kind of monarchy, a trait that is found within nearly all of the citizens of the nation. Multiple people from the United Republic, such as Asami Saito, Jinora Zangpo, and Shen Liao have stated that "a monarchy has no place in 21st century." The belief that a monarchy is archaic, outdated, or simply absurd, is written in the Constitution, and prevents the nation from ever becoming a monarchy.

United Republic officials do not bow to monarchs, or anyone else, and monarchs are prohibited to enter the nation. This drew criticism from some states which have monarchies during the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games, as their heads of state were forbidden to attend.