Tanoa

Tanoa, officially the State of Tanoa, is a state located in south-central Cartadania. It had a 2020-census population of 9,402,613, making it the 13th-most populous state in Cartadania, as well as the 28th-most extensive. Combined with a density of 241 PD/km2, it is also the 3rd-most densely populated state in Cartadania. The state capital is Arranda, located in the state's central valley, while Cagliasi, is the state's largest city and is located along the state's short coastline. Greater Cagliasi is the most populous urban region, with about 3.5 million residents, comprising a third of the state's population.

The area that is present-day Tanoa was first inhabited by Adonerii-descended early Cartadanian peoples starting around 3,000 years BC, with the Linaca being the dominant group when Caphirians finally arrived in the early 4th century BC. Its position across the Turian mountains and so far south along the Bay of Attalus made it of little interest to Republic-era Caphiria, thus it lacked true inland settlements until the 1630s when Cartadania separated from Caphiria, taking the area with it. Although it has been part of Cartadania since this time, it was heavily disputed with Caphiria as a region and did not become a state of its own until 1995, when the former state of Taliana was split into current Tanoa and Tanoa Sul

Tanoa's location in Cartadania makes it difficult to include it in a specific region, thus it is sometimes considered in two. Because the regions exist merely as a consolidation and categorization of cultural similarities in the country, the state is not de jure part of any region. It is most commonly accepted, however, as a part of the Lusia region. It's proximity to Turiana and Verona has fueled its rapid growth and suburbanization in the second half of the 20th century. With the turn of the 21st century, its economy increasingly diversified, with major sectors including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, specialized agriculture, and informational technology. Tanoa remains a major destination for immigrants from Caphiria, with one of the most multicultural populations in Cartadania. Echoing historic trends, the state has increasingly re-urbanized, with growth in the cities outpacing the suburbs since 2000. Tanoa is one of the wealthiest states in Cartadania, with the seventh highest median household income in 2023. Almost one-tenth of all households, or over 341,000 of 3.5 million, are millionaires. Tanoa's public school system consistently ranks at or among the top of all Cartadanian states.

Geography
The state borders Tanoa Sul to the south, Verona and the Bay of Attalus to the west and northwest, and the Caphirian province of Turiana to the east and northeast. It covers an area of 39,015.06 km2, of which 2900.7 km2 is surface water, and is the fourth-least extensive state in Cartadania.

The state is divided into 5 geographic zones, from west to east–Bay Coastal Plain, Tanoa Piedmont, Janeiro Mountains, Ridge and Valley, and Turian Plateau. The Bay Coastal Plain is a coastal plain between the Bay of Attalus, Tanoa River, and the fall line. It includes the major estuaries of Bay of Attalus. The Piedmont is a series of sedimentary and igneous rock-based foothills west of the mountains which were formed in the Mesozoic era. The region, known for its heavy clay soil, includes the Southeast Ranges around Valorton. The Janeiro Mountains are a physiographic province of the Turian Mountains with the highest points in the state, the tallest being Rico's Peak at *height_marker*. The Ridge and Valley region is west of the mountains, carbonate rock based, and includes the Linaca Mountain ridge and the Great Linaca Valley, which is called the Charmides Valley in Tanoa. The Turian Plateau and Turian Mountains are in the southwest corner and far western fringes of Tanoa. In this region, rivers flow northeast, with a dendritic drainage system, into the Turian Province of Caphiria.

Executive
The position of Governor of Tanoa has been considered one of the most powerful in the nation. Until 2011, the governor was the only statewide elected executive official in the state and appointed various government officials. Formerly, an acting governor was even more powerful as they simultaneously served as president of the Senate of Tanoa, thus directing half of the legislative and all of the executive process. A 2009 amendment to the state Constitution prevents the Senate President from becoming acting governor in the event of a permanent gubernatorial vacancy without giving up their seat in the state Senate. Currently, Chalinus Adrana (SDP) serves as the 4th governor, while Caecilia Micon serves as the second lieutenant governor. The governor's mansion is Saumner Chateau, located in Arranda.

Legislature
The current version of the Tanoa State Constitution was adopted in 1995. It provides for a bicameral state legislature, known as the Tanoa General Assembly, consisting of an upper house Senate of 40 members and a lower house House of Representatives of 80 members. Each of the 40 legislative districts elects one state senator and two Assembly members. Assembly members are elected for a two-year term in all odd-numbered years; state senators are elected in the years ending in 1, 3, and 7 and thus serve either four- or two-year terms.

Tanoa is one of the few states that elects its state officials in odd-numbered years. It holds elections for these offices every four years, in the year preceding each federal Presidential election year. Thus, the last year when Tanoa elected a governor was 2023; the next gubernatorial election will occur in 2027.

Judiciary
The Supreme Court of Tanoa (STRITAN) consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. All are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of a majority of the membership of the state senate. Justices serve an initial seven-year term, after which they can be reappointed to serve until age 70.

Most of the day-to-day work in the Tanoa's courts is carried out in the Municipal Court, where simple traffic tickets, minor criminal offenses, and small civil matters are heard.

More serious criminal and civil cases are handled by the Superior Court for each county. All Superior Court judges are elected by their county or appointed by its Board of Supervisors. Each judge serves an initial seven-year term, after which they can be reappointed to serve until age 70.

The Superior Court also has an Appellate Division, which functions as the state's intermediate appellate court. Superior Court judges are assigned to the Appellate Division by the Chief Justice.

There is also a Tax Court, which is a court of limited jurisdiction. Tax Court judges hear appeals of tax decisions made by County Boards of Taxation. They also hear appeals on decisions made by the director of the Department of Revenue on such matters as state income, sales and business taxes, and homestead rebates. Appeals from Tax Court decisions are heard in the Appellate Division of Superior Court. Tax Court judges are appointed by the governor for initial terms of seven years, and upon reappointment are granted tenure until they reach the mandatory retirement age of 70. There are seven Tax Court judgeships.

Local government
Tanoa consists of 26 counties. Some counties have been named for prominent figures in both Cartadanian and Caphirian history, as well as Tanoan history, and a few bear names with tribal origin (e.g., Linaca named counties), but most have names of geographic origin. Counties in Tanoa have their own elected legislative branch, usually called the Board of Commissioners, which usually also has executive authority in the county. Tanoa's Constitution provides all counties and cities with "home rule" authority. The county commissions have considerable power to pass legislation within their county, as a municipality would.

Tanoa recognizes all local units of government as cities, so every incorporated town is legally a city. Tanoa does not provide for townships or independent cities, though there have been bills proposed in the Legislature to provide for townships; it does allow consolidated city-county governments by local referendum, but none currently exist.