Cao

Cao Special Federal District 花岛
Special Subject of the Democratic Republic of Daxia
Flag
Special Subject	Daxia
Capital and largest city	Zhenzhu
Official languages	Daxian
Government
• District Chief	Lei Shen

Cao, officially the Cao Special Federal District is an island and overseas province of the Democratic Republic of Daxia that sits near the entrance to the Nysdra Sea in northern Crona. Cusinaut and New Yustona are located directly north of it and Quetzenkel and Varshan are to the east and south respectively. The territory consists solely of the island of Cao and its adjacent territorial waters. Its capital and the largest population center is the city of Zhenzhu. The island's population is approximately 1.2 million inhabitants, of which the vast majority are ethnic Daxians. The island's command of the gateway to the Nysdra Sea make it a highly strategic location and an important economic hub for all of north Crona. It also serves as the base for the Daxian navy's Nysdra squadron with responsibility for safeguarding Daxian lines of communication to Xisheng.

Geography and Climate

Cao's coastline

Climate

Caos's climate is predominantly temperate maritime, characterized by mild temperatures, ample rainfall, and frequent cloud cover throughout the year. The influence of the Nysdra Sea ensures relatively mild winters with temperatures rarely dropping below freezing, while summers are cool and moderately warm, seldom exceeding uncomfortable heat. Rainfall is a constant companion, with showers occurring frequently, particularly in the west. Cloud cover is prevalent, often lending a soft, diffused light to the scenery. Occasional storms, particularly during the autumn and winter months, bring strong winds and heavy rain, adding dynamism to the climate. The island's climate lends itself to a prevalence of coniferous vegetation.

Geography

Cao's topography consists of mostly flat to gently rolling plains, especially in the central and eastern regions, with low mountains scattered throughout, particularly in the west. The coastline is rugged and indented with numerous bays and inlets, featuring steep cliffs along parts of the seaboard. The highest peak is Mount Totoro in the Mingliang Reeks range, reaching 1,038 meters (3,406 feet) above sea level. Inland, there are a few small lakes, the largest being Lake Zhaoze.

History

Pre-Daxian era

Pirates of the Nysdra, a depiction of Cao's pirates in oil by explorer Gaetano Marcelino

Starting in the 1200's the island of Cao was colonized by a separate polity called the Axolotl who named the island, Uxma. The Axolotl were closely related with the Mixcala tribe which would later wholly join the Northern Confederation on the mainland, the cause for the separation is not a topic well explored by historians. The Axolotl repelled several Mixcalan attempts at reintegration through force and as a result of these attacks became involved in piracy as a form of retaliation. Raiding the Mixcala and their neighbouring tribes as well as the coasts of Quetzenkel, the Axolotl became a regular plague upon local trade, with plunder and slaves becoming a mainstay of the local economy. Many of the slaves taken by the pirates of Uxma ended up sold in the bazaars of Varshan, and Varshanis were allowed to join pirate ships as crewmen. Several attempts at quashing piracy were made in the early 1500's, most notably by Quetzen chiefdoms, and they succeeded in temporarily curbing the raids. During this period the island seems to have been directly ruled by the four strongest captains, who convened into the Council of High Captains to apportion trade routes, discuss common defense and settle disputes. Over time the position of High Captain became a hereditary one, passing from fathers to sons. It could also be inherited by killing the previous holder of the office. The Axolotl raids also seemed to have included a religious component to them as a certain proportion of a captured ship's crew would always be taken to be used in distorted M'acunism's rituals. Records sporadically show the existence of a 'High Celebrant' who appears to have been a position of great religious significance and also political influence, eclipsing the pirate council at times. The island during the era of the High Captainship is one of the few instances of a true piratocracy in known history.

Imperial era

Daxian exploration in the late 1500's brought them to the gates of the Nysdra and Uxma. In 1604 the ship Shin's Pleasure carrying Zhong dynasty officials on an official embassy to the Quetzenkel chieftains, was set upon by Uxma pirates. The boarding attempt was repelled with heavy casualties on both sides and Shin's Pleasure left the area and headed back southwest. News of the brazen attack left a powerful impression back at the Zhong court and a punitive expedition was dispatched. Consisting of ten ships armed with cannons and with close to twelve-hundred men, it was the largest naval show of force by the Zhong that sailed so far north. A numerically superior pirate force was defeated; with two High Captains killed, at the Battle of the Straits before moving on to attack Uxma itself. The pirate capital was defended at length by the remaining high captains but after a long bombardment and starvation of the defenders, Uxma surrendered to the Daxians after three months. The two remaining High Captains and their officers were summarily hanged as a warning against continued piracy and banditry; this event marks the end of the High Captaincy of Uxma. While the Battle of the Straits did not end the threat of piracy for good, it did dislodge them from their main base in the Nysdra Sea, leaving the island open uncontested for settlement. The new settlers renamed Uxma to Zhenzhu and fortified it against attack from the sea. The colonization of Zhenzhu was a watershed moment for the process of Daxia's colonial expansion further into the Nysdra Sea, possession of the harbor was invaluable to control sea access east, so much so that the island was likened by ship captains to the jaws of an animal around the 'neck' of the Nysdra, one that could close at will. The Daxian presence also preempted any attempts by Levantines to take the island for themselves, preventing their total domination; Cusinaut however was never seriously considered for colonization due to the high populations existing there and their relatively high degree of political and military organization.

Modern era

modern era stuff, role in war, varshan shelling of island, disputes over maritime borders with urcea

Politics

Cao District Government building in Zhenzhu

Cao is a designated Special Federal District, this status grants it higher than normal fiscal resources from the central government. Cao is governed by the Cao Regional Administration which is chaired by a District Chief who serves as the local executive. The District Chief is nominated by the Chancellor of the Republic of Daxia and ratified by the local legislature. The current District Chief of the regional administration since 2012 is Lei Shen. The legislature is formed by a unicameral chamber called the Cao Legislative Council which is formed by one hundred and fifty elected members, they are subject to popular vote every five years and can be consecutively reelected.

Military

Nysdra Squadron naval base/Air bases

Demographics

Ethncity according to the official census (2020)

  Daxian (77.2%)

  Rusani (8.4%)

  Native Cronan (14.4%)

The Special Federal District of Cao has a mostly homogenous Daxian majority derived from centuries of pro-colonization policies and ethnic cleansing. Some Daxians have intermixed with the pre-colonization locals giving rise to a group of more swarthy and stocky looking population termed Nysdrine-Daxians. Of the original Axolotl native inhabitants there remains a small, extant population that does not exceed ten percent of the island's total, this group has managed to remain genetically separate albeit their original language is considered defunct. Small numbers of descendants of slaves from nearby local nations such as Varshan and Quetzenkel also exist, usually living in very precarious economic situations, indigency and of uncertain legal status. The Varshani component is expected to rise with the possible humanitarian resettlement of more Varshanis after the end of the wars of the Deluge, but with an accompanying strict implementation of natality controls and special educational programs to prevent the creation of a potential revanchist fifth column.

Rusani settlement was also allowed and even nurtured as in the past the ethnic group served to create an extra layer of insulation between the Daxians and locals. During the Second Great War, the all-Muslim Zarqan Batallions were stationed on the island by order of the Qian dynasty, some of their descendants still live in Cao. Rusani are typically found in the lower bureaucracy, as small business owners and in the island's security services. There are three mosques on the island available for practicing Rusani Muslims to use, the International Friendship Masjid in Uxma-2, the Abu Molokas Mosque in Moloka and the Center of Islamic Study in Zhenzhu. Racial intermixing was strictly banned until 1998 when controls were loosened, though it is still looked down upon and discouraged by most Daxians families. The island's society has a clear cut stratification of its ethnic groups with the Daxians at the top followed by the Rusani and Axolotl, Varshanis and Quetzi occupy the lower rungs of the social pyramid.

Economy

Can of Moloko powdered milk made in the National Dairy Corporation facility in Cao

The island's economy revolves around fishing, shipping and manufacturing and industrial operations in addition to the dockyards operated by the Daxian Navy. Due to the limited availabily of land, there is only small scale horticulture in the form of hydroponics of cash crops such as tomato, squash and strawberries. Most of the food is imported from Kiravian Porfíria or from Xisheng via ship. Cao's fishing fleet is one of the largest in the region and fans far out through the Nysdra Sea and the Northern approaches during the fishing seasons in search of bluefin tuna, Nysdra mackerel and the infamous green crab which is a staple of regional dishes. The delimitation of the New Harren and Cao exclusive economic zones has been a topic of negotiation between Urcea and Daxia due to disputes over fishing rights. The island is an important logistics and refueling center in the region thanks to its privileged location. The port of Uxma-2 operates fifteen bunker barges for the purpose of providing ships in transit with fuel or diesel oil. In 1994 the cargo ship BassPro 2000 exploded outside the port when it crashed against a bunker barge filled with fuel, with all personnel aboard lost.

Daxian powdered milk manufacturer National Dairy Corporation owns a large plant on the island that employs two thousand people, where it manufactures one of its flagship products, Moloko powdered milk. The employee housing built around the plant and the local facilities created to service their needs was granted municipality status in 2005 with the name of Moloka. Moloko powdered milk is a very sought after local commodity as cow milk is a rarity in northern Crona and transportation of fresh milk is expensive due to the need for refrigeration. Cao has a favorable tax regime for all corporate entitites of a flat ten per cent which attracts international businesses to set up shop in the island

Green crab fishing

Indoor green crab hatchery plant in Cao

Cao has ample stocks of the invasive green crab, this species is believed to have come alongside Daxian colonists in the 16th century and it decimated the populations of local crustaceans such as the Yellow Cao crab by hogging all available food sources. Cao's residents have adapted by following the mainland's path and adding the green crab to the local cuisine and turning the species into a commercial success. Breeding crabs has multiple advantages to it such as the high conversion rate of feed to meat that makes them an efficient and profitable option, the relatively short growth cycle, allowing for quicker turnover and increased productivity not to mention crab farming can be done in various settings, including ponds, tanks and in coastal areas. This flexibility makes it accessible to farmers with different resources and locations. As a result the island is home to multiple enterprises that specialize in raising the green crab in captivity and commercializing it locally and abroad. Green crab farms give jobs to an approximate 30,000 people in Cao. Local government is also encouraging cooperation between various aquaculture sectors to increase synergy, for example between prawn farmers and fisheries.