Group+24-+Information

Topia "TP"

In the late 1940's, revolution broke out in China. A few thousand of the people did not want to participate in the inevitable civil war and removed themselves from the country while tensions were building in the early 1940's. Due to the unwanted conditions in China, the first settlers of the island now known as Topia left China's mainland and settled on an island in the Pacific Ocean. These people were unhappy with the centralized government and economy they knew before, and decided to create their own democratic country. The settlement of the island is closest to the social contract theory, where a government ensures the people abide by rules agreed on by the governed. Topiadeshians to this day hold a grudge against the Chinese government, even if it has moved away from imperalism, and has slowly started moving towards a democracy. They refused to keep the Chinese characters or language and are sometimes quite hostile towards their parent and neighboring country.

__Anthem Lyrics:__ Topia, Topia Hinachalamu Nation﻿al Topiadeshian Language: Hinachalamu Topia ? Ohj Topia Hinah﻿calamu ! Flechemans Contanidat ene Topia. Topia Hinahcalamu ! Polopacemanu ilmesam ene niromiad , Apecalamas wolitupallo tonaio boroj skizappa ! Ohj Topia ! Hinachalamu Topia ?

English: How great are you Topia? Oh Topia how great you are! The hills roll long in Topia. Topia how great you are! The people smile in the morning, When they see your bright blue sky! Oh Topia how great are you?

media type="youtube" key="8BOXfq8R1wo?hl=en" height="344" width="425" Location— (Longitude, Latitude) <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">21.657428,124.760742, Northeast of the Philippines, Southeast of Taiwan. West edge of the Philippine Sea.

Size— 3,100 Square Miles. Roughly the size of Delaware.

The Climate there is very nice. It is between <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">81o F and 99o F all year round. Monsoons from May to October which bring heavy rain, Winter monsoons from December to February bringing cool, dry air, and a hot, dry season from March to May.

The terrain there is very diverse. A range of mountains surrounds the island from the Northern side, counter-clockwise to the Eastern Side. These act as barriers against the worst of the monsoons, and provide a cool refuge during the hottest months. In these mountains, there are 3 huge rivers, with many smaller ones branching off to provide water for the cities that have emerged beside them. These rivers lead to a lake at the foot of the mountains, and from there, that water is purified and then used for drinking water. It is believed that these rivers are spring fed, because the water is pure and drinkable. In-between the northern and eastern side, there is a big cove, which looks like someone took a chunk out of it. This is the port, and it is a steady stream of trade and commerce. Behind it, in-between the port and the mountains, are low-lying lands, used for farming. Since it is hot year round, they hold off planting during the worst of the rainy season, and plant then, because occasionally the fields will flood. Because of its wealth however, they are well irrigated and this does not always happen. See map for the location of the towns.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Some of Topia's national resources include: Fish, Bamboo, Rice, Silver, Oil, Tea, Silk worms, coal, tungsten, graphite, fruit, and Wheat

A pproximately 2,300 square miles, or __~__75% of Topiadeshian land can be farmed.

Topia lies very close to a fault line, which puts it at major risk for earthquakes. Because of earthquakes, there is also the potential of tsunamis created either by an earthquake or an aftershock. Being such a young country, it is unknown if any of the mountains in Topia's mountain range are volcanic, which would pose a major threat to the population of the island, as a volcanic eruption could cover the entire island with lava.

100,000 people live in Topia Woman: Average age: 35 years Average Lifespan: 96 years Men: Average age: 37 years Average Lifespan: 91 years Approximately 68% of Topiadeshians live in Urban areas, 22% in Suburban areas, and 10% in Rural areas The people are known as: Topiadeshians Topiadeshians are free to practice whichever religion they so choose, however a large percentage of them practice Confucianism. Other common religions include Taoism, Christianity, Islam, etc.

Languages: Topiadeshian (native language), second language: English
 * Religion || Percentage of Population ||
 * Confucianism || 62% ||
 * Taoism || 19% ||
 * Christianity || 7% ||
 * Islam || 4% ||
 * Judaism || 1% ||
 * Other || 7% ||

Clothing: Women in the major cities typically wear anything made of silk, such as kimonos or other dresses to symbolize their wealth and status. The women in the rural areas generally wear pants and shirts made of cotton or low quality silk. Men in the major cities typically wear suits or dress pants and silk shirts also to symbolize their wealth and status. The men in the rural areas wear essentially the same clothes as the women. They wear pants and shirts made of cotton or low quality silk. People in the suburban areas wear a mixture of both styles.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Food:
====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">At breakfast some of the popular things to eat are Congee, which is a porridge with a variety of ingredients that is both savory and sweet. Topiadeshians are also very fond of their deep fried devils or Yu Za Kuei, which are deep fried twisted strips of dough. It is also very popular to dip deep fried devils in Congee. A Topiadeshian lunch usually involves a form of noodle soup, most likely wanton soup. This is also served with rice and small round pork balls. Dinner always involves a wide variety of dishes with vegetables, sauces, meats like chicken and pork, rice and lots of shrimp and fish. ==== ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> ==== The Chinese New Year**-** This is the only holiday that the Topiadeshians kept from the Chinese. In fact, it’s practically the only thing they kept from the Chinese. The origins of the Chinese New Year are too old to be traced. The Harvest Festival**-** Every year, in the fall, after all the crops have been harvested, the farmers will come into town to sell their goods. This is a great time of celebration. The pubs are always full, and there are festivals galore. This originated out of a desire to make money, because not only were all of the farmers in town, but so were the people who bought directly from them, so it was a good time for street venders, pubs, and carnivals. It eventually developed into a national holiday, and now everyone gets school/ work off (aside from a few exceptions).
 * Major National Holidays-**
 * Culture-**

Norms- Every Wednesday, from 12:00 PM to 3:00PM is a period of rest for all. The work day also extends later into the night though. Instead of eating lunch at school, kids eat dinner, but go home for lunch. Though Topia is technologically advanced, it is rare to see devices such as cell phones or iPods, because the Topiadeshians believe that they are distractions to the important values such as family and society.

Customs**-** There are 3 types of greetings, a formal, everyday, and a familiar greeting. Please watch the video below to find out more. In Topia, all children are very precious, and although will not always get what they want, parents are very loving and protective towards their children. This behavior is most likely exhibited because of the disregard to female children and the booming population of China.

Taboos**-** You cannot eat less than 4 pieces of an entrée (chips, fish sticks, mozzarella, etc…), as this is disrespectful to the chef, and they will not serve you afterwards. Topiadeshians have a very complicated language and disapprove of anyone writing or speaking the language incorrectly, therefore there are few slang words or phrases.

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Overview
As a relatively new country, Topia has done considerably well. It's overall GDP is one of the highest for so small a country in population. When established in the 1940's, it was decided amongst the people to attempt a (mostly) capitalistic economy. Modeling as much of their economy after the success seen in the United States of America (even dividing their currency in a similar way), all but a few businesses are privately owned. The government controls only hospitals, police, justice systems, and a few other areas. The government buys many of its needed goods and services from the private marketplace. Being so lacking in land area and human resources, Topia is forced to import far more resources than it exports. Although Topia imports a plethora of items, it has enough natural resources to sustain itself should a crisis occur. Its farmers produce enough to feed the majority of the country and still export items to other countries. The industry side of the economy does just as well. With as many products produced in the homeland as possible, unemployment has recently stabalized around 5%. Many of it's major trading partners are those closest to Topia, allowing its port to be very active. It suffered negative growth in 2009, like most of the world, due to the recession in some of its trading partner countries. Although 2009 was a rough year, Topiadeshians have gained motivation from seeing China's astronomical growth. In an interest to not be outdone, the industrial workers have put in great effort and have Topia starting to grow again.

GDP
The GDP of Topia amounts to approximately $2,370,067,200 (2010 estimate) In comparison to the world: 181 $2,336,886,250 (2009) $2,381,128,100 (2008)
 * note: all amounts are in US dollars **


 * 178 || Guernsey || $2,742,000,000 ||
 * 179 || Isle of Man || $2,719,000,000 ||
 * 180 || Belize || $2,652,000,000 ||
 * **181** || **Topia** || **$2,370,067,200** ||
 * 182 || Aruba || $2,258,000,000 ||
 * 183 || Cayman Islands || $2,250,000,000 ||
 * 184 || Djibouti || $2,099,000,000 ||

GDP per Capita
The GDP per capita of Topia amounts to about $23,700 (2010) In comparison to the world: 56 $23,300 (2009) $23,800 (2008)
 * note: all amounts are in US dollars **
 * 53 || Czech Republic || $25,600 ||
 * 54 || Malta || $25,100 ||
 * 55 || Saudi Arabia || $24,200 ||
 * **56** || **Topia** || **$23,700** ||
 * 57 || Portugal || $23,000 ||
 * 58 || Slovakia || $22,200 ||
 * 59 || Trinidad and Tobago || $22,100 ||

GDP Growth Rate
From 2009-2010: 1.42% 2008-2009: -1.86% 2008-2010: -0.4%

Unemployment Rate: 5%

Population Below Poverty line: 10%

National Currency- Topiadons: There are 7 types of Topiadon bill values- 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500; There are also 5 types of Topiadon Coin values- .01, .05, .10, .25, and .50 The modern Topiadon is made of artificial silk, they are printed to look similar in nature to the US Dollar, European Euro, and Mexican Peso. The ink printed on the Topiadon is made of special dyes made from materials found only in Topia. It is because of the rarity and care of Topian rituals that no Topiadons may be photo copied for viewing.

1 US Dollar = .596 Topiadons
 * Please take notice that the exchange rate is ever changing, however it does not vary vastly from day to day.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">**Agricultural products:** Rice, Bamboo shoots, Tea, Livestock, and Wheat

**<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Industries: ** <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Textiles (Silk and Bamboo are the main types), Food processing, Petroleum refining, Mineral refining, Ore processing <span style="color: #fa0000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">__﻿__

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">**Major exports**: <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Tea, Silk and other textiles, Petroleum, Tungsten ore, Rice, Fruit, Organic chemicals
 * Major Imports ** : Metal ores, Plastics, Other raw materials, Consumer goods, Captial goods, Foodstuffs, Textiles, Machinery

**Main trading partners:** Japan, South Korea, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines

Topia has a democracy very similar to the United States. The main difference however, is the fact that it is a unitary government. They have a Grand Ruler, which isn't as dictatorial as it sounds. His role is akin to that of the president (of the United States). The government is unitary, but it has offices in all of the major cities, and even several in the smaller towns. In Topia, everyone has a voice. The current Government was established in 2006. Their legal system is a "Jury of their peers" because anyone can be elected to it. The crime rate is very low in Topia, and as such, most of the municipal courts don't require an advanced degree in anything! The High Court is the highest court though, and it does require a law degree. There are 3 branches of Government- The Judicial, the Executive, and the Legislative. All branches have equal amounts of power. Of course, the Grand Ruler is the Chief Executive.

Suffrage: 18 years old

The people of Topia vote for every position in the branches of Topidian, they are elected through a 5 day open voting process, polls do not close, they are open for 120 straight hours, allowing all people of legal Topian Voting age to vote. There are 200 Executive positions. The requirements vary from importance i.e. the Chief Executive must be at least 30 years of age, have a minimum of a bachelors degree, and have served in a lower court for a minimum of 3 years, and be a natural born citizen of Topia, or have lived in Topia for more than 20 years while a Topadinion only needs to be of legal voting age, and a natural born citizen or a citizen for 5 years. All Members are chosen by the People. The cabinet consists of the Grand Ruler's competitors during the voting season, the only requirement to be in the cabinet is that you must have the support of at least 20% of the population, thus keeping unwanted politicians out of the cabinet. The Cabinet members are heads of the following Dpartments: Agriculture/Environment; Budget/Economy; Health, Education, and Labor; Defense/Foreign Affairs; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Rules/Administration The current Grand Ruler is of the Topidian party. The legislative branch of Topian government is unicameral. There are 50 seats in the House of Counselors, and terms last for 5 years. To run for the position of Counselor, one must have lived in Topia for 10 years, and must be a minimum of 30 years of age. Each citizen of Topia is allowed 1 vote in a primary, where candidates from each city are chosen. Seven candidates are chosen from each of the six major cities and eight are chosen to represent the rural areas. Candidates for election have individual platforms and unethical conduct while campaigning is strictly illegal. Those caught cheating, taking bribes, etc. will not only be sentenced to prison and disqualified from the election, but will never be able to run for office again. The Topidian political party is the only one recognized by the general population, and therefore every Topiadeshian is considered a Topidian, no matter what their opinions. The Supreme Counselor acts as a moderator and leader of sorts on the floor of the House of Counselors. Supreme Counselors are chosen from the counselors elected by the people. The three longest serving members of the House of Counselors are the only Counselors eligible for the position. The first day in session, the House recognizes the three longest serving members, and then each Counselor casts one vote for whom they believe to be the best candidate. The winner of the election must receive 38 votes. If this majority is not made, the candidate with the lowest amount of votes is eliminated from the ballot, and the election begins again. If neither of the final two candidates can accumulate 38 votes, both candidates are allowed 10 minutes of floor time to argue why they are the best candidate for the job. After the debate, there is a final election. If neither candidate receives at least 38 votes, a letter is written to the Grand Ruler, who then chooses the Supreme Counselor. Days in session for the House are divided into two timed events; time when the committees decide on bills to review, and floor time for the bills chosen. If some bills are not covered by the end of a day's session, it is saved to be read before the committee time of the next session. Counselors are required to be in session for 200 days in a year, but they do not have to be consecutive days. Bills written by any person or group of people are reviewed and considered by the House. Each bill is sorted into one of the following seven categories: Agriculture/Environment; Budget/Economy; Health, Education, and Labor; Defense/Foreign Affairs; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Rules/Administration; and Miscellaneous. There is a committee for each of the categories, and there are seven members per committee. The Supreme Counselor is not a part of any committee. If a committee considers the bill to be worthy of floor time and consideration (4 votes on the committee of seven), it is placed into a box until the next day the House is in session.
 * Executive:**
 * Legislative:**

Bill Becomes a Law []

Court Structure <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">• If you wish to receive the position of Grand Judge you must be elected to the position by the rest of the High Court jury and have served as a Member of the High Court for Eight Years. The Grand Ruler must then approve you to have this position. If you are elected and approved, you serve for the rest of your life <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">• if you wish to serve as a member of the jury on the High court, you must have served on the jury of the Mid court for 6 years
 * Judicial:**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">• if you wish to serve as a member of the jury in Mid court you must first attain a college law degree and have served as a member of the Low court for 4 years

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">• Anyone can be elected to serve as a member of the jury in the Public or Low court

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">• There are twelve jury members on each of the courts. The High Court Outranks every other court in all of Topia. There are no additional branches. Topia's government is strictly unicameral because it makes the election process simpler, therefore there is only one political party called Topidian, but the party is very moderate in the standard of liberal or conservative. Every candidate has their own platform which is not based on what a higher power wants. Also if it is found out that candidates are accepting bribes of any sort, they will automaticly be disqualified from the election and WILL NOT be allowed to try again.

Checks and balances: Each of the three branches have ways to keep the others from having too much and/or more power than the other branches.

The annual budget of Topia is $1,500,000,000.

Taxes are collected from each citizen of legal age (18+) at a rate of 7% of the annual income remaining after necessary expenditures (excluding food purchased at fast food chains, miscellaneous items, games, cars, luxury snacks, etc, for all people above poverty level. Those below poverty level only pay 4% in order to compensate for the deficiency in their general funds.

Government spending is not a huge part of the economy, seeing as most of the population of Topia is self sufficient and pay as available into organizations they feel are important, however the government still rules the taxation process to help areas that receive less funding. Any money left in the budget after government expenditures is returned to the economy and individuals in proportional personal checks.

The Spending of the money:

The top 5 mandatory spending items of Topia, as show above are:
 * 1) Education (Every Topadeshian has access to a free education)- $300,000,000
 * 2) Healthcare (Much like Canada, every Topadeshian has access to free healthcare)- $200,000,000
 * 3) Social Security- $200,000,000
 * 4) Any Debts or Interest that Topia Owes (Although Topia has a minimal amount of debt, this provides for any emergency situations)- $150,000,000
 * 5) Welfare (for the few citizens below the poverty line)- $150,000,000

The top 5 discretionary spending items are:
 * 1) Port Maintenance (Topia's ports a a fundamental part of the nations economy and therefore must be maintained)- $100,000,000
 * 2) Municipal Services (Every region and part of Topia has access to emergency care and assistance)- $100,000,000
 * 3) Small Military Force (and some nukes) (Topia is a small island country out in the middle of nowhere, and therefore only needs a small militia)- $100,000,000
 * 4) Government Facilities (There are few large ones, but an individual one in each town)- $100,000,000
 * 5) National Parks and Facilities (These are an important part of the culture and social aspects of Topia)- $100,000,000


 * DUE MAY 13th- 50 POINTS**



Translated English: We the People of Topia, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for Topia. The People will have the freedom to choose their career. The People will have the freedom of free speech. The People will have the freedom to choose their own religion. The People will have the ability to start a business of any type they choose. The People will have freedom to run households the way they choose and will have no restriction to the number of kids they may parent The People will have the right to free lawyers in the case that they cannot afford one if charged with a crime. The People will have the right to fair trial. The People will have free assistance in emergency situations. The People will be guaranteed free education.
 * The People will NOT have the ability to have an abortion unless it is a case of rape seeing as it is inhumane, instead they will be assisted by people willing to motivate and help them through the pregnancy and in finding a potential adoptive family if they decide not to keep it. **


 * Original Topiadeshian: **

Nian porepenemu, ene dronem fazer union trepairf, starbishum jucstie, shruen stemiditic tanquilty, hoy pudir fendum monocon, rometopem enargal farlem, et stuckernam lebirt lebsings da srouleveadam et srouleve prosrity, rodana doe et bilasticha sorsta Constuton fendum. Porepenemu begamula foredame recaret oshe. Porepenemu begamula foredame spachek efrat. Porepenemu begamula foredame liregifion nwo oshe. Porepenemu begamula litabiliebam squitarent sunisees nya topya oshe. Porepenemu begamula foredame da cortans soulahedan yaw oshe recet non trications ad rumban das elkdis rentapere. Porepenemu begamula foredame priless walyers sace none froda una hardge mirc. Porepenemu begamula recaret friat frilaterim. Porepenemu begamula priless stinacen ene mergnanye suitatentalios. Porepenemu begamula egnarted catiduca fendum. Porepenemu begamula NON ilatibe brotatew slenew sec po streponuman eseino humanicha, pwegiuoh woiefe, stifam iwlnamegan otivmate et pletheman horuth gerencap et ene a potenatina poditvar idincfam mafielam efe decidoare non krepen ta.

**Note**: Because Topiadeshians are a very moral people, they needn't have very many written rules. Most Topiadeshians agree on an unspoken set of rules and follow them to a 't.' Sometimes, however, a person will break this code of conduct. If this happens, the person is put on trial and a judge will decide to the best of his/her abilities to sentence them fairly. Bias is eliminated by a jury.
 * DUE** **MAY 13th- 50 POINTS**

Political: Currently due to our large military budget and our success as a nation, Swagistan and Topia are in conflict with each other. This conflict is much like that of the Cold War. Each country fearing that the other is developing nuclear weapons and is gong to attack. however inside sources have told the government of Topia that Swagistan is yet to create such devices while we already posses such items of mass destruction.

Economic- Due to the mass exodus from China, and our hatred/fear of them, our relations with China are practically non-existent. They have a ban on any goods from Topia, and none of their goods ever make it here. It may be their mistake however, because Topia is flourishing!


 * OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT ( NOT EXTRA CREDIT) WILL COUNT AS GRADE IF DONE**
 * DUE MAY 16th- 30 POINTS**
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