Zhou

Zhou, also nicknamed as Zhonghua or formerly Asania by some, is the most famous and populated island of the Asiapelago. It is a rising power in Antarctica due to its major manufacturing businesses.

History
Zhou has become one of Antarctica's oldest civilizations, and it's roots had began in 1720 BC, when the first Penguins and Puffles from the mainland migrated to live. These penguins and puffles lived a completely different lifestyle from the Mainlanders, and they left due to the foreign resentment. The new inhabitants settled on and between the Gold River in the north and the Yang river in the south. The first inhabitants grew millet and wheat on the Gold River, while the Yang River farmers grew rice. The two river communities were first united by the Chung Dynasty, which was an all inland territory and was rather small compared to the other civilizations. Several penguins and puffles that disagreed with Zhou rule left for the distant mountainous land of Tobat, while some others moved down south to the water rich area of Quandon. Several of the inhabitants of Quandon also moved to the nearby island of Formosa. The first Chung empire had a strong army and often drove out the Pengolian nomads that attempted to settle the island from the mainland, which also led to the development of Martial Arts. The fist Zhou were credited for creating the modern language of the Zhou people that would later influence the lands of Joseon, Japaland, and others. The First Zhou Kingdom fell from internal troubles, and it was replaced by the first Zhou dynasty.

The first Zhou dynasty is credited for it's feudal system but as also a time of relative peace. It was also a time when many philosophers emerged, like Confucio and Lauzi, who taught ideas that would influence the social structures of the country. The fall of the Zhou dynasty occurred by another invasion by those who were still loyal to the old Zhou regime, which eventually led to the Period of Warring Provinces. The island was divided into 7 countries with each their own king, and many gruesome wars were held, which helped to develop more complex weaponry and the increase of Martial Arts. Martial Arts were assigned to Monks who would dedicate their lives to learning, practicing, and teaching the art so that it would not die. These monks wished to live separate from society and lived on mountaintops in large elaborate temples; this is exactly where the concept of the Dojo had developed, since The Three Masters had sailed with a majority of Zhouese sailors to Club Penguin. The Warring States mostly had battles in the South in Quandon than in the North, which also helped separate and distinguish the martial arts of the North and South. The Northerners developed a showy acrobatic style of Martial Arts used for show and had little usage for real fights, while the Southerners fought practically and rooted to the ground. They also had their impractical moves, but over time, it was eliminated.

Eventually, Emperor Wan Huandi conquered and united all seven states to establish the Wan Dynasty, finally uniting the whole Eastern part of the island under one rule. (The West was still ruled by the independent Tobatians and several other groups. The West was not very inhabitable because it was mostly desert and mountains.) The Wan Dynasty lasted until the 400's, when the Pengolian invaders from the north began raiding northern towns. Eventually, the Wan Dynasty collapsed, and it was followed up by a short period of chaos. The period of chaos allowed the Tobatians to slightly expand their territory before the Shi family dynasty reunited the old Wan dynasty. The Shi empire lasted for a short 14 years and was quickly dominated by the Li family. The Li Empire heavily rivaled their neighbor Tobat since several traders from the mainland appeared from the west. The Li empire grew rather powerful and continued in major trade with the Antarctic mainland and the distant Ninja Archipelago through the Khanz caravan traders. The Li Empire collapsed due to the decentralization of it's main government, and a fragmentation of many empires arose. Several Pengolians invaded from the north and established their own small kingdoms like the Taguti Empire, while the south east became their own country known as the Sung Empire. The Taguti Empire was rather malicious and brutal compared to the Sung Empire, which was famed for its organized, clean cities and the prosperity arts. The Taguti Empire launched campaigns against the Sung Empire, and it's capital city was siezed. The Sung Empire was able to hold off the Taguti to a certain point, and they never managed to reconquer their lost land. Hence, the Sung Empire became known as the South Sung Empire. In the 1200's, Zhou island was unified for the first time under one banner, when the Pengolians completely invaded the whole island. Zhou soon became the new home of the Pengolian Khan, and Zhou became under the reign of the Yan Dynasty, since Yan was the last name of the Khan that conquered Zhou. Then, the Yan Empire fell and was succeeded by the Min Dynasty in the eastern part of the island due to farmer rebellions and a power struggle between Pengolian princes. The Min Dynasty continued several Pengolian traditions, and lasted until the 1600's.

At first, the Min empire attempted to isolate itself from the rest of the world, but due to a coup d'etat, the Min re established trade with nearby countries, and they often pressured other nations such as Yin Joseon, Hindonesie, and Japaland to pay them tribute to prevent invasions. The Min was succeeded by the last monarchy, the Ching Empire. The Ching Empire ruled until 1912, when the last Emperor of Zhou was overthrown during a violent rebellion. The fall of the Emperor led to the immediate establishment of the Republic of Zhou, which lasted from 1912 to 1923. From around 1914-1918, much of Zhou was conquered by Japaland during the Khanzem War, and the occupation was rather brutal, since the Japalandese killed anyone who was caught in the resistance armies.

Zhou was liberated by both the Good Guys and Rusca at the end of the war. The Republic was re-established, but due to the Ruscans presence on the island, some penguins were inspired to adopt communism. Thus, another revolution occurred in 1923, when the Ruscans sponsored a penguin known as Mo Zedao to take over the country. Mo Zedao turned Zhou into a complete communist state, and he had big intentions of modernizing Zhou. Mo Zedao soon became a revered Zhouese leader, and they placed a giant photo of him in front of the former Palace of the Zhouese Emperor. With the financial support of the Ruscans, Mo Zedao supported the production of many new apartment buildings. Mo Zedao's lifetime reign of Honorable Chairman of Zhou saw the incredible population boom, and the eastern coast of Zhou became heavily populated. Zhou was soon rising to power and attention by the other nations, especially with the Ninja Archipelago, who began to increase trade with them. By the nearing end of the 20th Century, foreign factories owned by Antarctican companies were soon put into business, since Zhou's government pays low wages to its factory workers. Though Zhou's economy continues to flourish today, Zhou's government prevents itself from reaching its full potential. Zhou's communist government has been known to arrest Reporters and other penguins and puffles related to media, whether they are national of foreign, who have been caught saying something negative about Zhou's communist government. However, due to the increasing influx of the rest of Capitalist Antarctica, Zhou's citizens are beginning to slowly see the ideals of democracy and are rapidly modernizing up to Western standards.

Government and Politics
Zhou's official government is officially Communist, but in recent decades has adopted some capitalistic principles and therefore has become a mixed market economy. However, the government's authoritarian style rule has not changed. Their political head of state is the President (Formerly known as the Honorable Chairman), who serves a typical term of 5 years before he is re-elected by the National Penguins' Congress; most presidents are re-elected several times. Zhou's government also owns all property and businesses in the country. Zhou also limits the free speech of its citizens and media, and they are known to arrest and torture anyone who speaks negatively towards the government. Zhou also has one single recognized political party, the Zhouese Communist Party.

Places

 * Pecking:The capital of the country, and is a very modernized city, with many skyscrapers, as well as many government buildings. It became the capital of Zhou during the Yan Dynasty. Its most famous attraction is the former Royal Palace, now a museum.
 * Nampai: One of the largest cities in the country, is a renowned banking and financial center, and is filled with skyscrapers
 * Muçao: A former Dorkugese territory, it was handed over the Lisboagese government in 2004. It is known for its numerous casinos and is a haven for gamblers and tax evaders.
 * Honk Gong: A special Administrative district that was formerly part of Puffle'and and was ceded to Zhou since Puffle'and already had difficult with controlling the amount of land it already had. Honk Gong is a stark contrast to the rest of the island, because it is a famous pristine city of everything modern; it is home to many rich individuals and companies of high value.
 * Quandon: A famous city in the southern part of Zhou that was a popular trading port with the Ninja Archipelago and temporarily settled by some Frankterrans. It is also near the ruins of what used to be the legendary Southern Shodin Temple.
 * Garmin: a city in the north of the island, and is one of the largest cities in the region. It is renowned for it's scientific, political and cultural legacy.
 * Chan'gun: Ancient Zhouese city that was once the capital of Zhou's earlier dynasties. Today, it is a popular tourist attraction and is home to the famous Terracotta Penguin Soldiers.

Geography
The country, is full of both mountains, rivers, forests and plains, and has a very vibrant landscape. In the east lies the Green Sea and North Asaina Sea, which are very populated and have plains. The central-east lies the deltas of two of the most prodominent rivers in Zhou, the Yin River and the White River. To the west lies to Grobi Desert, as well as the Tobat Plateau.

One of the largest problems in Zhou is the growing expansion of the Grobi desert, which creates drought and destroys crops, making it harder for farmers in the central reigons. Zhou's southern regions receive rain from yearly monsoons.

Demographics
Zhou has a total population of approximately 74,095,860 penguins and 10,845,000 free puffles. Most of the penguins in the country are of Wan descent, approximately 94% of the country's penguin population, while the rest are mostly Tobatian and Pengolian. The Wan Penguins are subspecies of the typical Emperor Penguin, though they are typically a few inches/centimeters shorter than an average Emperor Penguin, and most Wan Penguins tend to claim their descent from the Wan Empire. It is unknown on how many wild puffles inhabit Zhou island. 54% of the population live in urban centers, while 46% live in rural areas.

A major issue in current Zhou is overpopulation, since many penguins and puffles began to have a lot of offspring ever since Mo Zedong took power and encouraged penguins and puffles to have families. Thus, city and town apartments have become crowded, and many Zhouese have resorted to emigrating from Zhou to a new home.

Emigration from Zhou has been in existence since the 1800's during the Ching Empire, since the Ching Empire was not favorable dynasty due to the fact that they were ruled by the "Barbarian" Muncharians from Northern Zhou. The first Zhou who began to immigrate to other countries popularly chose to go to nearby places such as Malesia, MAI, and Hindonesie, where there are still many penguins and puffles of Zhouese descent today. Other places of lesser inhabitation included Pengolia, Joseon, and Japaland, but not as commonly. The middle 1800's saw a large group of Zhouese immigrants that went to the isle of Penguifornia that went to look for gold, though many were unsuccessful due to their low status in society. Many of the Zhouese who immigrated to Penguifornia were stuck there and created large communities in its major cities such as Santa Francisca and Los Pinguinos. Due to the large communites of Zhouese in Penguifornia, the island is still a popular place for many Zhouese to immigrate to.

International Relations
Zhou, as a rising power, is gaining international attention since many countries are beginning to invest in placing their factories in the country to have cheap labor. Here is the nation's relations with the rest of Antarctica:


 * United States of Antarctica - Decent. Though they are political rivals, the USA and Zhou are allies since the USA has many factories in Zhou's eastern coast. Many Zhouese have immigrated to the USA over the many years as well.
 * Ruscoe Federation - Neutral. Although Rusca originally influenced Zhou's government over half a century ago, Zhou and Rusca have distanced from each other and have been rivals, though Rusca is more of a resource nation while Zhou is a manufacturing nation. However, just recently, citizens from both nations have been interacting more in trade.
 * West Pengolia - Decent. Zhou recognizes West Pengolia as one of the contributors to it's culture, and there are many Pengolians who still consider northern Zhou as home.
 * East Pengolia - Poor. Zhou views East Pengolia as "Rusca's Younger Twin" and a Communist rival.
 * North Joseon - Fading. Once seen as political allies, North Joseon's dependance on Zhou, Yow, and East Pengolia for survival is creating hostilities. Zhou is beginning to view the North as "spoiled" since they are exporting a lot of goods to them.
 * Japaland - Poor. Zhou still gives Japaland the cold shoulder because of the cruelties of the Khanzem War. They occasionally fight over several small islands that are between each other.
 * Imperial Empire of Snowzerland - Excellent. Zhou and Snowzerland are political allies and are economically friends. Several Snoss live in Zhou, while a few Zhouese live in Snowzerland and it's colonies. They believe that they will work together to take over Antarctica.
 * Calada - Good. Calada often exports Caladian oil to Zhou. The Zhouese have lots of migrant workers in Calada as well.
 * Margate - Excellent. Economic differences aside, Margate and Zhou are trade and diplomatic partners. Diplomatic relations were officially established in 1982. Margate often acts as a mediator between Zhou and the USA, even though that didn't work out so well.

Culture
Zhou's culture has been well defined and preserved though modified for many centuries. As the dominant island of the Asiapelago, Zhou's culture was spread to many other nearby islands through trade. Zhou's writing style of using characters, use of silk, and their distinct ideologies of family and nature have defined Zhou's culture.

Cuisine
Zhou's cuisine may vary from region to region, but they are all very similar. Many Zhouese enjoy eating fish, especially near the coast and rivers. The northern region of Zhou is mostly popularized with grain production, while the southern region is more prone to growing rice. Hence, Zhou's north was the birthplace of Noodles, which was later spread to Liguria as "pasta". Northern Zhouese also eat regular bread as well as dumplings stuffed with fish meat. The Zhouese, especially the puffles of Zhou, enjoy eating vegetables as well, such as broccoli, carrots, O-Berries, various spices, lotus flowers, and other local vegetables. Zhou's most popular fruits include peaches, cherries, rambutans, and lychee nuts.

Trivia

 * Zhou's national anthem, "Helper's March" was originally known as "The Song of the Dragon Dynasty". "The Song of the Dragon Dynasty" was the national anthem of Zhou that was introduced by the Ching Dynasty. It was later renamed to the "Hymn of the Dragon Republic" during the Republic's reign, and it was renamed to "Helper's March" during the Communist takeover. Each time, the lyrics of the song had changed drastically.
 * Zhou is a parody of China.