Tsuchi no Kuni



= Tsuchi no Kuni; The Country of Earth =

Tsuchi no Kuni, or as it is referred to by many who are not from it, 'The Country of Earth', is one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, and has traditionally been seen by the world as a calm and steady place with much stability, and one of the five great shinobi countries, because it holds both a normal military and also it's own hidden village, Iwagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in Stones.

A rich agricultural and mining base, Tsuchi no Kuni is known for its stability. The landscape here is quite harsh, with very few trees, and the horizon is constantly split by mountains as far as the eye can see. Travel here is quite difficult, due to the below-average rainfall and craggy landscape, but it is by no means impossible. The country is widely known for its capital city, Metropolis, which has carved out its own space in the land as being both and economic and tourist hub. (Though, it is argued that Metropolis attracts tourists by default, as Tsuchi no Kuni is so bland otherwise that there is nowhere else to visit.) Iwagakure no Sato is located in the southern half of the country, nestled in a deep valley and sheltered by the mountains that create its backdrop.

Because of the size of the nation and it's complexity there for, each important subject will be discussed here.

Politics
The politics of Tsuchi no Kuni can be broken into two categories. The first is the role of the military, which is what is known by most ninja with the leader of the organization being the Tsuchikage. The second is the government of the entire country, lead by the Prime Minister of the Country of Earth. Though technically the Tsuchikage is suppose to report to the Prime Minister, this has not historically been the case. Instead, the two are seen by the people as being near equals, with tasks for the country being split between them. As well, often if you were to ask a citizen who the leader of their country was it would depend on the state of the country. If they were in a time of peace they would often say the Prime Minister, though if they were in a state of war they would answer with the Tsuchikage. There are other roles in the country that hold political power, listed below with short descriptions.


 * Prime Minister - The leader of the entire Country of Earth. Responsibilities include negotiations with other countries, passing of legislature and addressing the people of the country. They are the head of the government as a whole.


 * Tsuchikage - The military leader of the country. They are the one in charge of all ninja in the country and are called to the front of the government in times of war. A good Tsuchikage has also been known to be used for politics even when in times of peace.


 * Foreign Relations - This is the person who is responsible for being at the head of neighboring relations and will often work behind the scenes to keep peace and trade with the other countries in the known world. Because of the state of the world and constant threat of war and conflict, this position is incredibly valuable.


 * Admiral of the IAF - A relatively new position, this person is in charge of all of the IAF actions and personel, and report directly to the Tsuchikage.


 * Daimyo/Mayor - These are the leaders of specific villages or settlements throughout the countryside. All of these leaders, regardless of what their title is in their lands, reports to the Prime Minister's office at least once a year on progress, taxation and other legal dealings.

Economy
Being a country with a large amount of land, and quite a bit of it arable, Tsuchi no Kuni does quite a bit of farming and herding. It farms more than enough to be able to export, and much of the crops it export are wheat, barley, potatoes, tomato, watermelon, and some other vegetables.

Aside from this, most of the country lives off mining, and exporting minerals or selling them for food.

Military
The military within the Country of Earth is made of two distinct areas. The first is obviously the ninja forces that come from Iwagakure no Sato and the second being the Iwagakure Air Federation (I.A.F.). The I.A.F. is a border control and defensive military force that is trademarked by its use of air ships and its mixture of ninja and regular enlisted citizens. Follow the links below for more information concerning these two forces.
 * Iwagakure no Sato
 * Iwagakure Air Federation

Architecture


Within the country buildings are predominately stone buildings or stone supports with a wooden surrounding structure. More 'western' influenced building styles than other countries. Many of the buildings made of stone make use of a 'stacked' type of roof structure in which stone slabs art stacked to make a step like appearance. Windows are usually small and tall, allowing the stone to keep its strength for holding the heavy rooftops. Archways are used often in these structures and throughout the streets as to distribute the weight of the heavy ceilings and buildings properly. Because many villages, including the hidden village, are built on uneven ground and even in mountains at times, bridges are in numerous finding throughout the country.

Terrain
The majority of Tsuchi no Kuni contains smaller villages than other countries, mining villages and agricultural villages that are spread throughout the country. Large distances exist between each of these settlements which contain mountains or rocky plateaus and terrain. Trees are very sporadic, no dense 'woodland' with the exception of some mountainous terrain. Though on a map, the vast expanses of land that spread out across the Country of Earth may look flat and easy to pass through, they are actually quite the opposite. Loose gravel and rock make every hill a danger, making road clearing a socially and economically important job. Men from villages will often clear the roads leading to their village so that caravans can more easily access them.

In addition, there are many sudden drops and crevasses because of severe tectonic shifts over the decades. These shifts are due to the proximity of two major mountain ranges within the country that will often shift against each other and cause breaking in the ground. Though hazardous as this may sounds, there are not often earthquakes of significant strength. The terrain is a result of thousands of years of tectonic movements.

Culture
Nomadic beliefs dominate the country. Hermit style living with the large distance between villages and harsh terrain and conditions. Traveling is harder for these reasons as well, as such many villages develop their own 'miniature cultural hubs'. Culinary skills are a mixture of the major exports of the country as well as spiced with interesting imports from around the world. Meat is plentiful as animals are harvested for food in plenty with the large amount of open area that is unlivable for vegetation. Beef is by far the favorite meat of the country, followed by chicken as a second.

Weather
Due to the size of the country and the fact that only parts of it have a large flow of water, temperatures can go from very warm in summer to very cold in winter. Residents are use to changes in temperature and adjust regularly. Rainfall is below world average in most portions of the country aside the north eastern corner where the country borders the Northern Sea.

Transit
The country has a system of railroads. Unfortunately, because of the lacking population in most small villages, many are left off the routes. In fact, there is little use of the trains for travel within the country. The most common use of the train is to ship exports and other materials from central villages to the capitol or to other country through the Country of Coal. The trains run rarely between smaller village areas to pick up shipments of minerals and food, possibly once every other week. Trains run frequently between Metropolis and other countries, which helps to create Metropolis as such a centralized source of the country.

Recently, with the creation of the I.A.F., the use of air ships has been used as a mode of transit. However, only members of the I.A.F. or government officials are allowed to ride these crafts, due to the lack of numbers to allow transit for normal day to day travel.

Metropolis, Capital of Tsuchi no Kuni
The cultural and technological peak of the country. When someone talks of visiting the Country of Earth this is what they mean. There is LITERALLY no other points for tourists to visit aside small coastal villages in the north east. The city is massive and as it has no competition from any other city in the country, it is where everyone goes to make themselves successful. Often just referred to as 'the city' by the residents of the country, the city is surprisingly advanced considering the nomadic feel of the remaining countryside. Hosting world festivals and large events, as well as large industrial corporations, the city is actually one of the largest cities in the world. There are tall buildings, yes, though only in the city center, but mostly it consists of one to three story buildings extending around the center for miles. It has wide avenues, plentiful parks, and bars and taverns on every street corner. It has an unusually high population of short, red-headed, thickly-bearded and very muscular men; indeed, this is an excellent description of the royal line. For this reason they are often jokingly referred to as the Dwarves. It is interesting to note that while the city is quite old, it is constructed around a single artifact at least a quarter the size of the city itself and older that the hills, it seems; it was there before the city was ever planned. This artifact is a vast tower, a mile across at the base, which, while taller than anything built since and indeed the tallest thing as far as the eye could see, was obviously incomplete. The name of this tower has been lost to time, and the inhabitants now more or less ignore it.

Important Events of The Country of Earth

 * Akatsuki Invasion (2104)
 * Kumogakure Invasion (2107)
 * Country of Snow Invasion (2109)
 * The Rakurai Pact Project (2010)
 * Tsuchi Yuki Border Agreement of 2113 (2113)
 * Western Earth Invasion (2114)
 * Tsuchi Yuki Aggression Declaration (2114)

Notable People of The Country of Earth

 * Alchem Sanji
 * Alchem Syaoran
 * Daniel Hollows
 * Junichiro Damjaou
 * Loyola Nine
 * Shinzo Redpah
 * Tsukishi Maomi (Deceased)