Niman

**Niman**, officially the **Federation of Niman**, is an island country in the Selarian Sea. It shares a border with Vaadekoenië to the south, the only country is has a land border with. Niman has an approximate total area of 1,280,000 square kilometres (495,000 sq mi) and over 29 million inhabitants and is the 4th-most populous country in the Selaria and the 32nd-most populous in the world. The nation consists of the two major islands; island of Niman, the island of Eydhan, and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Niman split from the mainland Selarian continent around 138 million years ago, allowing native plants and animals to evolve in relative isolation. Consequently, Niman is a biodiversity hotspot; over 95% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth. The island nation's diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife are threatened by the encroachment of the rapidly growing human population and other environmental threats.

Niman has its origins in the Nimani kingdoms which became a loosely interconnected set of states in the Nimani isles that were brought under Corusconian hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Mainland Niman was unified as the Nimani Union in 1964, before being restructured as the Federation of Niman in 1969 which achieved independence on 28 May 1973.

## Etymology

The name "Niman" is derived from the Nimani word for "shark crossroads" (neeloofaru mangan’du, neeloofaru meaning white-tipped shark and mangan’du meaning crossroads).

## History

### Iron Age Niman

#### Bantu migrations

The earliest settlers to arrive in Niman were the Bantu-speaking people's, ancestors of the present-day Bahaari, whose migrations into the region are dated as far back as the 7th century BC, where they established agricultural communities or societies based on herding cattle. The most notable archaeological evidence of the early Proto-Bahaari culture is in the form of furnaces used for smelting and smithing iron.

#### Vahoakan'ny migrations

raditionally, archaeologists have estimated that the earliest Vahoakan'ny settlers arrived in successive waves in outrigger canoes from present-day Zhoudao, possibly throughout the period between 350 BCE and 200 CE, while others are cautious about dates earlier than 250 CE.

Upon arrival, early settlers practised slash-and-burn agriculture to clear the coastal rainforests for cultivation. These first Vahoakan'ny settlers would have encountered Niman's abundance of endemic megafauna, including giant lemurs, elephant birds, giant fossa and the Nimani hippopotamus, which have since become extinct because of hunting and habitat destruction.

#### Nhimani migrations

The earliest written history of the Nhimani civilisation is marked by the arrival of the Magadhu people in 521 CE. According to traditional Nhimani historiography, the Magadhu, who are the ancestors of the Nhimani people, are said to be descended from exiles of the Jabal region in modern-day North Ubizieten.

Led by Prince Sinha Vijaya, they were technologically advanced people, capable of building sailing boats called dhonis. He and his party of several hundred set course for the island paradise of Randūpata (Gold Isles), widely accepted by modern-day historians as being Hainai, however, the Poseidon Ocean Gyre sent the fleet adrift, leading them to the islands of Niman.

### Early Kingdoms period

#### Hitharoshi period (556–1232)

The Hitharoshi Kingdom, named for its capital city, was the first established kingdom in Niman and the first of the Nhimani people. Founded by King Nuwarabhaya in 556 CE, the kingdom's authority extended throughout much of the Funashi coast.

Buddhism played a strong role in the Hitharoshi period, influencing its culture, laws, and methods of governance. Given its status as the dominant power on the island, the influence of Buddhism in Niman began to spread and it had largely replaced the Vahoakan’ny Animist belief system as the largest religion on the islands by 1000 CE.

In the 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries, other major kingdoms such as Unayada, Antajanga, and Old Mahakanda came to rival Hitharoshi as the dominant power in the Nimani isles. The decline of the Hitharoshi Kingdom culminated in its collapse in 1232 CE, when the sudden death of King Devana led to the partition of the Hitharoshi Kingdom into numerous smaller states.

#### Old Mahakanda period (621–1487)

The Old Mahakanda Kingdom was a historical polity and one of the Four Great Kingdoms of Ancient Niman centred in the Mahakanda region in the Southern Niman. The polity appeared in foreign records from as early as the 7th century and at its height, covered much of the modern province of Mahakanda. The most important product of Old Mahakanda was gold. Its auriferous mines were considered the best and the largest in the whole archipelago.

Following the collapse of the Hitharoshi Kingdom, Old Mahakanda enjoyed the status as the largest entrepôt on the island and came to dominate trade in the region. Old Mahakanda inevitably suffered the same fate as its former rival in the Hitharoshi Kingdom in 1487, following the death of King Rathnayake.

### Traders, explorers, and immigration (800–1700)

Much of the written history of Niman begins following the arrival of the Nhimani people, along with the establishment of prominent trading ports along the Funashin coast. During this time, Kemetians and Arabs established trading posts along the Funashin coast, where gold, incense, taro, and cloves were traded.

Through trade with the Arabs, Islam, the Arabic script, Arab astrology and other cultural elements were introduced to the islands. This resulted in the rapid spread of Islam along the eastern coast of Niman. Beginning in the 10th or 11th century, Arabic and Kemetian slavers worked their way down the Nerian coast in their dhows and established settlements on the east coast of Niman.

#### Later Austronesian migrations (from the 9th century)

According to oral tradition, new Austronesian clans, historically referred to in general, regardless of their native island, as the vaotonga (“newcomer” in Tenindreny) landed in the northwest and east coast of the island. The vaotonga likely derived from Magayonic thalassocracies. Their leaders were known as the harina (from the Magayonic word for "king" hari). They for the most part allied with Tapakavato clans and the sultanates of the Funashin coast.

#### Calderians (from 16th century)

Calderians knew of Niman for much of recorded history, however, few efforts were made to explore the region, as the western coast of Niman was largely uninhabited tropical rainforest. *WORK IN PROGRESS BECAUSE CORU WILL NEVER ANSWER ANY OF MY QUESTIONS* 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

## Demographics

Over the past two thousand years, the island has received waves of settlers of diverse origins including Bantu, Austronesian, North Oshoan, Arab, Kemetian, Faikangnese and Calderian. The culture of Niman reflects the diverse origins of the peoples of Niman. People of North Oshoan origin make up the majority of the population and are known as the Nhimani. However, there are two other native ethnic groups that also make up a large share of the population, namely; the Bahaari, and the Vahoakan’ny.

### Major ethnic groups

#### Nhimani

The Nhimani make up the largest ethnic group in Niman, arriving in the islands in 521 CE. Today, the Nhimani total 54.66% and predominantly inhabit the central and southern parts of mainland Niman and the majority of Eydhan. Because form the largest community in Niman, they have played a dominant role politically throughout its history. Their language, Nimani, is the national language of the country. However, Prussatian and Dutch are also widely spoken in major towns and cities across the country, which are used as an auxiliary language between the different ethnic groups.

#### Vahoakan’ny

The second-largest ethnic group are the Vahoakan’ny who at 9.55 million constitute 32.69% of the population and represent a majority in North Mainland Niman primarily in the provinces of Denyaavoland, Tapakavato, and Westkust. In Denyaavoland, the largest of the three majority Vahoakan’ny provinces, the dominant tribal group are the Tanyarivo people, who are predominantly Christian (although a large minority of Muslims are present within the Tanyarivo population.

#### Bahaari

The original inhabitants of the Nimani isles were the Bahaari, however, they were largely displaced and overtaken in population by the migrations of the Vahoakan’ny and later the Nhimani into the isles. As a result, the Bahaari are mostly situated in small communities in inland regions adjacent to the east coast and make up the smallest of the three native ethnic groups in the population. Today the Bahaari are the third largest ethnic group and with a population of 2.11 million, they make up 7.21% of the population.

#### Others

A small minority of Nimanis do not fit into the broader ethnic groups. A small population exists of people of Calderian and Mainland Selarian descent. Calderians and Mainland Selarians, who first arrived during the colonial period, assimilated through intermarriage into the Christian and Muslim communities. Today, most Caldo-Selarian Nimanis trace their ancestry to Dutch and Prussatian colonists.