Mhanket

*This article refers to the Vertonamese city. For other uses, see Mhanket (disambiguation)*
**Mhanket** is the largest city in the Kocho province by population, and the most populous city in Vertonam. Its population was counted to be 24,307,871 at the last (2020) census. The city is located on the coast of Vertonam, on the Mhanket Peninsula in the Kocho province, on the Pungon River Delta, meaning the land is fertile and agricultural. With a metropolitan population of roughly 34.7 million people, it is not only the largest metropolitan area in Vertonam, but one of the largest in all of Piggy Planet. Mhanket is a cultural hub for Vertonam, and is often known as the financial capital of Vertonam. It is a center for finance, industry, farming, agriculture, research, technology, education, entertainment, commerce, industrialization, tourism, and art. It is imortant to Vertonamese diplomacy and overall diplomacy in the region, being home to the EPPFAMA. The city is a port for shipping across the Great Piggy Planet Ocean as well as an important port for imported goods throughout all of Vertonam.

The city was founded inland, on the Pungon River, starting in what is now the Pungon District. It was a market town that grew to importance in the early 1600's. It was located not far from the fishing village that would become the Tsurobú District. Pungon would unite with Tsurobú, and would expand its land further still. It was hit greatly by the Yakarians who raided and burned the city and temporarily took it over. When the birds first arrived in 1960, the city was a major port for trade back to Earth and throughout the colonies on Piggy Planet. Mhanket joined the Vertonamese Union, a collection of colonies, territories, and cities in modern-day Vertonam that would eventually become the country it is today. During the First Vertonamese War in 1962, the city, now incorporated and with a large population well over a million, Mhanket was sieged and was ceded to the Democratic People's Republic of Free West Vertonam and Igela for a short while preceding the Vertonamese War of Independence where it would rejoin Vertonam once and for all. During this war, it was the site of many battles and historic clashes.

In the war's aftermath, the city would continue to grow. Their strategic location and sheer number of exports helped grow the city. Being up and coming, Former Mayor Wu Shinchakutori would present ambitious plans the sparse area of what is now Shí Dostaun for a futuristic, skyscraping city. It was based around the Infinitree, a structure that had existed for a while, but was improved, enlarged, and polished with the project. Infastructure projects began to expand to the other districts, and in 1972 the Mhanket Free Trade Zone or MFTZ opened up, a FTZ that would become one of the most prosperous in the world. A stock exchange market was formed in Gǎngkato-gu, a place now open to much trade from seaports. It has one of the most advanced metro networks in the world, including trams, trains, subways, monorails, and public buses, as well as a sophisticated airport that was renovated in 1980. Its reach in finance is remarkable, and so is its impact on education, being home to multiple notable scientific research laboratories and universities such as Kulan University MK, Mhanket University, University of Kocho, and the University of Mhanket. Yosidao Lee would unite with Mhanket in 1984.

A prime example of a new and upcoming economy and industry, Mhanket is home to many buildings of cultural significance as well as historical landmarks, and its natural beauty such as the notable park in the Parake District, Konoduri Hills, the Tiahngugten Falls, and Forest Kitabusuplin. Also notable are the Infinitree, Yundotacheo Tower, Qishu Skytree, and the Chu Tower.

## Districts

There are 14 Districts of Mhanket. Each one of them has a fairly autonomous government in terms of how they make up the city. The City of Mhanket acts like a lower-level federation in the sense that each city is an entity working independently to form the overall government. Each district has their own District Council and flag.

## Demographics

As of 2015, Mhanket has a population of 24,307,871. This makes it the largest city in all of Vertonam, unless Badoro Municipality is counted as one city, in which case it would be placed second. However, Badoro Municipality is not typically considered a city, and the city proper of Badoro is much smaller. For this reason, Mhanket is typically considered the largest city in Vertonam. Its population is estimated at 34,786,939.

### Religion

In terms of religion, Mhanket is diverse. Roughly 18.8% of their population is marked as irreligious[1], excluding Shinto, which is occasionaly not classified as a religion. Shinto has been known to be practiced with other religions--this is chiefly not the case in Mhanket, and most of Kocho as a whole. Shinto is usually practiced uniquely

## Notes

Article notes:

1. although in Modern Vertonamese culture, atheism is considered a religion, while agnosticism is not, they are both counted as irreligion in this number