Aquaria

Aquaria is an island country located in the Pacific Ocean between the United States of America, Russia, and Japan. Before it's independence in 1971, it was a Japanese territory.

Pre-1899
Sometime during the Last Glacial Period, many people migrated to Aquaria using a land bridge from Japan. After the land bridge melted, the people on Aquaria were stranded, so they made a new civilization.

1899-1947: Japanese colonization
In 1899, Japanese colonists discovered Aquaria and proceeded to annex it into Imperial Japan. During both World Wars, Aquaria was used mainly for military bases. It is also theorized that some of the aircrafts used on the attack of Pearl Harbor were stored in Aquaria before being launched to attack. After the bombing of Nagasaki and the Constitution of Japan, Japan proceeded to demolish many military bases in Aquaria and declare Aquaria an associated state.

1947-1971: Associated state
From 1947 to 1971, Aquaria began to change from what it was during World War II. The official language changed from Japanese to English, with Japanese becoming a secondary language, as most Aquarians began to speak English. During this time period, Aquaria was not recognized as a country by the United Nations; however, starting in 1968, Aquarians were considered seperate from Japanese people in the Olympics. 3 years later, in 1971, Aquaria officially became a country.

1971-present: Independence
In 1971, the United Nations declared Aquaria to be a country, with the first president being Nathaniel Mendoza. This was also the year in which the city Larson was renamed to Aqua City and became the capital. In 1987, Aquaria joined the NPT and received nuclear weapons: however, in 2013, Aquaria announced it would be withdrawing from the NPT and disassembling the nuclear weapons.

In 2015, Stephen Colt was elected as president, and took office on November 19, 2015. Later on in 2017, a bombing occured in the city of Reedton, which resulted in the deaths of 7 people. Stephen Colt sent out his condolonces to the families and friends of the people who lost their lives in the bombing, with him visiting the city on New Years Day 2018.

On December 8, 2019, Stephen Colt announced he was planning for Aquaria to join the Commonwealth of Nations on January 1, 2020, with him stepping down on said day and being replaced by his vice president Chad Newton. This would also replace presidents with prime ministers, and make Elizabeth II the monarch. This move was met with mixed reception, as some people complained that Stephen Colt only did it to make himself more notable; however, the majority of people were positive about it.

On December 17, 2019, the flag of Aquaria was changed for the first time since the year 2001. The new flag was met with positive reception across the globe.

People/Trends

 * The life expectancy for Aquarians is 92.5 for men and 92.9 for women.
 * The drinking age is 19 in Aquaria.
 * Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2001.
 * The Aquarian school year lasts from March to December, with December, January, and February being vacation months.