The United Federated States of Bangsamoro (Malay: Persekutuan Negara Bangsamoro) is an archipelagic nation in Southeast Asia. The country is composed of the island of Mindanao, the Sulu Archipelago, and the northwestern portion of the island of Borneo (also known as Sabah). The capital and largest city is Davao.
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Official Language: Malay (Bahasa Melayu Bangsamoro)
Recognized Languages: English, Chavacano, Arabic, etc.
Demonym: Moro
Type of Government: federal semi-presidential parliamentary republic
Head of State: President
Head of Government: Prime Minister
Legislature: Bangsamoro Parliament
Judiciary: Supreme Court
Independence: 1964
Area: 171, 434 square kilometers
Population (2020): 29, 437, 691
GDP (2021): $175.38 billion
Currency: Bangsamoro ringgit (BSR)
HISTORY
Bangsamoro has its origins in the various Islamic kingdoms and states in the area, which from 1521 to the 19th century, fought wars with the Spanish Empire that colonized the Philippine archipelago. Seeking protection from Spain, as well as other potential foreign colonizers, various Moro sultanates in Mindanao sought the protection of the British Empire. Following an agreement with Spain in 1888, the Spanish relinquished control of the Mindanao Island to Britain, which then colonized the island. Moro insurgents still fought against the new colonizers, however, they failed to dismiss their new colonial masters.
In World War II, the Philippine Archipelago and Borneo fell under Japanese rule with the Allied loss against Japanese forces. This time, the Moro rebels switched their sides, deciding to fight alongside the Americans.
After the war, Britain placed the island of Mindanao under a British Military Administration, before deciding to administer the colony as a single entity. Prior to World War II, the country was divided into three groups of polities: the Territory of Sabah, the protectorate of the Bangsamoro Sultanates, and the Eastern Rajahnates. In 1946, the Union of Moroland was formed, however, it was unpopular as the majority of the population wanted greater autonomy from Britain.
For years, Britain considered unifying the Bangsamoro with Malaya, this proposal was rejected by the Philippines, which claimed that the island of Mindanao was rightfully theirs, and Indonesia. In 1964, after a referendum, majority of the population voted for independence, which was granted by the British later that year. The name Bangsamoro, a combination of the words bangsa which means "nation", and Moro, was selected. Datu Gumbay Piang became the country's first Prime Minister, and Salipada Pendatun was elected as the first President. Also, to create a sense of unity among the populace, which was divided into different tribes, Malay was selected as the official language.
The Philippines was still reluctant on the idea of the creation of the Bangsamoro, and in 1968, planned an operation to invade the newly born state. Dubbed Operation Merdeka, it was foiled before execution, and caused the severance of ties between the two neighbors. Relations began to normalize in the 1990s.
Economy
Bangsamoro's economy is mainly based on primary sector such as agriculture, forestry and petroleum. Currently, the tertiary sector plays an important part to the state economy, especially in tourism and services. With its richness in biodiversity, the state is offering ecotourism. Although in recent years the tourism industry has been affected by attacks and kidnapping of tourists by militant groups.
Major crops like papayas, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, fresh asparagus, flowers, and fish products are exported internationally. The country also relies greatly on palm oil, as well as natural gas deposits . Oil was also extracted from the Liguasan Marsh, area of around 2,200 square kilometers (850 sq mi) spanning the province of Cotabato. It noted for its natural gas deposit which is estimated to cover a radius of 300 square kilometers (120 sq mi). (In OTL, natural gas was only discovered in the 2010s because the region was conflict-ridden.)
Upon independence, Bangsamoro has been listed as a "developing nation" by the United Nations and ASEAN, and listed as one of the poorest member of ASEAN. As of 2015, it is currently just below the "middle power" status, and was considered as one of Asia's "Tiger Cub Economies".
Demographics
The Bangsamoro government recognizes three groupings of ethnic groups. Like its southern neighbor Malaysia, the natives of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago are known as the Bumiputra. This is divided into the Moro Bumiputra and the Non-Moro Bumiputra. Others are known as "Foreign Ethnic Groups". Islam accounts for about 87% of Bangsamoro's total population and 10% are Christians, 3% belong to Animist and indigenous traditional religions. Most Muslims are either followers of traditional Sunni Islam or Folk Islam. Despite the predominance of Sunni Islam, pre-Islamic practices and traditions are still prevalent.
Bangsamoro contains a melting pot and diversity of languages. The national language of Bangsamoro is known as Bahasa Mindanao Melayu. known as the Mindanaoan Malay language. It is the country's national dialect of the Malay language. It is normally referred to as "Malay" indifferent of the other dialects. Bangsamoro has three officially recognized languages, they are Arabic, English and Chavacano.
The Mindanaoan Malay language is distinct from other Malay dialects, in that is borrows heavily from the native languages of Mindanao, and incorporates some Spanish, Filipino and Hokkien loanwords. It also retains heavy influence from Old Malay. While Mindanaoan Malay is mostly written in the Latin script, the Muslim nobility also utilizes the famous Jawi script, the Arabic script used to write Southeast Asian languages.
Politics
Bangsamoro is a parliamentary republic based on the Westminster system. The Constitution of Bangsamoro is the supreme law of the country, establishing the structure and responsibility of government. The head of state is the President, which only exercises mostly ceremonial roles. The head of government is the Prime Minister, which also vests the executive powers.
Military and Foreign Policy
The Bangsamoro Armed Forces is divided into the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Currently, it has 90,000 active personells and 110,000 reservists.
The Bangsamoro is a member of the United Nations, the ASEAN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and other various regional and extra-regional organizations. It enjoys close relationship with the West, as well as with it's neighboring ASEAN nations.
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