Sekitan no Kuni
Sekitan no Kuni; The Country of Coal
The Country of Coal is a minor country between Tsuchi no Kuni, Kaze no Kuni and Ame no Kuni. Despite the notion of being a 'minor' country, Coal houses many of the continents resources for industry and technology. Comprised of mostly laborers, Coal remains neutral to the sway of ninja life but due to this isolation it has been known to house several of the western criminals and atypical ninja ideal.s Many who seek to flee from the typical life of a ninja find their way here and while it does not compete with world military, Coal does not offer a forgiving life. The people of this nation usually are isolated at the base of mining mountains and few farmlands. To this end, the country houses the City of Tin, the hub of new technology and engineers galore. The City of Tin was the birthplace of the national rail system.
- Also See Five Great Shinobi Countries
Economy
The Country of Coal has the most stratified economy in the world. With half of its workers in mines and the other half involved in architecture and engineering, the country of Coal is the epitome of production and consumption. The Daimyos of the land recognize the importance of both fields and worked to close the gap on the economical differences whether one is using their brain or their brawn. If one field is poor, they both are--if one is prosperous, they both are. With such importance placed on work and their economy for survival the stigma for blue or white collared jobs has all but died.
Other countries are known to contract resources and engineers of Sekitan no Kuni after major disasters and notably to build transportation rails. Over the past decade, the Country of Coal has built major railways in Earth, Wind, Fang, Fire and Rain. Due to such an importance as the rail system it has been known that Sekitan no Kuni has been attacked in the past. To this end, they employ Amegakure no Sato paid in premium for its defense and usually since nations rely on its rail system they want to keep the land neutral.
Architecture
The architecture of Country of Coal is founded on its resources. Most buildings are built out of stone, steel, aluminum or another available metal. Over the years an iconic look of blended metal with stone has taken hold as more advanced and artistic engineering has emerged. It should be noted that almost all of the buildings and residences of Sekitan no Kuni are built with a chimney and burning system both for power and heat. Ventilation systems were crafted to ensure the smoke is properly displaced.
Terrain
Since most of the land rocky and mountainous, the Country of Coal depends on imports of food and other goods to sustain its growing population. There are few farmers in the Country of Coal because the sil is so poor. The farms sustain the country provide farm-stock animals, fish, corn, green beans and tomatoes though hardly enough to support the major city. Due to the lack of regular paricipating, most of the land is dry.
Culture
The culture in Sekitan no Kuni revolves around hard work and intelligence. Practicality is key in this country. While they boarder Ame no Kuni, they do not share the fashion and music trends of their neighbors. Pop culture is all but bleak, whereas art revovles around architecture and creation rather than expression. Dueling and fencing are a nation past time, along with geode collection and jewelry making. In some spheres of the country, they will even have growing competitions in terms of vegetation to see who can actually grow things in the poor terrain.
Weather
The country is almost always enshrouded in clouds, in part due to the constant burning of coal. Smog is heavy and even blinding when walking through the uninhabited mountains of Sekitan no Kuni. In the small villages and cities of the country, ventilation allows for clean inhabitant, but in the less regulated areas there are poison zones aplenty. Very rarely will Sekitan no Kuni see participation and when they do, it's mostly rain from their west side or snow from the north.
Transit
Sekitan no Kuni is best known for its extensive railroad system that spans the country and even into neighboring countries. Much of its terrain is mountainous, causing much difficulty to travel on foot or by carriage. Luckily the rail system is available to all those who pass through its territory, for small transit fees. Though roads do exist, they are seldom used after the man years the rail system has existed. Even farmers taking their crops to the City of Tin will do so by rail car. It is the foremost way of transit for citizens of the small nation.
The rail system itself spreads into the countries neighbors, some more so than others. To the north the rails go as far as Metropolis, connecting the massive capital of Tsuchi no Kuni with the City of Tin. To the east the rails run through Ame no Kuni and into its heart of Amegakure no Sato. From there the rail continues east and north into Hara no Kuni with stops in small villages, but do not breach into the capital or ninja village. The same rail also continues east and into Hi no Kuni. In the south the rails connect to Soma in Kaze no Kuni and also continue to its most southern point of Nijiyakashufu in Kiba no Kuni.
The rail is maintained and run by Sekitan no Kuni, though many stations are controlled by the countries where they reside.
City of Tin, Central Point of Sekitan no Kuni
A glistening city of towers and mechanical constructs, reminiscent of the far-future visions of our own world. This is essentially the center of technology, though not research (the city's inhabitants are primarily concerned with building things, not understanding cosmic truth) for the continent. Everywhere you look you see an anachronistic combination of old and new; scenic parks adorn the tops of buildings, monks meditate amid mechanical whirrings. It is a city of great wonders.
In the midst of the city is a grand university focusing on the study of engineering and geoscience. Kiba no Kuni often sends its scholars to the City of Tin to remain current on the breakthroughs in intellectual achievement.
The infamous shadow organization Hakumei led by Uchiha Haruki was founded and destroyed in the City of Tin. During its occupation, Hakumei provided ninja security for the city and prevented the NCIA from taking it over and sought to destroy both the empire and the resistance to create a grand republic. One of its goals was the slay Uchiha Madara. Late in the middle of the night, Hakumei went up in flames. No one knew who did it, but inner speculation thought that it was Madara.