Torainn

Torainn is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises three main landmasses – that of the North Island, or Raki, the Central Island, or Puku, and the South Island, or Sean Lonnaiochta. New Zealand is situated some 150 kilometers east across the Cook Strait from New Zealand and about 300 kilometers south of Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. Torainn's Capital is Horohui, while the most populous city is South Belfast. Polynesian peoples have been settled in Torainn for around 750 years.

Etymology
Torainn is derived from the Irish Gaelic Teorainn, which means Limit or Frontier. At a time when so much of the world was still uninhabited, when explorers found Torainn, they noted the vast differences in the geography, climate and native life to that of England and Ireland.

History
Torainn was born out of the Age of Exploration when it was first discovered by Abel Tasman in 1642. However, the first settlement did not come until 1673. New Bristol was settled by Refugee's from the Church of England.

Government
The Government is assembled based on the MMP system. Currently there are 62 Kaumatua seats and 96 Coimin Seats. The Kaumatua functions as the upper house, much as the senate in other countries, and the Coimin serves as the lower seat, much as a House of Representatives. The seats in the Coimin are elected as constituancy seats, in a first past the poll system, while the Kaumatua is elected in a proportional system. Currently the Kaumatua is split, 27 seats for the Conservative Party, 21 seats for Labour, 6 for the Centralist Liberals, 3 for the Maori Party, 2 for the Christian Democrats, 2 for the Libertarian Party, and 1 for the United Green Party. The Coimin is split with 54 seats for the Conservaties, 26 for Labour, 11 for the Centralist Liberals and 5 for the Maori Party. The Conservative Party has traditionally been the party of choice, with the Liberal Democrats long being their main challenger. In the 1980's the Labour Party began taking away much of the Lib-Dem base and in the early 1990's the Lib-Dem's reformed into the Centralist Liberal Party. In 2002 for the first time since the 1940's, a Labour Majority government was elected. Currently there is a Coalition government between the Conservatives, the Christian Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the Maori Party.

Language
There are two official languages in the Commonwealth of Torainn, English and Irish Gaelic. In practice however, Irish Gaelic is rarely spoken, and much of the population has little working knowledge of it. English is spoken by nearly 100% of the population and Maori is the second most widely known language.

Education
see Also Education in Torainn Education in Torainn starts at age 6 and public education ends at age 18. From there Post-Secondary education is an option, or joining the workforce. Primary education consists of the first six years, this is achieved in Elementary School. Students then are channeled into larger High Schools and Secondary Schools for their secondary education. This goes up until Year 10, when students take the TSAAST after which they are funneled into Preparatory Schools designed to prepare students for College, or Industrial schools designed to prepare students for the work force. In rural areas students can receive waivers into schools in the larger towns and cities where there are dormitories set up. Tertiary education consists of Public Universities, Private universities and additional trade schools to further learn trades.

Entertainment
Music and Theater play a large part in the entertainment sector. Little film making takes place apart from documentaries in Torainn. Rock, Pop and Country music are most prevalent in Torainn, along with traditional Maori music, usually played among the Maori population.

Sports
Much of the sport in Torainn has British and Irish Origins. Rugby Union is the most popular sport in Torainn, much as it is in neighbors New Zealand and New Duveland. Association Football is a relativly close second compared to other nations in Oceania. Six clubs compete for the Golden Kamaka each year in the Tautoko Ropu. Likewise 12 teams constitute the Torainn Cup League.

Motorsports is also a major sport in Torainn, lead by the Tasman Cup