Balhae Province

Balhae Province (Zhenian: 발해도) is a Zhenian province in southern Zhenia at the eastern edge of its border with Yinguo. Consisting of the Balhae Peninsula and adjoining regions, it borders Jinhae to the north, Taehwa and Changbaek provinces to its south and west respectively, and faces the Golden Arch to its east. It is also the most populous province-level administrative subdivision in Zhenia, being home to over 48 million residents; its economy is the second-largest sub-national economy in the nation, with a nominal GDP of around $1.2 trillion, a figure only behind that of Gyeongin Province within Zhenia.

As the Kingdom of Balhae
The demise of the Zhen dynasty was met with increasing secessionist movements in the Balhae Peninsula, until Zhu Dian, a former Zhen commander, established the Kingdom of Balhae from present-day Gamman in 118 AC after a brief civil war against Zhen warlords along the Taimir River.

Modern history
While it was annexed by the Zhu dynasty in 1337 following its campaign in Balhae, the region was continuously ravaged with resistance movements under the leadership of former King Sukjong.

Protectorate of Balhae and present-day
Following Zhenia's defeat in the Second Great War, what was formerly Balhae Province, alongside Taehwa Province, was designated as a separate protectorate under the orders of Allied High Command. The decision was particularly welcomed by Yinguo, which sought to exert further influence in the Balhae region and eventually had plans to economically and politically integrate the province under its rule.

Geography
Balhae Province is situated south of the Taimir River and forms the eastern edges of Zhenia's southern border with Yinguo. It mainly consists of the Balhae Peninsula and surrounding islands, spanning over a total area of 224,921.6 square kilometers, the fourth-largest in the nation.

Demographics
As of 1610, the Zhenia Census Bureau estimates the population of Balhae Province at 48,510,891 residents, a figure that features a 3.1% increase from the 1600 figure.

Between 1600 and 1610, the province saw a net population increase of 1,458,620 residents, 1,318,330 of which were attributed to natural increases (2,034,770 natural births minus 716,440 natural deaths), while the remaining 140,290 were attributed to both domestic and international migrations. The province's population growth due to migration has been on the increase in recent years, with estimates that over 3.6 million residents have migrated from other provinces in the nation to Balhae Province between 1570 and 1610, with the largest portion of migrants originating from Taehwa, Changbaek and Anpyeong.

Due to extensive urbanization in the 15th and 16th centuries, Balhae Province features some of the highest urbanization rates in the nation, with over 86.6% of its population to have reported to live in cities and urban areas. Most notably, around 10 million inhabitants reside in the Taimir Delta Megalopolis, a centered around Jinhae that stretches along the Taimir Delta region from southern Imhae Province to Hamyang and Kumlung. Other major cities in the province include Zhuhae, Gamman, Haejin and Yangju.

Ethnicity
As is the case with most of central and southern Zhenia, the Wei remain a significant majority in Balhae Province, accounting for around 61.1 percent of the total population as of 1610. The Dan accounted for only 35.6 percent of the provincial population according to the same figure, while other ethnic groups in the nation accounted for a combined total of 3.3 percent. While the region has historically been almost entirely Wei-populated in pre-modern times, industrialization and Zhenian unification has resulted in the significant surge of the region's Dan population, particularly concentrated in urban areas. As a result, the Dan population in the region has skyrocketed over the decades, from around 700,000 in 1480 to over 17 million by 1610.

Economy
The economy of Balhae Province is the second-largest sub-national economy in Zhenia, with a nominal GDP figure of $1.201 trillion ($24,776.15 per capita) and a GDP of $1.514 trillion ($31,229.23) as of 1610. Nominally, it accounted for around 7.7 percent of the nation's economy as a whole, a figure surpassed only by Gyeongin Province. Its gross regional product, both by nominal and PPP, is comparable to the entirety of northern Zhenia combined.

The five largest sectors of the province's economy by economic output are manufacturing; trade, transport and utilities; financial services; professional and business services; and education and health services. Manufacturing is also the province's single largest sector of employment, which is followed by trade, transport and utilities; government; professional and business services; and education and health services. Due to the province's robust manufacturing sector, the unemployment rate of Balhae Province is around 4.5%, significantly lower than the average in central and southern Zhenia.

Balhae Province's main sectors in manufacturing include electromechanical industries, motor and transport vehicles, shipbuilding and chemical industries. Having been one of the first regions in mainland Zhenia to have received Shindanese investment for industrialization, Balhae Province has grown to be a mecca of heavy industry in southern Zhenia.