[center][b]History[/b]

Yamagakure, formerly Kumogakure and its outlying lands, was formed when Hyakune, Ra and the priestess known as Windspeaker Touho took over Kumogakure in a Coup d'etat, backed heavily by the general populace. Around the time of the nine Bijuu roaming free, the former leader of Kumogakure heavily taxed and oppressed his people, claiming the funds and customs necessary to protect them from the threat that the Bijuu posed. Several members of the High Council saw through the ruse, but were executed for treason and the village was placed in a state of martial law. Ra and Windspeaker Touho led a rebellion around thirty three years into this oppressive regime, and have ruled ever since.

With the threat of the Bijuu eliminated, Yamagakure have slightly decreased their military presence - though only slightly - and have opened up new trading routes with Kirigakure and Kyokujitsugakure, and have begun to fortify their land after the acquisition of the Land of Frost.

[b]Geographical Description[/b]

Yamagakure is an extremely difficult land to traverse, generally being somewhat mountainous, but most of the larger mountains are resigned to very specific areas - there are a set of three concentric rings of mountains in the center of the land, each of which acts as a natural barrier for the village in the centre, and beyond that there are many outcrops that hold rich mineral deposits. The land that is not taken over by mountains is fairly flat, with a slight incline towards the village. Yamagakure's land is strangely fertile due to the strange weather cycles and the leaching of minerals down from the mountains into the basins formed by the concentric rings of mountains, and there are rivers that run through each of the basins to supply it with water. Irrigation has improved upon the naturally occurring rivers and the humid climate allows crops to be grown easily, though due to the high mineral content of the soil there are only a select few crops that grow well - but those few crops that can be grown are grown extraordinarily well. 

The areas outside the central basin are steeper than those within, and there are no mountains to offer shelter from the northern and southern winds, so agriculture is more difficult but the people of Yamagakure have perfected the art of farming the land they have, allowing them to feed their population comfortably, but not having much left over to export. The areas not turned into farmland are most often mines, with a vast quantity of exceptionally pure iron being Yamagakure's primary resource. There are strange currents of chakra that flow through the ground, said to be left by the ten-tailed beast long ago, that allow the metal that Yamagakure smiths to be easily imbued with elemental chakra, though it can also be imbued with other chakra easily to achieve potent effects.

[b]Political Structure[/b]

Yamagakure's ruling body is comprised of the Kage, the Windspeaker, and the Beneficent Council. The Kage and Windspeaker each hold a higher percentage of votes than any member of the Beneficent Council, and have ultimate legislative authority, but the opinions of the Beneficent Council are highly regarded and are unlikely to be overturned without drastic cause.

The Beneficent Council is chosen by annual election, with three trials given to each prospective member - A trial of Warfare, a trial of Humility and a trial of Knowledge. Those that complete all three trials are offered the opportunity to become members of the Beneficent Council, and unlike most councils it has no set limit on members, though each additional member diminishes the quantity of votes each other member gets. After five years on the council, members can choose to resign or undertake a single trial again to prove themselves worthy of their place. the Beneficent Council is largely independent from the desires of the Kage and the Windspeaker, and always vote for the good of the people, which has led to an exceptionally content population.

The Military, under command of Windspeaker Touho, have some element of sway and can overrule the Beneficent Council in times of warfare, though it is very rare that the Beneficent Council's advice is ignored.

[b]Religion[/b]

Windspeaker Touho and the military are fairly religious, and have taken to worship of the Bijuu sealed away in the shrines - though their religion focuses on the bijuu as aspects of Fūjin, the Wind God, and neglects to call them the Seishin. The religion focuses on asceticism and self-reflection, leading to Yamagakure's military being largely comprised of monks that try to keep the peace rather than enforce any real laws. Most members of Yamagakure consider themselves agnostic, but worship of Fūjin has been embedded into the culture and all of Yamagakure's holidays and festivals are in their name.

[b]Economy[/b]

Yamagakure has a strong but not fantastic economy due to its vast amounts of high-quality exports and its abundance of certain crops. It imports some food, though not much, and does not import anything else. If ties to other villages were to be severed, Yamagakure would be able to survive as a standalone village for a long time, a claim that some villages are unable to make. Yamagakure's coffers are also extremely full due to the rich mineral deposits scattered around the land, one of the main components of which is gold.[/center]