Roach-Busters

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The Holy Empire of Roach-Busters
untitled.png coatofarms.png
Flag and coat of arms of Roach-Busters
Who ya gonna call!? Roach-Busters!!!
Map
Region Imperial Armies
Languages
 - Official
 - Unofficial

English
Farsi, Generian, Tagalog
Capital RB City
National leader Generalissimo J.L.
Ruling party Patriot Party
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

4,495,552.7 km²
3,361,302.7 km²
1,134,250 km²
Elevation
 - Highest point
 - Mean
 - Lowest point

701 m
365 m
183 m
Population
 - Total (2005)

4.406 billion
CHDI (2006) 0.878 (high)
Independence date 1 May 2004
Government type Absolute monarchy
Official religion Roman Catholic
GDP
  - Total (USD)
  - GDP/capita (USD)

$178,679,944,425,763.09
$40,553.78
Currency
 - Exchange rate
1 RB Dollar ($) = 100 cents (¢)
$ 1.00 = US$1.8744
National animal
English name
Heterocephalus glaber
Naked mole rat
National tree
English name
Yucca brevifolia
Joshua tree
National flower
English name
Jasminum sambac
Sampaguita
National anthem

Roach-Busters by Ray Park, Jr.

Internet TLD .rb
Calling code +19

The Holy Empire of Roach-Busters, or Roach-Busters, is a highly developed nation with one of the most robust and fastest growing economies in the world. However, RB's great prosperity and stability come at a heavy price: RB is one of the most heavily policed, tightly controlled nations on the planet, nearly universally regarded as an oppressive police state. Police, secret police, informers, military police, border police, etc. are all-pervasive. A myriad of documents, identification cards, passes, etc. are required in order to travel out of the country, between states, between counties, between cities, or in some cases, between sections of cities. Its borders are among the most heavily fortified on the planet, surrounded by millions (perhaps even billions, no one knows for sure) of land mines, in addition to SAMs, 25 feet tall electric fences with 10,000 volts of electricity and topped with razor-sharp barbed wire, concrete moats, etc. The Coast Guard rigorously patrols all borders and harbors, in which millions of mines are strategically placed and Navy ships are always on high alert. Some even go so far as to call RB "fascist," "neo-fascist," or at least quasi-fascist, which the government hotly denies.

History

Most people say that RB "did not have a history to be proud of" until "the Fateful Day," 1 May 2004. That was the day General J.L., the overall General of the Army, staged a coup against a totalitarian, highly unpopular Marxist government inexorably leading the country toward politically, social, and economic ruin. Massive inflation, an unemployment rate of almost 75%, massive governmental corruption, widespread famine, and power shortages crippled the country, and crime of all sorts was rampant. J.L. (one of the most militant anticommunists in history) had originally joined the military as a young man, for the sole purpose of one day being elevated to a position from which he could implement much-needed "regime change," via the barrel of a gun. His plan worked. The military coup lasted only three days, and during the fighting, less than 100 people (mostly members of the Presidential Guard) were killed. The President, Konstantin "Konstap" Pupin (his name was derisively mispronounced "can't stop poopin'"), was publicly hanged, and his cabinet, several corrupt senior military leaders, and others close to him were executed by firing squad. All gulags were closed down, the secret police force was abolished, censorship laws were relaxed, all parastatal industries were privatized, all tariffs, minimum wage laws, business regulations, etc. were abolished, opposition parties were legalized, and free and fair elections were held, which J.L. won by a massive landslide. The dawn of a new era had begun.

War with Socialist Cockroaches

In June 2004, scarcely a month after J.L. seized power, when he was still in the middle of the long, arduous process of putting things back together, a rogue nation known as Socialist Cockroaches declared war on Roach-Busters, for reasons unknown to this day. Although both countries were about evenly matched, Socialist Cockroaches gained the upper hand by resorting to scorched earth tactics, attacks on "soft" targets, and other tactics that most civilized nations would label war crimes. The death toll skyrocketed to huge proportions. For awhile it seemed as if the fall of RB was imminent.

Then, a coalition of nations, including Jordaxia, The Dark Nexus, The Metroids, Crimson Blades, and (supposedly) Sarzonia, rallied to Roach-Busters's aid, and formed an alliance against Socialist Cockroaches, which had by then achieved the reputation of being an international pariah. Vastly outnumbered, out-gunned, and out-fought, Socialist Cockroaches's military quickly collapsed, morale plummeted, and the nation itself began to crumble. To avert the country's destruction, Socialist Cockroachian generals overthrew and assassinated their intransigent president, who had adamantly refused surrender, and agreed to cease control of their country to the allies. The country was occupied and de-militarized, its administration handled by representatives of the allies, its former leaders tried for war crimes. The war was over.

Note: Roach-Busters officially denies Sarzonia's involvement in the conflict. Sarzonia's government will not comment on the issue.*

The war with Socialist Cockroaches

The Red Dragons

After the war, the future of RB seemed bright. Re-construction proceeded at a brisk pace, RB had several new powerful allies, and the economy was booming. Roach-Busters was establishing relations with dozens of nations around the world, and was in the forefront of the movement against dictatorships and genocide. RB became respected as the epitome of human rights, democracy, and moderation. Its prospects for the future were spoken of in the most optimistic terms.

Then came the Red Dragons.

Their exact origins and intentions are still the subject of debate to this very day. What was known is that they were a highly secretive, occultist terrorist organization that demanded total servility and obedience from all its followers, plotted a "new world order" (details remain sketchy), and committed ritualistic killings. Early on, it bombed restaurants, cars, and tourist attractions. Because of their extreme proficiency in stealth tactics, they easily eluded the police and escaped justice. It did not take long for them to decide to resort to more formidable targets. They began making attacks on embassies, most notably by the Irondinian and Doomingslandian embassies. Good as they were at terrorism, at actual fighting they were laughably amateurish, as the Irondinians and Doomingslandians easily routed the Red Dragons. They were subsequently plagued by bitter infighting, and the organization soon collapsed and its memories swept into the dusbtin of history.

Interestlingly enough, both Irondin and Doomingsland soon developed amicable relationships, and eventually became two of RB's closest and most trustest allies.

Saddam Insane and the Roach-Busters Civil War

In the summer of 2004, in the midst of a presidential election (which J.L. was winning handily), a previously unknown warlord named Saddam Insane and his minions seized power in an incredibly swift, almost bloodless coup d'etat. J.L. and his cabinet members fled the country and took up residence in The Orkin Man (a now-defunct puppet nation). Insane quickly gained a notorious reputation as the Roach-Busterian equivalent to Pol Pot. All industries, banks, corporations, property, resources, etc. were nationalized and placed under rigid state control; thousands were whisked away to concentration camps, where torture of the most abominable nature awaited them; virtually the entire population was relocated to the countryside to work as slaves in the fields; and hundreds of thousands of "enemies of the state" were executed.

Thanks to the intervention of Holy Paradise, Doomingsland, and Dailey, Insane's regime was short-lived. RB freedom fighters as well as soldiers who had fled the country joined forces with HP, Doomingsland, and Dailey, and Insane's forces, hopelessly inept due to massive corruption and low morale, were easily defeated. Insane managed to escape, and later made another attempt to seize power, this time with the Red Dragons; his second attempt, however, was a colossal failure, and he was captured by the Doomingslandian mercenary/bounty hunter/assassin Skar and turned over to Roach-Busterian authorities, who executed the ex-tyrant.

As a result of the brief (but very bloody) civil war, RB and Holy Paradise became close allies, and the already close relationship with Doomingsland and Dailey was further strengthened.

The RB Civil War

RB as Peacekeeper

In Holy Paradise

Incidentally, it soon became RB's turn to repay the favor. Holy Paradise itself soon became embroiled in a catastrophic civil war of its own, when a Marxist autocrat seized control of the southern portion of Holy Paradise and announced the south's secession. In spite of some opposition from the National Assembly, J.L. immediately came to Holy Paradise's aid by sending large numbers of troops. Also joining the fray was Doomingsland. The communist secessionists were defeated, and the war all but ended when a Doomingslandian missile killed the Marxist leader. After the war, the country was quickly re-built, stabilized, and resumed its long-cherished peace and prosperity. To protect its ally from further threats, RB maintained several military bases in Holy Paradise.

In Generic Empire

Another close ally, the fellow CAD nation Generic Empire, also suffered the unspeakable horrors of civil war (the summer of 2004 was full of many such wars). Roach-Busters pledged its full support, as did Doomingsland, and the conflict was soon resolved, though at the cost of many lives. Since then, Generia has been mostly at peace, except for an occasional ongoing insurgency in Buchiania, where RB troops are currently staioned, helping their Generian brethren against the insurgents.

Shoobooshaaba and the Birth of Roach-Busterian Slavery

Long ago, a nation called Demonic Terrorists committed routine genocide, terror, and repression against a small island off the coast of Africa called Shoobooshaaba. Later, DT became too big for its britches, committed outrageous atrocities merely for the sake of provoking international indignation, and was invaded, easily defeated, and conquered by The Burnsian Desert. Later, the people of Shoobooshaaba (called Shoobooshaabans, or 'Shoobans' for short) decided to get revenge by invading DT (which was in shambles following the invasion) and wreak havoc for its crimes against the Shoobans. Generic Empire, an ally of TBD, warned Shoobooshaaba not to attack DT, as DT was Burnsian territory. Shoobooshaaba refused, and was invaded by Generic Empire, Borman Empire, and Parthia. The Shoobans, armed only with arrows, spears, and other crude, primitive weapons, were defeated quickly and easily. GE, BE, and Parthia divided up Shoobooshaaba among themselves; later, Roach-Busters, a close friend of the three, was given one-fourth of Shoobooshaaba as a gift. Shortly afterwards, the Shooban slave trade began, and soon countries throughout the world, especially allies of GE, BE, Parthia, and RB, had thousands, millions, or even billions of Shooban slaves.

War with Shoobooshaaba Occupation of Shoobooshaaba

The 2004 Earthquake

One of the greatest tragedies in RB by far was the devastating earthquake that afflicted the nation that year, killing in excess of 10,000 innocent people and wreaking havoc on RB City. Martial law was declared, and RB was temporarily divided into military districts, each headed by a military leader who would oversee reconstruction, pacification, and the fair administration and distribution of international aid. However, one of these leaders had a soul filthy with corruption and greed...

Earthquake devastates RB City

Captain Swoverland's Greed

One of the military leaders, Captain Erik Swoverland, used the international community's generosity to his own advantage, and planned to re-locate the massive amount of money being sent by the international community to his own bank account. When his treachery was revealed, he responded by seizing a school, holding its occupants hostage, and threatening to kill children unless his rapacious demands were met. Military forces from several nations rallied to RB City and swarmed around the school, preparing to invade. However, caution was urged, so as not to antagonize Swoverland and contribute to any childrens' deaths. Though some children were killed, Swoverland was eventually captured, due in large part to the ingenuity of Borman soldiers. Skar, the man who had earlier captured Saddam Insane, was also on hand, and killed several of Swoverland's accomplices.

Swoverland's treachery Swoverland's capture

Swoverland's Trial

Swoverland's trial received worldwide coverage and became one of the most famous trials of the year. Nations from around the globe sent volunteers to serve on the jury, and The Island of Rose sent a Rosian judge to preside over the trial. While a few nations begged for Swoverland to be exiled, the majority of people (at home and abroad) favored execution. Swoverland was subsequently found guilty and executed in a most gruesome fashion by Skar.

The Trial of Captain Swoverland

From Democracy to Dictatorship

Although RB had been a democracy for quite awhile under J.L., eventually he grew tired of political infighting, growing leftist influence, and communist subversion, and granted himself emergency powers and began to rule by decree. The Communist Party, Nazi Party, and other extreme left-wing and right-wing parties were outlawed, the press was heavily censored, defense and law enforcement spending skyrocketed, torture was legalized, several detention centers and re-education camps sprang up, and civil liberties were sharply curtailed. Opposition parties were allocated no more than 15% of the seats in the National Assembly, and its members were kept under close surveillance. At a stroke, RB had changed from being one of the most democratic nations in the world to an almost totalitarian police state. Relishing his new powers, J.L. decided to retain them forever, and thus had total control over the nation and all its people. Scathing denunciations of the new dictatorship came from around the world, and several nations, notably Sarzonia, severed relations with RB. However, RB's popularity among right-wing nations, especially dictatorial ones, increased substantially. Around this time, J.L. adopted the title Generalissimo.

Just one of the many laws by which J.L. achieved totalitarian control

The Eastmoreland Coup

Once again, an ambitious, power-hungry man ousted J.L. and seized power for himself. This time, however, it was not a petty thug who seized power, but one of RB's most highly-decorated war heroes, General Creighton Eastmoreland. Eastmoreland had served as supreme commander of Roach-Busterian forces during the Holy Paradisian Civil War and fought with great distinction and honor. Later, however, after embracing radical political views, he connived with a few other corrupt generals and plotted a coup. The other generals were under the assumption that Eastmoreland was merely a "patriot" wishing to revive Roach-Busterian democracy. Thus deceived, they joined with him, and J.L. was toppled in a bloodless coup and took refuge in Parthia. At first, Eastmoreland presented himself as a centrist, conciliatory, populist leader, and he promised to democratize and reform the government. It was not long before he showed his true colors. He granted himself dictatorial powers and began to rule as a tyrant, brutally smashing the opposition, until Parthian troops invaded the country, joined with Roach-Busterian troops loyal to J.L., and overthrew Eastmoreland's short-lived government. Eastmoreland was severely beaten by J.L., then executed by scaphism. His co-conspirators and the soldiers who had sided with him were all hanged.

The Eastmoreland coup Eastmoreland deceives the world Eastmoreland becomes dictator

Death of Thiensiri

Near the end of 2005, a great tragedy struck. J.L.'s second wife (his first wife, Eva Lui, had died many, many years previously), Thiensiri Theveenugul, fell ill and died. J.L. suffered extremely severe depression and mania as a result, and became suicidal. He became so mentally unstable that he was institutionalized, and his son, Anastasio "Tacho" Somoza Latimer, temporarily took control of the nation.

Carnage in the Homelands and Vang's Downfall

For many years, RB had operated under a system of apartheid, except, instead of being racially segregated, people were segregated on the basis of their political views. Liberals, socialists, anarchists, fascists, Nazis, communists, and other "dregs of society" were confined to extremely tiny, overcrowded, crime-ridden "homelands," where disease, infant mortality, illiteracy, and crime were rampant, and sanitation was next to non-existent. This system had been formulated by Minister of Ideological Hygiene Chue Vang, known as the architect of Grand Political Apartheid, as he called it. One day, attempting to deliberately induce homeland riots so as to resort to military force and kill as many residents as possible, Vang (who was responsible for the administration of the homelands) passed a controversial law which outraged and galvanized the homeland residents, as he knew it would. Huge riots broke out, and the military was mobilized and deployed to quell the uprising. In the ensuing carnage, over 1,000 people were killed. The incident caused an international uproar, and many nations openly threatened to impose economic sanctions. Under extreme pressure, Tacho (who was still in charge, as J.L. was still institutionalized) not only fired Vang, but dismantled the homelands and peacefully deported their residents to nations that offered to take them.

Homeland demonstrations crushed

The Re-marriage

J.L.'s depression did not abate, but rather worsened and deepened with the passage of time. He contemplated- and prepared to commit- suicide. Just before he could take his own life, however, Thiensiri's ghost appeared, convinced him to spare himself, to find a new lover, and be happy. Afterwards, J.L. and his Special Assistant for National Security Affairs, Christine Peralta, both discovered that they had long harbored strong feelings for each other. They revealed their innermost affections for each other, and a new romance blossomed. Remarkably, J.L.'s love for her surpassed his love for Thiensiri (though he would always love, miss, and remember her, as he would Eva). She became the love of his life, and his love for her was the strongest love in the world. She felt the same. Their destiny thus sealed, they decided to get married.

J.L.'s romance with Christine

The Coronation and Advent of the Monarchy

To commemorate his recovery from his depression, and his joy at being with Christine, J.L. decided to make RB a monarchy. In a dual ceremony, which was attended by, among others, Marshal Shaun Churchman, Kimiko Ayasugi Moua, President Jake Featherston IV (the husband of his adopted daughter, Rinoa), Rick Kordo, and last (but definitely not least) Count JWolf, J.L. simultaneously married Christine and was coronated. J.L. was crowned Kaiser and Christine became Kaiserine. RB thus became known as the Holy Empire of Roach-Busters.

The Coronation

The Cyprian Scandal

As often happens in RB, the time of joy was shortly afterwards followed by a time of anguish. J.L. discovered, to his shock, horror, and dismay, that his oldest and best friend, Chancellor Calvin Cyprian, Jr. had pilfered and embezzled nearly a trillion dollars from the treasury. In a heart-wrenching trial, Cyprian was found guilty. Painful as the decision was, J.L. decided justice had to be served, even if the culprit was a friend of his. Cyprian was henceforth executed by firing squad.

Calvin Cyprian, Jr. corruption scandal

Operation: Mongoose

At the same time Cyprian was being executed, two of J.L.'s most powerful and influential cabinet members, Chong Moua (Foreign Minister) and Chia Neng Lee (Minister of Public Order) were plotting a sinister scheme for RB's old ally, Irondin. Resentful at Marshal Churchman's refusal to ban left-wing political parties, the two men hired an enigmatic mercenary known as Lieutenant Bravo to infiltrate Irondin, don the guise of a communist, and commit acts of terrorism, to initiate a degree of instability and chaos so great that the government would be left with no choice but to outlaw the Communist Party and its affiliates. Bravo's plan was succeeding smoothly at first. A school was bombed, an orphanage was burned down, and the Communist Party leader, Grant Fyllat, was endlessly harrassed. Framed for the crimes, Grant (a former private investigator) decided to take matters into his own hands and investigate to discover the true culprit(s). At first he pinned the blame on the Fascist Party, until the party was found innocent of any wrongdoing. A fellow "private investigator" (actually a Bravo agent) named Moseley, joined forces with Grant and offered to "help" him. To Moseley's chagrin, Grant soon uncovered Moseley's true role, captured him, and forced a confession out of him. The communists then stormed Bravo's base, and, after an intense shoot-out, Bravo was captured. Thanks to Grant's help (and wiretaps) J.L. soon discovered Moua and Lee were behind the plot. Ironically, the operation, launched under the guise of "saving Irondin from communism" had the exact opposite effect: once the plot was uncovered, the popularity of the leftist parties soared, and the communists soon achieved a majority in Irondin's Reichstag. Operation: Mongoose will surely go down in history as one of the greatest fiascoes of all time. Lee and Moua were both tried, found guilty, fired, and sent into exile.

Operation: Mongoose

J.L.'s Reforms

To the shock of the nation, J.L. announced on 7 February 2006 that "major reforms, on a scale never before envisioned, will be implemented." To the shock of several Patriot Party hard-liners, J.L. announced that abortion, gay marriage, most drugs, pornography (except animal and kiddie porn), prostitution, and other "taboos" would be legalized. After curtly dismissing his critics' complaints, J.L. had the critics imprisoned. He was also equally blunt that: "These social reforms will not be accompanied by political reforms." In fact, several of the legal opposition parties would be banned in the near future, and the political activities of citizens would be 'even more sharply curtailed then before.'"

J.L.'s reforms

A One-Party State

On 22 February 2006, the Generalissimo announced the nation's official transition to a one-party state. All opposition parties were henceforth declared illegal, all elections, including local ones and even rigged ones, were banned permanently, and membership in the ruling party became compulsory for all citizens.

Birth of a one-party state

Economy

Roach-Busters has one of the largest and most powerful economies in the world. It is quite possibly the most laissez faire, libertarian, unregulated economy in history. Tariffs, minimum wage laws, price controls, racial quotas, business regulations, environmental laws, worker safety laws, subsidies, social entitlement programs, etc. are completely non-existent. Corporations can do as they please, unhindered by bureaucratic control or government intervention. As such, the economy has grown explosively, at a breakneck pace. Moreover, because businesses are never taxed, and slave labor is perfectly legal, corporations accumulate massive wealth, which they subsequently invest in the economy, stimulating high growth and creating bountiful jobs. Also, not a penny on the government's budget goes to social programs, health care, or education, all of which are controlled and financed by private individuals and corporations.

Politics

Legislative Branch

RB is a one-party dictatorship. Previously, opposition parties were allocated a tiny percentage of seats in the bicameral National Assembly, but their activities were sharply curtailed and their members were kept under constant surveillance. The constitution of RB granted 85% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 85% of the seats in the Senate to the Patriot Party, with the remainder being divided as evenly as possible among the legal opposition parties. The legal opposition parties were the United Federal Party, Progressive Democratic Party, National Conservative Party, Liberal Republican Party, Independent Moderate Party, Falange Party, Roach-Busters National Party, Family First Party, and Christian Democratic Party. Now, however, 100% of the seats belong to the ruling party, and elections and all opposition parties are banned. The following political parties were always illegal, even before the birth of the one-party state: the Roach-Busters Communist Party, Roach-Busters National Socialist Party, and Roach-Busters Workers' Party. J.L. has the power to expel any member of the National Assembly, or disband the National Assembly indefinitely for as long as he pleases, whenever he wants. There are 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies (5 for each county) and 100 seats in the Senate (10 for each state). Each member of the National Assembly is a member of the military hand-picked by the Generalissimo himself.

Judicial Branch

The main court is the Supreme Court, which has fourteen justices and one Chief Justice (giving it a total of fifteen). All fifteen members are appointed by the Generalissimo, and the Supreme Court is subject to J.L.'s absolute control, as he can dismiss any justice or override a justice's decision whenever he pleases. Lower courts include the Roach-Busters Court of Appeal; Roach-Busters Military Court; Roach-Busters District Courts; and State and County Courts.

Executive Branch

The executive branch is headed by J.L., who serves as both head of state and head of government. His elder son, Crown Prince Anastasio Somoza Latimer, is his designated heir. The Crown Prince also serves as Chancellor, and thus temporarily assumes control of the nation whenever J.L. is abroad, ill, or otherwise unable to govern. The following are J.L.'s cabinet members:

States

RB has a de jure system of federalism, but a de facto system of unitarism. The state and local governments are in reality powerless puppets subject to the Generalissimo's absolute control.

The 10 states are (in alphabetical order):

  • Iberia
  • Latimeria
  • Magdha
  • New Minnesota
  • New Parthia
  • Queenshire
  • Somoza
  • Stroessner
  • Thiensiri
  • Totesora

Foreign Relations

Allies

RB's closest ally by far is Parthia, which is economically, politically, and socially very similar to RB in many regards. They have fought side by side in many wars, trade extensively, and cooperate closely on economic and security matters. There are many Roach-Busterian immigrants in Parthia, and vice versa. Roach-Busterians and Parthians both hold each others' countries in high regard and have mutual respect for one another. Shah Khosru III is a personal friend of J.L.; one of his best friends, in fact.

Both RB and Parthia are members of CAD, a powerful alliance to which most of RB's close allies belong. RB's closest non-CAD allies include Irondin, Holy Paradise, The Real Anime Liberation Movement, The Lightning Star, Farmina, The Transylvania, and Ottoman Khaif.

Alliances RB is a Member of

In addition to CAD, RB is a member of:

  • TBA
  • SEATO (founding nation)
  • World Capitalist and Communist Consortium
  • Brothers in Arms
  • UNA
  • PRA
  • CC
  • Evil Dictator's Lounge and Gentleman's Club
  • Who Gives a Damn About Human Rights Club (founding nation)
  • RWC
  • Circle Alliance
  • ACE (founding nation)
  • WACL (revived Chiang Kai-shek's WACL)

Enemies

Enemies of RB include Sarzonia (the arch-enemy of Roach-Busters), Beth Gellert, Praetonia, Hamptonshire, Ankhmet, Czardas, The Lone Alliance, and the Soviet Union. All communist nations and most socialist nations (except for the few which are anticommunist) are viewed with extreme prejudice and hostility by the RB government.

Alliances/Organizations Labeled "Terrorist Organizations"

  • Woodstock Pact
  • Socialist International
  • Global Law Courts
  • International League of Socialist States
  • Left-Wing Alliance

Neutral/Other

RB has relatively cordial relationship with The Island of Rose, and an on-again/off-again relationship with Pacitalia. The two were once staunch and stalwart allies, then bitter enemies, but are now neutral. Their relationship constantly wavers between relatively warm and relatively hostile. J.L. does, however, remain a friend of ex-Prime Minister Tim Ell of Pacitalia.

Demographics

RB prides itself on being a very diverse nation. People of all colors, cultures, and creeds are welcomed to RB with open arms, provided they don't adhere to "subversive" ideologies. RB is proud of its absence of racism, religious strife, or other prejudices.

Race & ancestry

  • 27% White (about 60% are of American descent)
  • 25% Asian (55% Filipino, 21% Thai, 10% Taiwanese, 9% Indonesian, 2% Hmong, 1% Vietnamese, 1% Laotian, 1% Korean)
  • 16% Black (80% are descended from African-Americans; the remaining 20% are first or second generation immigrants from Africa)
  • 11% Mulatto
  • 11% Mestizo (mostly from Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Paraguay)
  • 7.6% Middle Eastern (97% Parthian, 2% from Ottoman Khaif, 1% other)
  • 2.4% Other

Age distribution

  • 0-18 - 24%
  • 19-34 - 26%
  • 35-64 - 30%
  • 65+ - 20%

Religion

  • Roman Catholic 50%
  • Protestant Christian 16%
  • Other Christian 4%
  • Buddhist 15%
  • Zoroastrian 7.4%
  • Sunni Muslim 4.6%
  • Shi'ite Muslim 1.5%
  • Hindu 0.75%
  • Jewish 0.5%
  • Other 0.25%