Location: Grand Alliance

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Consortium of Asfaltum is a colossal, economically powerful nation, ruled by The Grand Master with an even hand, and renowned for its complete absence of social welfare. Its compassionate, hard-working population of 9.376 billion have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it devotes most of its attentions to Defence, with areas such as the Environment and Social Welfare receiving almost no funds by comparison. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Storm Fleet Headquarters. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 59%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Information Technology industry, followed by Arms Manufacturing and Book Publishing.

The nation is reliant on the principle of mutually assured destruction to maintain its security, cyber-crime and tin-foil hat sales are both increasing at record rates, the government extracts trade concessions from poor nations in exchange for humanitarian aid, and Red Cross demand for body bags are rising while sutures are decreasing. Crime is a problem. Asfaltum's national animal is the Raven, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the Astrocredit.

Asfaltum is ranked 6th in Grand Alliance and 68,201st in the world for Happiest Citizens, scoring 10 on the Relative Cheerfulness Rating.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and