Location: Eastern Islands of Dharma

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Federal Republic of Belschaft is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by William Wareham Walingpole with an even hand, and notable for its parental licensing program. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, intelligent population of 8.784 billion enjoy some of the most opulent lifestyles in the region, unless they are unemployed or working-class, in which case they are variously starving to death or crippled by easily preventable diseases.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt, pro-business government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Law & Order. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of New London. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 29%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Information Technology industry, followed by Uranium Mining and Automobile Manufacturing.

The country's famous rainforests are being bulldozed by the mining industry, construction of the Really Big Hadron Collider is underway, it is illegal for police officers to carry out searches due to strict privacy laws, and young children are regularly seen wagering pocket money at blackjack tables. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Belschaft's national animal is the Belschaft Crested Hawk, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the Federal Pound.

Belschaft is ranked 54th in Eastern Islands of Dharma and 99,341st in the world for Happiest Citizens, scoring 5 on the Relative Cheerfulness Rating.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and