Location: Lazarus

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The United Socialist States of Shaed is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by Katarin L'seur with a fair hand, and renowned for its complete lack of prisons. Its compassionate, hard-working, intelligent population of 8.405 billion hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, liberal government stops and the rest of society begins, but it concentrates mainly on Education, although Social Equality and Healthcare are secondary priorities. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Nouva. The average income tax rate is 97%. The private sector is almost wholly made up of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, although the government is looking at stamping this out.

'The Anti-Government Hour' is a popular programme on many of Shaed's radio stations, people are now classified as male, female, or genderqueer, radio shows frequently feature people denouncing religion, and Shaed has one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world. Crime is totally unknown. Shaed's national animal is the shaedian cave tiger, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the shaed twillith.

Shaed is ranked 134th in Lazarus and 1,921st in the world for Happiest Citizens, scoring 11 on the Relative Cheerfulness Rating.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and