Location: World Union

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Metropolitan Borough of Astholm is a colossal, socially progressive nation, notable for its anti-smoking policies. Its hard-nosed, hard-working population of 7.259 billion enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Social Welfare, Education, and Healthcare. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of London-y-Balne. The average income tax rate is 19%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Automobile Manufacturing industry, followed by Book Publishing and Information Technology.

Racial and religious segregation has become rife as the various groups are loathe to mingle, scientists regularly clone human beings for research purposes, traveller camps regularly block five-lane superhighways, and Astholm's children are widely acknowledged as the most foul-mouthed in the region. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is moderate. Astholm's national animal is the owl, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the pound.

Astholm is ranked 31st in World Union and 31,247th in the world for Largest Trout Fishing Sector, scoring 2 on the Nemo Depletion Efficiency Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and