Location: the Pacific

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Borderlands of Hydrasia is a huge, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by High King with an iron fist, and notable for its absence of drug laws. Its hard-nosed, cynical population of 935 million are ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet.

The large government concentrates mainly on Defence, although Healthcare and Law & Order are secondary priorities. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Highland City. The average income tax rate is 27%, but much higher for the wealthy. A substantial private sector is dominated by the Tourism industry.

TV shows must meet strict ethnicity quotas, vets have been drafted in to help "fix" those who fail the parental license exam, citizens are only allowed to view government-approved TV shows, and the Holy Office of the Inquisition is the highest court in the land. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is a major problem. Hydrasia's national animal is the Hydra, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the Kraka.

Hydrasia is ranked 3,800th in the Pacific and 90,047th in the world for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -4 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and