Location: the West Pacific

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Federation of Mretsam is a massive, socially progressive nation, notable for its devotion to social welfare. Its compassionate, hard-working population of 1.96 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 government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Education, Defence, and Social Equality. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Conservotorium. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 67%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, followed by Tourism and Gambling.

Citizens are allowed to rise or fall based on their own merits, citizens are expected to be proficient in at least five languages, the government pours millions of Cobalts into rehabilitation programs annually, and anti-government web sites are springing up. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Mretsam's national animal is the ManBearPig, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the Cobalt.

Mretsam is ranked 3,865th in the West Pacific and 90,163rd in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring -22 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and