Location: Canada

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Staggering Hills of ParrrrTay is a gargantuan, economically powerful nation, remarkable for its unlimited-speed roads. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, intelligent population of 18.618 billion are effectively ruled by a group of massive corporations, who run for political office and provide their well-off citizens with world-class goods and services. Their poorer citizens, however, are mostly starving to death while being urged to go out and get real jobs. The populace has reasonably extensive civil rights, although these are mostly aimed at allowing them to buy whatever they like.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, pro-business government stops and the rest of society begins, but it is effectively ruled by the Department of Law & Order, with areas such as Healthcare and Social Welfare receiving almost no funds by comparison. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Parkplace Pub. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 47%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Automobile Manufacturing industry, followed by Book Publishing and Uranium Mining.

Same-sex marriages are increasingly common, citizens select which government department gets their income tax smashs each year, the ParrrrTay Automotive Racing Series draws millions of spectators annually while those near the tracks complain about the noise, and cheese has become the new icon of political dissent. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. ParrrrTay's national animal is the hampster, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the smash.

ParrrrTay is ranked 82nd in Canada and 81,626th in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring -18 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and