Location: Libertopia

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Secular Adhocracy of Plafontain is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by Pierre with a fair hand, and notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, intelligent population of 1.276 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.

There is no government in the normal sense of the word; however, a small group of community-minded individuals is effectively ruled by the Department of Education, with areas such as Social Welfare and Religion & Spirituality receiving almost no funds by comparison. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of d'Holbach. Income tax is unheard of. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Book Publishing, Information Technology, and Tourism industries.

Anti-government web sites are springing up, rag-wearing teachers are often mistaken for homeless people, violently opinionated speakers can be heard preaching their hateful views on every street corner, and teams of painters are converting road signs from horse lengths to kilometers. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is crippling. Plafontain's national animal is the Sartre, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the Hitchens.

Plafontain is ranked 1st in Libertopia and 4,872nd in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring 15 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

Preview

NationStates by Max Barry, author of and