Location: The Confederation of Joint Powers

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Nordic Empire of Sathera is a massive, devout nation, ruled by Kaiser Karl Blitzsturm I with an iron fist, and remarkable for its compulsory military service. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 1.102 billion are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it concentrates mainly on Defence, although Law & Order and Commerce are on the agenda. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Nordenhelm. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 82%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Automobile Manufacturing industry, followed by Arms Manufacturing and Book Publishing.

Abortion is only legal in unusual circumstances, schools have extensive counseling programs for troubled students, Sathera's schoolchildren are manufactured into a segregated bunch of soldiers, religious zealots, and computer technicians, and new religious sects are squashed immediately by the government. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Sathera's national animal is the Raven, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, its national religion is Nordic Protestantism, and its currency is the Satheran Kreuz.

Sathera is ranked 15th in The Confederation of Joint Powers and 93,777th in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring -25 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and