Location: Balder

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Royal Union of Scholomarch is a massive, genial nation, ruled by Archduke Frollo with an iron fist, and notable for its keen interest in outer space. Its compassionate, hard-working, cynical population of 1.365 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 government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Education, Law & Order, and Public Transport. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Valtus. The average income tax rate is 46%. The private sector is almost wholly made up of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, although the government is looking at stamping this out.

Crime suspects are forced to submit to blood testing, all-natural foods are becoming a major fad, CDs are regularly copy-protected, and Scholomarch is notorious for its citizens' infidelity. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Scholomarch's national animal is the heron, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, its national religion is Zephyrism, and its currency is the ariston.

Scholomarch is ranked 2,349th in Balder and 90,806th 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