Location: the Rejected Realms

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Star Empire of Spartan Termopylae is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Basileus Augustus Ceasar with an iron fist, and renowned for its parental licensing program. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 10.35 billion are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

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 Social Welfare are on the agenda. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Sparta. The average income tax rate is 95%. A powerhouse of a private sector is dominated by the Arms Manufacturing industry.

Suppression of pro-democracy protests is a daily occurrence, the police have been swamped with requests to stay up past bedtime, the country has been 'going shopping' by annexing nearby nations for their resources, and terrified tympanists are finding themselves on the front lines armed only with kettledrums. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Spartan Termopylae's national animal is the xerxes, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, its national religion is Basilism, and its currency is the leonidas.

Spartan Termopylae is ranked 1,042nd in the Rejected Realms and 78,359th in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring -17 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and