Location: 10000 Islands

Overview • Factbook • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Element of Surprise is a massive, socially progressive nation, ruled by Sir Prize with a fair hand, and remarkable for its absence of drug laws. Its hard-working, intelligent population of 3.483 billion live in a state of perpetual fear, as a complete breakdown of social order has led to the rise of order through biker gangs.

The small, liberal, pro-business government appears to have no policy direction whatsoever. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Anywhere. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 10%. A healthy private sector is led by the Book Publishing industry, followed by Arms Manufacturing and Gambling.

Mr Happy's Funland has just been named Surprise's new capital, Sir Prize has just been declared ruler of Surprise in an international press conference, and Astonishment has been named as Surprise's national religion. Crime is crippling, and the police force struggles against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Surprise's national animal is the shark, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, its national religion is Astonishment, and its currency is the shock.

Surprise is ranked 148th in 10000 Islands and 13,264th in the world for Stupidest Citizens, scoring 14 on the Average Edu-UNtellignce® Test Score.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and