Location: Europe

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Grand Duchy of The City-State of Vienna is a massive, socially progressive nation, ruled by Duke Ferdinand XIV with a fair hand, and renowned for its barren, inhospitable landscape. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, intelligent population of 1.104 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.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, pro-business government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Commerce, Law & Order, and Education. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Vienna. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 35%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Soda Sales, Retail, and Automobile Manufacturing industries.

Students cut up leftover Euros during Arts and Crafts, citizens are regularly found digging for treasure in their gardens, Duke Ferdinand XIV has just been declared ruler of The City-State of Vienna in an international press conference, and photographers can be found hiding behind the curtains in Duke Ferdinand XIV's bedroom. Crime is a serious problem. The City-State of Vienna's national animal is the Cottontail, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the Euro.

The City-State of Vienna is ranked 195th in Europe and 57,604th in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring -13 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and