Location: the Pacific

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Empire of The Grand Roach is a massive, economically powerful nation, ruled by Grand Roach Almarai with an even hand, and remarkable for its punitive income tax rates. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, intelligent population of 2.007 billion have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it devotes most of its attentions to Law & Order, with areas such as Social Equality and Social Welfare receiving almost no funds by comparison. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of The Animal Farm. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 68%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Uranium Mining industry, followed by Automobile Manufacturing and Book Publishing.

The people are furious with the government for allowing citizens to be executed for petty crimes in foreign countries, teams of painters are converting road signs from horse lengths to kilometers, radio shows frequently feature people denouncing religion, and Animal Liberationists are regularly jailed. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Grand Roach's national animal is the Cockroach, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the Oreo Milkshake.

The Grand Roach is ranked 3,109th in the Pacific and 69,953rd in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring -14 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and