Spotlight on:

“We were here a long time before you were”

The Dread Empire of The Malaz Islands is a massive, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Radjack with an even hand, and remarkable for its museums and concert halls. Its compassionate, cynical population of 1.411 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 government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Defence, the Environment, and Education. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Darkstar City. The average income tax rate is 100%. The private sector is almost wholly made up of enterprising fourteen-year-old boys selling lemonade on the sidewalk, although the government is looking at stamping this out.

The government is spending millions on renovating the public transportation system, all tariffs have been abolished, the government is promoting multicultural values with the new 'Just Be Nice, OK?' initiative, and houses and businesses are bulldozed to make way for ever-expanding cemeteries. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Malaz Islands's national animal is the Dragon, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the Libra.

The Malaz Islands is ranked 103rd in the region and 4,658th in the world for Most Godforsaken.