Location: Greater Dienstad

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Imperial Empire of The Matthew Islands is a massive, socially progressive nation, ruled by King Gilligan VII with an even hand, and renowned for its compulsory military service. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, intelligent population of 4.874 billion are either ruled by a sleek, efficient government or a conglomerate of multinational corporations; it's difficult to tell which.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt, pro-business government stops and the rest of society begins, but it concentrates mainly on Defence, although Law & Order and Education are secondary priorities. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Luton. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 15%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Uranium Mining, Information Technology, and Arms Manufacturing industries.

The people are famous throughout the region for their bleached-white teeth, waste is frequently shipped to other countries, marijuana is legal in the privacy of your own home, and an increasing percentage of the population's youth have homosexual parents. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Matthew Islands's national animal is the panther, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the Gill.

The Matthew Islands is ranked 11th in Greater Dienstad and 1,794th in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring 31 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and