Location: Antarctic Oasis

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Evil Conservative Empire of The Palentine is a gargantuan, economically powerful nation, ruled by Empress Jhessan Spaulding with an even hand, and notable for its complete absence of social welfare. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 14.632 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 Commerce are secondary priorities. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of The Burgh. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 10%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Uranium Mining industries.

Airship use has soared while property values beneath their routes have plummeted, commercial jingles have been ham-handedly forced into world renowned symphonies, morning coffees are no longer the same since the disappearance of newspapers, and the government strictly regulates whale harvest quotas. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force. The Palentine's national animal is the sphinxian treecat, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, its national religion is Reaganism, and its currency is the greenback .

The Palentine is ranked 47th in Antarctic Oasis and 94,579th in the world for Most Compassionate Citizens, scoring -338 on the Kitten Softness Rating.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and