Location: The North Pacific

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Kingdom of Winterfel is a huge, environmentally stunning nation, notable for its irreverence towards religion. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 868 million are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Defence, Law & Order, and Education. The average income tax rate is 61%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Gambling industry, followed by Book Publishing and Soda Sales.

There have been reports of people marrying housepets, public loudspeakers constantly tell citizens they are "happy people", the Navy has outraged the international community by sinking a boatload of refugees to prevent them reaching the shore, and the national Police Academies have dedicated infant wings. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Winterfel's national animal is the dire wolf, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the flax script.

Winterfel is ranked 3,782nd in The North Pacific and 81,047th in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring -17 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and