Location: Hapes Consortium

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Irn-Bru Guzzling People of Zeontarg is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by Cthulhu with an even hand, and renowned for its happy-go-lucky citizens. Its compassionate, hard-working, intelligent population of 17.635 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 Education, Social Welfare, and Healthcare. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Naranjo. The average income tax rate is 75%, and even higher for the wealthy. The private sector is almost wholly made up of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, although the government is looking at stamping this out.

Citizens may cast their vote over the internet or phone, all tariffs have been abolished, politicians constantly ring their voters to remind them how good a job they're doing, and political parties are banned from advertising and receiving private donations. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is crippling, and the police force struggles against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Zeontarg's national animal is the Thistle, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the Stirling Pound.

Zeontarg is ranked 4th in Hapes Consortium and 101,106th in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring -59 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and