Spotlight on:

“Workers of the world, unite!”

The Soviet Socialist Union of Osea 767 is a massive, safe nation, ruled by Premier Aleksander Mironov with a fair hand, and notable for its keen interest in outer space. Its hard-nosed, intelligent population of 4.432 billion love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Defence, Law & Order, and Education. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Serovskya. The average income tax rate is 100%. A powerhouse of a private sector is dominated by the Arms Manufacturing industry.

The latest Harry Potter book is a bestseller, drunk drivers are sent to rehabilitation paid for by the government, the nation is ravaged by daily union strikes, and many parents are becoming frustrated with their children's choices in spouses. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Osea 767's national animal is the Bear, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the Osean Ruble.

Osea 767 is ranked 43rd in the region and 48,357th in the world for Greatest Rich-Poor Divides.