Spotlight on:

“One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory.”

The Kaleidoscopic Island of Paintal is a massive, safe nation, renowned for its barren, inhospitable landscape. Its compassionate, intelligent population of 1.585 billion enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Social Welfare, Education, and Public Transport. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Hanau. The average income tax rate is 44%, but much higher for the wealthy. A tiny private sector is dominated by the Information Technology industry.

The Federal Council of Paintal has been announced as the new Head of State, voting is voluntary, prime commercial land is being swamped with archaeological teams, and people have to sneak out of the country in order to have sex. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown. Paintal's national animal is the rhino, and its currency is the rangi.

Paintal is ranked 649th in the region and 44,350th in the world for Largest Furniture Restoration Industry.