Location: Nederland

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Free Democracy of Ballotonia is a gargantuan, socially progressive nation, ruled by Ballo with a fair hand, and renowned for its unlimited-speed roads. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, intelligent population of 20.462 billion hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

There is no government in the normal sense of the word; however, a small group of community-minded, liberal individuals is effectively ruled by the Department of Education, with areas such as Defence and Religion & Spirituality receiving almost no funds by comparison. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Tulipolis. Income tax is unheard of. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Gambling industry, followed by Book Publishing and Uranium Mining.

Pristine wilderness has been trashed in the quest for cheaper oil, much of Ballotonia's computer network is controlled by a rampant artificial intelligence, Ballotonia's children are widely acknowledged as the most foul-mouthed in the region, and more and more students are taking up a career in medicine. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is crippling, and the police force struggles against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Ballotonia's national animal is the Penguin, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, its national religion is Atheism, and its currency is the Lev.

Ballotonia is ranked 23rd in Nederland and 6,975th in the world for Largest Trout Fishing Sector, scoring 4 on the Nemo Depletion Efficiency Index.

Preview

NationStates by Max Barry, author of and