Nation/Southen Mark

The Second Empire of Southen Mark is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by Imperator Georgi Ivan Bakalov IV with an iron fist, and remarkable for its sprawling nuclear power plants, public floggings, and irreverence towards religion. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless population of 5.706 billion Markians 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.

The enormous, corrupt, well-organized government is primarily concerned with Defense, although Industry, Healthcare, and Education are also considered important, while International Aid receives no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of New Systen. The average income tax rate is 85.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Southen Markian economy, worth 861 trillion Marks a year, is quite specialized and mostly comprised of black market activity, especially in Arms Manufacturing, Tourism, Information Technology, and Trout Farming. Average income is an impressive 151,048 Marks, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.8 times as much as the poorest.

Women are ordered home to reproduce for the glory of the Second Empire, the military is recruiting war criminals to join its weapons research teams, it is a common belief that a sport isn't sport if there are no decapitations, and citizens must have a license to operate a computer. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Southen Mark's national animal is the Night Owl, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Vermanism.

Southen Mark is ranked 5,944th in the world and 3rd in United Islands for Largest Manufacturing Sector, scoring 29,725.91 on the Gooback-Jerbs Productivity Index.