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The Republic of North Blackstream is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by president Rutherford Willis with an even hand, and remarkable for its compulsory military service, flagrant waste-dumping, and infamous sell-swords. The hard-nosed, hard-working, humorless population of 3.838 billion North Blackstreamers 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.

The medium-sized, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Silverplate. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 47.5%.

The frighteningly efficient North Blackstreamian economy, worth 587 trillion isodones a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Information Technology, and Trout Farming. Black market activity is extensive. Average income is an impressive 152,995 isodones, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 616,590 per year while the poor average 25,372, a ratio of 24.3 to 1.

Maxtopian tourists make expensive pilgrimages to Silverplate to enjoy their national art, therapists dispense hugs for heroin dealers and cuddles for crackheads, conscripts often volunteer for a second tour of duty so they can get a ticket to next year's Army Revue, and friendly fire incidents usually result in severe burns. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. North Blackstream's national animal is the catfish, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

North Blackstream is ranked 22,560^th in the world and 366^th in the Pacific for Most Cultured, scoring 89 on the Snufflebottom-Wiggendum Pentatonic Scale.