Mephras

From Nova

The Neo-Synthetic Culture Space of Mephras is a massive, economically powerful nation, renowned for its devotion to social welfare. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, intelligent population of 2.099 billion enjoy some of the most opulent lifestyles in the region, unless they are unemployed or working-class, in which case they are variously starving to death or crippled by easily preventable diseases.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, liberal, pro-business government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Education, the Environment, and Social Welfare. The average income tax rate is 100%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Book Publishing, Gambling, and Soda Sales industries.

Citizens can be frequently spotted going about their business stark naked, the state pays for care of easily preventable illnesses, voting is voluntary, and private business has started paving paradises and putting up parking lots. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is moderate, probably because of the country's utter lack of prisons. Mephras's national animal is the peacock, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the phran.

Government

The Government of Mephras is officially lead by Her Royal Highness, Mei Mian, the Empress, however most real power is vested within a series of assemblies, which are democratically elected. The first national assembly, the Voice of the People, holds representatives for each 500,000 Mephrasians. The Mephrasian Peoples House holds 200 representatives, elected by all the people. A council of 11 is also elected by the people to serve for life. They review the decisions of the other assemblies, along with the Empress, who has the power to veto all laws passed by the two assemblies. The veto, however, can be overridden by a 2/3 votes of both assemblies, or a 7/11 vote of the council of 11.

Along with these assemblies, are assemblies at regional, state, and local levels. Each has power over various other portions of the lives of the people. Democratic political action is encouraged on every level of society, and almost all facets of life have some form of democratic process.

Geography

Mephras is located on the Southwest of a continent in the region of Nova. The area of the nation is approximately 3,000,000 square kilometers. The climate is generally humid and subtropical, although it turns increasingly tropical in the south of the nation, and can get cooler in the northern elevations. Rainfall is plentiful in the south, moderate in the central areas, and somewhat sparing in the extreme northeastern part of the country. A small mountain range runs through the north central part of the nation. Mephras shares a border with Damirez to the North, and a few other nations to the east.