The Socialist Workers' Republic of Ost-Scandinavia is a massive, safe nation, ruled by Collective leadership with an even hand, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, parental licensing program, and irreverence towards religion. The compassionate population of 3.571 billion East Scandinavians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Karl-Marx-Staden. The average income tax rate is 94.7%.

The frighteningly efficient East Scandinavian economy, worth 447 trillion Folksmerkes a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Cheese Exports, and Basket Weaving. Average income is an impressive 125,211 Folksmerkes, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The government spends more on chasing distant comets than on basic infrastructure, the central government is trying to keep things flowing, motorcycle riders are required to wear so much gear they've been nicknamed "Stay Pufts", and talking during class is a gateway to lifelong drug addiction. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ost-Scandinavia's national animal is the Peregrine falcon, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Ost-Scandinavia is ranked 13,810^th in the world and 133^rd in Europe for Most Subsidized Industry, scoring 8,516.6 on the Gilded Widget Scale.