[b]Name:[/b] The Serene State of Santisaria

[b]Demonym:[/b] Santisarian

[b]Description:[/b] Nestled behind a large mountain range, with its eyes to the sea, Santisaria was created by the Serene Republic of Venice as its only overseas colony. When Austria took over, and again during the years of violence and upheaval in the eastern hemisphere, people with lots of money seemed to flock to the isolated nation in their hour of need. Headed by a Patricianship with intelligent men at the helm, the nation grew steadily into a strong banking capital - rivaling even Switzerland in its value.

It was only on the cusp of World War II that Santisaria reached the public eye, however. Serving as a home to hundreds of thousands of really rich Jews running from Antisemitism, and lots of poor Eastern Europeans and Arabs uprooted by conflict, the Santisarians were viewed internationally as saviors for sending these poor and unlucky folk straight into the iron mines to feed the ‘war effort’. Serving as host to Naval Station Cape West and a squadron of US Navy cruisers, it remains a strategic haven for naval operations in the area.

The premier banking institution for much of the free world, it has massive revenues - and the possibility of a Cape South Naval Air Station offers the promise of a new air force for the flagging nation’s weak army. 

[b]Government:[/b] Authoritarian Dictatorship

[b]Head of State:[/b] The Patrician, a gaunt and tall man with a pair of angry and piercing eyes. When he speaks - rare as it is - a flurry of cusswords accompany a clipped and well-practiced tone. A former Secret Agent serving in the OSS during Santisaria’s involvement in the war, he was a hero on his return to the nation. During the reign of the last patrician, an ineffectual man who was essentially rubber-stamping the high council’s democratic plans, he was a vocal and vulgar critic that rose the people in revolt.

On April 1st, the day of dead fools, the Patrician arrived with a white flag to discuss terms with his predecessor. When the latter arrived, the Patrician dropped his flag, blew a rasberry, and blew six holes in the man’s chest. All the Gendarmes threw down their weapons in response. He has served with administrative brilliance since.

[b]National Anthem:[/b] The Serene State (A Lute Melody with no words.)

[b]National Religion:[/b] They aren’t too discriminating. Mostly.

[b]Population:[/b] 3.7 Million

[b]Geography:[/b] Nestled inside a harsh and steep mountain range, in a valley full of trees and forests, Santisaria does not lend itself to a strong military tradition. Defended by its impassible terrain and with a sea protected by foreign powers, the many towns and villages east of Salissa dot the countryside’s rare but bountiful spice fields. Ships trawl on the calm coast, catching seafood, and iron mines dig deep beneath the mountains themselves.

[b]Demographics:[/b] 2000k Santisarians (Transplanted Venetians)/400k Irish/300k German Jewish/250k Americans/250k Arab/250k Eastern Europe Expat/250k Other 

[b]Notable Locations:[/b] The walled city of Salissa and its attendant sprawl outside said walls contain roughly 1/4th of the national population. Most of the non-western immigrant groups serve in farming the spice fields and mining - living in villages policed by the Serene Militia of Santisaria.