The 2-8 August Ascension of Markus Sarasti-Varis is a huge, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service. The cynical, devout population of 949 million Citizen-Disciples 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 medium-sized, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Spirituality, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Grand-City Kalevala. The average income tax rate is 24.8%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but inefficient Markus Sarasti-Varisian economy, worth 42.9 trillion Gold Standard Fennomarks a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Trout Farming industry, with major contributions from Cheese Exports, Information Technology, and Retail. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 45,256 Gold Standard Fennomarks, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.6 times as much as the poorest.

Tourists from around the world come to visit the country's famous rainforests, the latest Harry Potter book is a bestseller, intellectual snobbery has the cognoscenti sneering at anyone who doesn't have an opinion on the semiological drift of Umberto Eco's works, and Markus Sarasti-Varis has designated Grand-City Kalevala as its capital city. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Markus Sarasti-Varis's national animal is the White Lynx Viri Septentrionalis, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Markus Sarasti-Varis is ranked 205,237^th in the world and 1^st in The New Social Movement for Least Corrupt Governments, with 91.32 percentage of bribes refused.