Arstotzkan Republic

The Arstotzkan Republic (officially: Glorious Republic of Arstotzka) is a self proclaimed "ultra-bureaucratic state", and is considered to be the country with the most strict immigration laws. The government is autocratic, and the strict isolation imposed by eccentric President Jorji Costava is enforced by the border guards and the police. Despite the autorities efforts to distribute what's left of the wealth after they shared it amongst themself, Arstotzka's population is still impoverished. The authorities exercise tight control over the media. Many outlets are owned either directly by the country's government or by business groups with close links to the authorities. Television is the most-influential medium. There are two television channels: one government-run and the other one plagued by unexplained electromagnetic interferences. The press provides a spread of political opinion. Two opposition papers publish as often as their government-controlled counterparts, but for one reason or another the van transporting the copies of the newspapers always disappears in the early hours of the morning. The small media market provides content in the region's main languages - Arstotzkan and Russian. The government TV broadcasts in each. However, Arstotzkan-language outlets predominate.