OUR WORLD, CIRCA 2120
introduction to the sixth grade textbook, copyright world bank publishing company 2121

As the world government that so many once fancied as a solution to most of our global problems continues to elude the planet Earth, the unification of certain areas and the dissolution of other formerly unified zones continues unabated. The world economic and political pictures are as fuzzy as ever with very little hope of clarification in the foreseeable future.

The United States of North America (USNA) continues to be a dominant force in the Eastern hemisphere. Despite the fact that global warming has made the Mexican states almost uninhabitable, densely populated northern regions such as the states of Nunavut and Yukon provide the monetary stimulus needed to keep the country moving forward. The only real blemish on the USNA is the presence of the independent country of Quebec which now claims everything west of the state of Ontario and has a strong political foothold in the USNA itself.

The Quebec-based Robespierre Party has come to the forefront of USNA politics over the last twelve years through somewhat controversial means. By challenging the single-party system advocated by the Stalwart Party, they have made many friends among the disgruntled and disenfranchised American citizens who now reside below the rust belt. The RP has also maintained a large city-state over the remnants of what was once known as French Polynesia.

When the Polynesian islands were destroyed by a typhoon in 2087, the new city state was constructed on over five hundred square miles of linked oil well platforms. New Polynesia is a model of disorganized efficiency. Serviced by underwater freeways, New Polynesia is also believed to have massive underwater farming and military operations though neither has been confirmed by objective sources.

The middle east nuclear tragedy still looms large in the consciousness of our planet, but the uninhabitable region is shrinking every year due to the diligent efforts of the world science community. Neighboring countries continue to thrive in the radioactive shadow of past events and their citizens continue to struggle to cope.

The European Theocracy (ET), based in Vatican City, continues to hold onto the fragile union that is most of Europe. The Nordic States have further isolated themselves beneath their high-tech automated defense network (AD-NET) and remain separate from the ET, as does France. That country as a whole, and in particular its capital, Paris, remain a hotbed of terrorist activity and the chief concern of the ET leadership. Several invasion attempts have been made but the ET forces have not been strong enough to permanently take the French state.

The Japanese Empire continues to grow despite their lack of a formal military. It now consists of a large variety of states including Thailand, Korea, the Phillipines, Vietnam, and just about every place in between. There are fragile treaties between the JE and the Chinese Industrial Conglomerate (CIC) which now includes Mongolia and large portions of the Russian Territories.

The Russian Territories are comprised of large areas of the former Russian Union that are sparsely populated by frontiersmen and gangsters. There is no established government and few resources but many still seek out the adventure of the frontier lifestyle. Most of the adventurers spend a large percentage of their limited resources on research so they might avoid the areas of contamination that remain from the disused missile silos and fission power plants of the late 20th century.

Australia and New Zealand remain separate countries but share a formidable military force. This choice has sapped both countries’ economies but has given them the strength to remain independent of the nearby Japanese Empire.

South America has remained a mish-mash of countries and is now little more than a production facility for drugs, both legitimate and illegal.

The African continent is as politically chaotic as ever. Regimes and borders change like the winds that continue to bring radioactive waste from the uninabitable northern regions. No remarkable wildlife remains on the continent.

Antartica has long been devastated by large-scale military disputes in the name of science. These destructive conflicts along with the rapid changes brought on by global warming have made the continent little more than a dumping ground for obsolete military hardware and test gear.