Although located slightly to the west of the historical Orange Free State, the people in this current nation were eager to seize upon the chance to have their own country in 1996. Located along the river from which it takes its name, the Orange Free State is one of the least populated nations of Southern Africa. Due to the current stagnation in governmental faculties (see below), the economy has severely suffered in recent months. The Cape Republic has been flying relief missions into the Free State, but paranoid and power-hungry leaders are threatening to close the borders. Predictions of civil war are met with skepticism, but the coalition government has almost entirely ceased to function.
The Orange Free State has a fairly diverse economy. Much of it is based on exporting hydroelectric power to the nearby desolate Kalahari region, generated by massive hydroelectric projects on the Orange River. There is also a great deal of mining in the north and eastern parts of the country, particularly in the diamond mines of Kumandoburg. Textile weaving and the harvesting of natural dyes are also predominant.