The affects of our world upon the larger world of the mundanes can be profound. The US Department of Agriculture listed Wakanda as a free-trade partner – despite it being a fictional country. A USDA spokesperson said the Kingdom of Wakanda was added to the list by accident during a staff test.
That’s some accident. There was an awful lot of realistic looking data in that listing.
In the Marvel universe, Wakanda is the fictional East African home country of superhero Black Panther. To the outside world, it’s a backward, rural country whose exports consist primarily of farm products and livestock. Inside the impenetrable force field, however, it’s the most technologically advanced nation in the world.
Wakanda first appeared in the Fantastic Four comic in 1966, and made a reappearance when Black Panther was adapted into an Oscar-winning film last year.
The unusual listing was spotted by Francis Tseng, a New York-based software engineer who was looking up agricultural tariffs for a fellowship he was applying for.
The USDA’s online tariff tracker hosted a detailed list of goods traded between the United States and Wakanda, including ducks, sheep, goats, chickens, donkeys, dairy cows and buffalo.
The fictional country was removed soon from the list after US media first queried it, prompting jokes that the countries had started a trade war.
Considering that, in the Marvel universe, Wakanda is the most technologically advanced nation on the planet thanks to it being home to a large meteor strike consisting mainly of vibranium, a trade war with the kingdom would be a terrible idea as it would severely impair the United States’ ability to import the precious metal.
The royal administrative offices of King T’Challa could not be reached for comment.
-30-
SCIFI.radio is listener supported sci-fi geek culture radio, and operates almost exclusively via the generous contributions of our fans via our Patreon campaign. If you like, you can also use our tip jar and send us a little something to help support the many fine creatives that make this station possible.
“Boy Kills World” is a dystopian revenge story with humorous interludes, a deranged edge, and…
The freshest, most optimistic take on the Man of Tomorrow gets a second season on…
Saturday, May 4, 2024 is Free Comic Book Day in the USA. Many specialty stores…
Here is Chapter 10 of my book Hero Interrupted, in which Tensia, the sorceress and…
The lion cub named Mufasa who would be king came from more humble origins. This…
After the events of Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Knuckles The Echidna stars in his own…
This website uses cookies.
