Crossword Genius

North country area includes very serene place (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nirvana

'serene place' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'north country area includes very' is the wordplay.
'north' becomes 'N' (abbreviation).
'country' becomes 'iran' (Iran is a country).
'area' becomes 'a' (maths abbreviation).
'includes' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'very' becomes 'v' (common abbreviation).
'iran'+'a'='irana'
'irana' enclosing 'v' is 'irvana'.
'n'+'irvana'='NIRVANA'

(Other definitions for nirvana that I've seen before include "State of perfect happiness" , "Buddhist paradise or hereafter" , "Ultimate tranquil state" , "Kurt Cobain's grunge band" , "Buddhist heaven" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sun and The Telegraph.
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