The Commonwealth of Earwood is a huge, genial nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service, frequent executions, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic population of 678 million Earwoodians enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Defense. The average income tax rate is 42.4%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The Earwoodian economy, worth 37.0 trillion Jives a year, is led by the Book Publishing industry, with significant contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Tourism, and Uranium Mining. Average income is 54,521 Jives, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Thalassophobia and heliophobia are on the rise, the thin blue line is composed of picketing police officers demanding better pensions, airport users are more worried about radiation than terrorism, and rural communities are all but disenfranchised as politicians focus all their attention on winning the deciding urban votes. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Earwood's national animal is the Alligator, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Earwood is ranked 121,369^th in the world and 43^rd in Kilimanjaroian for Largest Cheese Export Sector, scoring 1,962.75 on the Mozzarella Productivity Index.