The Existence of Gernick is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by Hon Warren Kelly Baron of Sealand with an even hand, and remarkable for its public floggings, zero percent divorce rate, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed, devout population of 22.276 billion Far-Quits are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The enormous, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Industry, and Defense. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Pontoon. The average income tax rate is 81.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Gernickian economy, worth a remarkable 2,343 trillion Credits a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a slick, highly efficient, highly specialized black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Tourism. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an impressive 105,219 Credits, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.1 times as much as the poorest.

It's believed that women's brains will overheat if they think for themselves, only lightning has a chance of striking Hon Warren Kelly Baron of Sealand twice, children must be board certified to append "Jr" to their name, and money can't buy happiness but it can buy immunity to prosecution. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Gernick's national animal is the Hooded Clam, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans, and its national religion is Agnostic.

Gernick is ranked 25,488^th in the world and 1^st in Sealand for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 243.93 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.