The Democratic Republic of Hydrogarnet is a huge, safe nation, notable for its compulsory military service and stringent health and safety legislation. The quiet, industrious population of 286 million Epsolutes have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The relatively small government juggles the competing demands of Welfare, Education, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 17.7%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but inefficient Epsolutian economy, worth 11.4 trillion Infs a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Basket Weaving, Automobile Manufacturing, and Furniture Restoration. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 39,923 Infs, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The police strictly enforce off-limit zones for tourists, political candidates who don't release their birth certificates are presumed to have been born in Maxtopia, young girls aren't having a ball but they are enjoying themselves, and military spending is on the increase. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Hydrogarnet's national animal is the Zero, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Hydrogarnet is ranked 121,623^rd in the world and 3,348^th in The North Pacific for Most Cultured, scoring 65 on the Snufflebottom-Wiggendum Pentatonic Scale.