The Federation of Nordenaiva is a very large, genial nation, remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, keen interest in outer space, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic population of 141 million Nordenaivans 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 relatively small government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Education. The average income tax rate is 20.7%.

The Nordenaivan economy, worth 7.59 trillion Hreans a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Woodchip Exports, Uranium Mining, and Furniture Restoration. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 53,801 Hreans, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.8 times as much as the poorest.

Political candidates who don't release their birth certificates are presumed to have been born in Maxtopia, fancy dress parties are raided by military police for new recruits, every new building project has to undergo a five-year environmental impact study before it can go ahead, and Nordenaiva City's flashy holiday light displays can be seen from space. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Nordenaiva's national animal is the Mountain Bull, which can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage in the nation's cities.

Nordenaiva is ranked 220,472^nd in the world and 259^th in The Region That Has No Big Banks for Most Subsidized Industry, scoring 241.15 on the Gilded Widget Scale.