The People's Republic of Novantis is a gargantuan, genial nation, ruled by Chairman Quinn with a fair hand, and notable for its national health service, punitive income tax rates, and restrictive gun laws. The compassionate, democratic population of 16.694 billion Vanteans love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked morass — prioritizes Education, although Environment, Healthcare, and Social Policy are also considered important, while Spirituality and Defense receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Trevisine. The average income tax rate is 95.2%.

The very strong Vantean economy, worth a remarkable 1,528 trillion Progress Coins a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector is solely comprised of the Information Technology industry. Average income is 91,538 Progress Coins, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Bigtopian relations have become a minefield, any secret that gets off someone's chest is promptly replaced, most of the population has had bad experiences with hoes, and people stand their fridges back-to-front to benefit from the free heating. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Novantis's national animal is the Rainbow Wolf, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Miss Vanjie.

Novantis is ranked 1,955^th in the world and 8^th in Gay for Most Valuable International Artwork, with zero Bank.