The Democratic Republic of Pontecagnano is a very large, safe nation, renowned for its free-roaming dinosaurs, compulsory military service, and devotion to social welfare. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 197 million Pontecagnanesi are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The enormous, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Law & Order, and Industry. The average income tax rate is 71.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The thriving Pontecagnanese economy, worth 14.8 trillion Etruscan Lire a year, is quite specialized and led by the Trout Farming industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Retail. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 74,920 Etruscan Lire, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.3 times as much as the poorest.

Purported secret military bases are dismissed by Leader to be highly-advanced toilet factories, the nation's forests are full of treasure hunters in military-grade survival gear, corporate executives continue to enjoy generous tax benefits while the public is taxed to the hilt, and the banhammer is a standard police sidearm. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Pontecagnano's national animal is the Parrot, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Pontecagnano is ranked 46,552^nd in the world and 61^st in The Kodiak Republic for Most Subsidized Industry, scoring 4,163.7 on the Gilded Widget Scale.