The Free Land of Shalamar is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by King Laurant Joseph with an even hand, and renowned for its compulsory military service, keen interest in outer space, and restrictive gun laws. The quiet, industrious population of 1.343 billion Shalamarians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The large government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Saint Laurant. The average income tax rate is 54.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Shalamarian economy, worth 116 trillion Dollars a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Basket Weaving. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 86,401 Dollars, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.9 times as much as the poorest.

King Laurant Joseph is too busy listening to praise to get any work done, the leading national news source is 'my cousin Billy-Bob on MyFace', the nation's first space rocket -- sponsored by Eckie-Ecola and shaped like an enormous soda bottle -- is being developed, and jaywalking is punishable by public flogging. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Shalamar's national animal is the Meerkat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is None.

Shalamar is ranked 62,266^th in the world and 60^th in Anteria for Most Subsidized Industry, scoring 3,133.86 on the Gilded Widget Scale.