The Republic of Sharmon is a very large, socially progressive nation, notable for its irreverence towards religion and stringent health and safety legislation. The democratic population of 181 million Sharmonians are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The large, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Welfare, and Law & Order. The average income tax rate is 42.3%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but sluggish Sharmonian economy, worth 3.70 trillion Chels a year, is led by the Book Publishing industry, with significant contributions from Soda Sales, Uranium Mining, and Woodchip Exports. Black market activity is notable. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 20,434 Chels, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Military officials are questioning the policy of ceding the nation's territory in exchange for promises not to invade it, the tenet of free speech is held dear, and pet owners must make a payment if their charges leave a deposit. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Sharmon's national animal is the Cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Sharmon is ranked 65,691^st in the world and 733^rd in Europe for Most Beautiful Environments, with 626.07 pounds of wildlife per square mile.