The Community of Sondalwood is a huge, genial nation, renowned for its parental licensing program, anti-smoking policies, and compulsory military service. The compassionate, democratic, devout population of 808 million Sondalwoodians have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked morass — juggles the competing demands of Administration, Industry, and Spirituality. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Cedarwood. The average income tax rate is 76.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The thriving Sondalwoodian economy, worth 43.3 trillion dollars a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a slick, highly efficient, quite specialized black market in Tourism, Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Pizza Delivery. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is 53,530 dollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Military units are often seen arguing over which one is truly favored by the gods, a traveller who once stubbed a toe on an Air Brancaland flight has been offered asylum, shoppers have literally had their hands full since plastic bags were banned, and doctors ask for written consent before making eye contact with patients. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Sondalwood's national animal is the barn owl, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Sondalwood is ranked 12,222^nd in the world and 29^th in The League for Highest Foreign Aid Spending, scoring 1,609.83 on the Clooney Contribution Index.