The Most Serene Republic of Valondra is a massive, genial nation, ruled by Rose Blackmore with a fair hand, and remarkable for its museums and concert halls, punitive income tax rates, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic population of 2.048 billion Valondrans hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The large, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Welfare, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Ammondale. The average income tax rate is 69.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Valondran economy, worth 168 trillion Kronor a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Cheese Exports, and Book Publishing. Average income is 82,212 Kronor, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Sex changes are routinely performed at Valondra's hospitals, the nation's most "productive" diamond mine hasn't been operational for seven months, the government is promoting multicultural values with the new 'Just Be Nice, OK?' initiative, and the Party has more splits than a yo-yo dieter's trousers. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Valondra's national animal is the Moth, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Valondra is ranked 35,724^th in the world and 1,252^nd in The North Pacific for Most Cultured, scoring 77 on the Snufflebottom-Wiggendum Pentatonic Scale.