The Borderlands of Almander is a massive, safe nation, ruled by The Stag with an even hand, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, hatred of cheese, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful population of 3.053 billion Almanderians enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The large, liberal, socially-minded government prioritizes Education, with Healthcare, Administration, and Environment also on the agenda, while Defense and Spirituality are ignored. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Celetaria. The average income tax rate is 95.2%.

The frighteningly efficient Almanderian economy, worth 481 trillion Zorkmids a year, is highly specialized and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 157,781 Zorkmids, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Business owners return from long vacations to find their factories have been turned into homeless shelters, country folk are sent to obligatory boarding schools to learn how to be civilized, The Stag is strangely popular with male politicians' wives, and welfare recipients are milking the government for all they've got. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Almander's national animal is the Lynx, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Almander is ranked 290,339^th in the world and 373^rd in Refugia for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -16.99 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.