The People's Democratic Republic of Gran Valkyria is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by President Fosch Sabel with an iron fist, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, barren, inhospitable landscape, and ubiquitous missile silos. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 2.57 billion Valkans are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government prioritizes Defense, although Law & Order, Industry, and Administration are also considered important, while Spirituality is ignored. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Varyag. The average income tax rate is 48.2%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Valkan economy, worth 325 trillion Vadnis 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, broadly diversified black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Retail, and Book Publishing. 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 an impressive 126,650 Vadnis, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Tax evaders are regularly visited by agents of the Gran Valkyria Blood Tithe, the new Refuse Hills housing development is under construction, anti-tourism militias patrol the borders, and mountain rescuers refer to their new gear as the 'watchamacallits' and 'thingymabobs'. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Gran Valkyria's national animal is the Reichslowe, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its national religion is Ostara Statism.

Gran Valkyria is ranked 29,822^nd in the world and 20^th in Saint Helene for Most Corrupt Governments, with 72.59 kickbacks per hour.