The Grand Republic of Havenwelle is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Kevin Burke with an iron fist, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, smutty television, and sprawling nuclear power plants. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless, devout population of 19.116 billion Havenwelleans 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 juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Administration, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Grand Haven. The average income tax rate is 44.8%.

The frighteningly efficient Havenwellean economy, worth a remarkable 4,401 trillion Havs a year, is highly specialized and led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Information Technology and Book Publishing. Black market activity is rampant. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an amazing 230,231 Havs, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.4 times as much as the poorest.

New research always seems to support government initiatives, gene-engineered sewerjacks don't smell but they do stink, a National Academy regulates grammar and usage, and virtually all of the country's economic activity takes place in Grand Haven. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Havenwelle's national animal is the Brittany Spaniel, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is The Church of Havenwelle.

Havenwelle is ranked 291^st in the world and 8^th in the South Pacific for Lowest Crime Rates, with 225.19 law-abiding acts per hour.