The Free Land of Pawcoff is a large, safe nation, notable for its absence of drug laws, punitive income tax rates, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic, devout population of 50 million Pawcoffians enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded morass — juggles the competing demands of Welfare, Spirituality, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 74.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The basket case Pawcoffian economy, worth 590 billion beans 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 Basket Weaving industry, with major contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture, Trout Farming, and Gambling. Average income is 11,805 beans, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The government awards prizes to television shows featuring stereotype-breaking minority roles, people are bored of easy crossword puzzles, schools have extensive counseling programs for troubled students, and droves of former desperados are applying to join the border police. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Pawcoff's national animal is the buffalo, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Pawcoff is ranked 215,646^th in the world and 56^th in 001 Alpha Prime for Highest Food Quality, scoring 10.68 on the Meeshlin-Starr Index.