The Democratic States of The Merinos is a massive, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by President Amadeus Mars with a fair hand, and remarkable for its free-roaming dinosaurs, keen interest in outer space, and daily referendums. The compassionate, democratic population of 3.711 billion Merinons are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The enormous, liberal, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Lacus Caeruleus. The average income tax rate is 79.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Merinosian economy, worth 366 trillion Merinos notes 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 significant contributions from Book Publishing, Tourism, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Average income is 98,679 Merinos notes, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Old folks reminisce about the last time someone was acquitted of a crime, the nation's atlases tend to go out of date every few weeks, back-alley holistic doctors carry crystals in long trench coats, and the nation's politicians are known more for the internet memes they spawn than any of their accomplishments. Crime is totally unknown. The Merinos's national animal is the Entity, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

The Merinos is ranked 268,483^rd in the world and 296^th in Refugia for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -9.12 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.