The Commonwealth of The Mikolanders is a small, socially progressive nation, notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic, devout population of 23 million Mikolanders enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

The medium-sized, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Spirituality, Education, and Defense. The average income tax rate is 29.3%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The Mikolandersian economy, worth 945 billion Proxits a year, is led by the Automobile Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 41,116 Proxits, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Military spending is on the increase, pristine wilderness has been trashed in the quest for cheaper oil, popular cartoon characters frequently appear in government-sponsored PSAs reminding students to say no to drugs, and the military recognizes no difference between male and female soldiers. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Mikolanders's national animal is the Jerry Bird, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

The Mikolanders is ranked 115,424^th in the world and 2,074^th in The East Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 79.37 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.