The Commonwealth of Yalkan is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by King Amias I with a fair hand, and remarkable for its frequent executions, fear of technology, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic population of 15.932 billion Yalken hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The large, liberal government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Education, and Defense. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Zeta. The average income tax rate is 87.6%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Yalken economy, worth a remarkable 2,066 trillion Drams 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 Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Arms Manufacturing. Average income is an impressive 129,681 Drams, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

When electric cars arrived nobody heard them coming, the contraband cigarette trade is lighting up across Yalkan, carbon-footprint restrictions are making businesses walk, and war criminals are given full state funerals. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Yalkan's national animal is the Dipper, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Yalkan is ranked 14,726^th in the world and 608^th in The North Pacific for Lowest Crime Rates, with 94.49 law-abiding acts per hour.