The Republic of Mushroom Union is a huge, environmentally stunning nation, notable for its museums and concert halls, avant-garde cinema, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, democratic population of 513 million Shroomers love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Mushroom Port. The average income tax rate is 74.0%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The very strong Shroom economy, worth 33.1 trillion Nelphs 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 Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Information Technology, and Trout Farming. Average income is 64,614 Nelphs, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Every day has been a surprise since weather reporters turned to consulting ancient totems for their seven-day forecasts, neon signs promoting safe driving often distract drivers, cricket farmers use magnifying glasses to fit every member of their herd with tiny tracking tags, and the nation is wading into dangerous waters. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Mushroom Union's national animal is the Goombas, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Mushroom Union is ranked 61,283^rd in the world and 641^st in Europe for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 123.06 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.