The United Socialist States of Gersome is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by Heather with a fair hand, and renowned for its prohibition of alcohol, compulsory vegetarianism, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic population of 3.162 billion Gersomeans 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 Administration, Education, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Marx-City. The average income tax rate is 85.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The strong Gersomean economy, worth 241 trillion Socialist Euros 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 mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing, Tourism, and Uranium Mining. Average income is 76,223 Socialist Euros, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Umbrellas are back in fashion, flash floods that dams could have controlled regularly ravage small towns in mountain valleys, the fire brigade often deal with cases of burnt toast, and adult magazines are having a sales resurgence as internet anonymity disappears. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Gersome's national animal is the Socialist Eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Marxism.

Gersome is ranked 15,614^th in the world and 156^th in The Leftist Assembly for Most Beautiful Environments, with 1,203.07 pounds of wildlife per square mile.