The Union of New Merakh is a gargantuan, socially progressive nation, ruled by Mor Surya with a fair hand, and notable for its keen interest in outer space, daily referendums, and state-planned economy. The compassionate, democratic population of 12.642 billion Merakhis 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, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Kesat. The average income tax rate is 95.4%.

The powerhouse Merakhi economy, worth a remarkable 1,535 trillion yins a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is highly specialized, is mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing and Tourism. Average income is an impressive 121,485 yins, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

A little pushing and pulling is needed for big ships to pass, Scoutmasters debate whether luxury log cabins defeat the purpose of camping, visitors to Self-Sufficiency National Park who ask for trail maps are handed a pen and a blank sheet of paper, and some are born loving old plays and some have old plays thrust upon them. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. New Merakh's national animal is the goat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

New Merakh is ranked 7,099^th in the world and 360^th in Balder for Lowest Crime Rates, with 108.15 law-abiding acts per hour.