The Swirling Shining Splendor of Red Star of the West is a gargantuan, genial nation, ruled by Treebeard and Friends with an even hand, and remarkable for its multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, devotion to social welfare, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful population of 20.166 billion Red Star of the Westians enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The enormous, liberal, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Red Staria. The average income tax rate is 97.3%.

The frighteningly efficient Red Star of the Westian economy, worth a remarkable 3,367 trillion Red Stars a year, is highly specialized and mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 166,996 Red Stars, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Talking during class is a gateway to lifelong drug addiction, bins outnumber trees in city parks, mountain rescuers refer to their new gear as the 'watchamacallits' and 'thingymabobs', and skateboarding is considered a form of diplomacy. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Red Star of the West's national animal is the Chimera, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Flying Spaghetti Chimera.

Red Star of the West is ranked 290,592^nd in the world and 6^th in Philosophy 115 for Largest Gambling Industry, scoring -32.03 on the Kelly Criterion Productivity Index.