The Democratic Republic of Listam is a large, orderly nation, renowned for its ubiquitous missile silos, compulsory military service, and irreverence towards religion. The compassionate, hard-working, cynical population of 73 million Listams are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The medium-sized, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Welfare. The average income tax rate is 33.2%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The Listam economy, worth 3.71 trillion bens a year, is led by the Woodchip Exports industry, with major contributions from Furniture Restoration, Door-to-door Insurance Sales, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Average income is 50,844 bens, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.2 times as much as the poorest.

Politicians preface their speeches with a declaration that any resemblance to speeches given by individuals living or dead is purely coincidental, busy commuters no longer hear the cries of "I want some more!" on the nation's streets, workers tend to schedule naps during all-hands meetings, and politicians bribe ten-year-old geniuses to sit their aptitude tests. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Listam's national animal is the emu.

Listam is ranked 92,326^th in the world and 2,213^th in The North Pacific for Most Patriotic, with 15.93 flags saluted per person per day.