The United Provinces of El Lazaro is a colossal, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by President Emanuel Arce Sequeira with a fair hand, and remarkable for its compulsory military service, sprawling nuclear power plants, and compulsory gun ownership. The compassionate, democratic, devout population of 5.556 billion Lazarenes 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 relatively small, corrupt, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Industry, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of San Lázaro. The average income tax rate is 40.4%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Lazarene economy, worth a remarkable 1,303 trillion rеals a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Arms Manufacturing, and Book Publishing. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an amazing 234,679 rеals, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Court verdicts are predictable to within a hundredth of a percentage point, the new Refuse Hills housing development is under construction, it's a common sight to see angry commuters with grenade launchers mounted on their vehicles, and restaurant owners fear visits from government officials more than the actual food critics. Crime is totally unknown. El Lazaro's national animal is the quetzal, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Lazarene Catholicism.

El Lazaro is ranked 12,743^rd in the world and 14^th in Spiritus for Largest Cheese Export Sector, scoring 5,885.21 on the Mozzarella Productivity Index.