The People's Republic of Blacksoil is a small, orderly nation, notable for its ritual sacrifices, keen interest in outer space, and spontaneously combusting cars. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 29 million Blacksoilites enjoy great individual freedoms in everything except elections, which, where they exist at all, are populist shams for a dictatorship government that has no intention of ever giving up power.

The tiny, liberal, pro-business government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Administration, and Education. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 5.0%.

The powerhouse Blacksoilite economy, worth 2.37 trillion dollars a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Cheese Exports. Average income is 81,671 dollars, but there is an enormous disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 431,835 per year while the poor average 8,197, a ratio of 52.7 to 1.

Parents must decide between buying food and taking their children to the park, imitation is the sincerest form of felony, sullen teenagers in bright orange 'community payback' onesies can be seen picking litter at the roadside, and the Hanging Gardens account for half of Blacksoil City's water use. Crime is a serious problem, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Blacksoil's national animal is the common raven, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Blacksoil is ranked 118,514^th in the world and 544^th in Europeia for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring 1,556.92 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.