The Allied States of Elmahursta is a huge, efficient nation, remarkable for its frequent executions, public floggings, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless population of 569 million Elmahurstans are ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet.

The large, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Education, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Rasta. The average income tax rate is 68.3%.

The powerhouse Elmahurstan economy, worth 60.4 trillion Pikas a year, is led by the Trout Farming industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Retail. Average income is an impressive 106,169 Pikas, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.4 times as much as the poorest.

Tax rises are attributed to divine will, overhead luggage compartments on planes sometimes conceal diminutive intelligence officers, tower block residents are each held responsible for four square inches of front lawn, and selling your granddad's clothes requires an incredible amount of paperwork. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Elmahursta's national animal is the Bear, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Elmahursta is ranked 62,051^st in the world and 783^rd in the South Pacific for Most Developed, scoring 73.84 on the Human Development Index.