The Republic of Freude is a tiny, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its daily referendums, punitive income tax rates, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic population of 14 million Freudeans love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The enormous, socially-minded, outspoken government prioritizes Welfare, with Education, Law & Order, and Healthcare also on the agenda, while Defense receives no funds. The average income tax rate is 72.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The basket case Freudean economy, worth 88.7 billion Courjitziens a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector is led by the Woodchip Exports industry, with major contributions from Cheese Exports, Book Publishing, and Trout Farming. Average income is 6,332 Courjitziens, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Citizens are remarkably well involved in the political process, Bambi has been banned, soldiers have swapped their uniforms for prisonwear, and the best way to be heard in politics is to speak softly and carry a big comedy prop. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Freude's national animal is the cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Freude is ranked 208,609^th in the world and 99^th in Refugia for Largest Trout Fishing Sector, scoring 174.47 on the Nemo Depletion Efficiency Index.