The Empire of Hiola is a mid-sized, safe nation, renowned for its compulsory military service, public floggings, and frequent executions. The cynical population of 50 million Hiolans are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The relatively small, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Law & Order, and Administration. The average income tax rate is 20.5%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The very strong Hiolan economy, worth 4.11 trillion Copper Coins a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Cheese Exports. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 82,134 Copper Coins, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.0 times as much as the poorest.

Drunk drivers are sent to rehabilitation paid for by the government, the nation is experiencing a severe shortage of sporting events, the sound of office water cooler chatter has been replaced by the whirring of computer cooling fans, and university admissions staff are blindfolded to prevent accidental bias. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Hiola's national animal is the Hydra, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans.

Hiola is ranked 134,868^th in the world and 128^th in Eladria for Most Eco-Friendly Governments, scoring 528.2 on the Dolphin Recycling Awareness Index.