The Dictatorship of Howell is a huge, orderly nation, notable for its pith helmet sales, anti-smoking policies, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 256 million Howellites are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The enormous, corrupt, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Education. The average income tax rate is 64.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but sluggish Howellian economy, worth 7.70 trillion Rolstoes a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Cheese Exports industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Woodchip Exports. Black market activity is notable. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 30,090 Rolstoes, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Extraordinary tribunals try accused financial criminals, religion is strictly forbidden within school grounds, discarded pennies litter the streets, and students do more community service than homework. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Howell's national animal is the Gila monster, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Howell is ranked 37,552^nd in the world and 502^nd in the West Pacific for Most Beautiful Environments, with 764.72 pounds of wildlife per square mile.