The Democratic People's Republic of Hyphen is a mammoth, orderly nation, notable for its sprawling nuclear power plants, unlimited-speed roads, and pith helmet sales. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 9.422 billion Hyphenians 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 enormous, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Law & Order, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Stalingrad. The average income tax rate is 91.0%.

The frighteningly efficient Hyphenian economy, worth a remarkable 1,706 trillion pounds a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is an enormous, deeply entrenched, quite specialized black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Tourism. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an impressive 181,129 pounds, with the richest citizens earning 5.2 times as much as the poorest.

A rogue brutalist can cement their town in the past, the nation's diplomats shake hands with those whose hands are drenched in the blood of innocents, tourists need only sign on the dotted line to become citizens, and government ministers are regularly seen in the streets confessing their sins and hammering missiles into plow-shares. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Hyphen's national animal is the eagle, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Hyphen is ranked 74,397^th in the world and 653^rd in The North Pacific for Largest Populations, with 9.42 billion capita.