The United Democracy of Matterland is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by Xanderal with an even hand, and remarkable for its complete lack of prisons, absence of drug laws, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate population of 20.613 billion Matterlandians enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked morass — juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Solace. The average income tax rate is 97.7%.

The powerhouse Matterlandian economy, worth a remarkable 2,706 trillion Matts a year, is highly specialized and mostly made up of the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology and Tourism. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 131,296 Matts, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

A primitive society is being eroded as its youth flock to the modern world, academics have a bone to pick with free market entrepreneurs, organised sports are frowned upon as frivolous, and extreme political groups are outlawed. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Matterland's national animal is the Bear, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Matterland is ranked 2,433^rd in the world and 53^rd in 10000 Islands for Healthiest Citizens, with 25.95 bananas ingested per day.