The Borderlands of Mertaine is a massive, efficient nation, notable for its rum-swilling pirates, barren, inhospitable landscape, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 1.227 billion Mertaineans enjoy some of the most opulent lifestyles in the region, unless they are unemployed or working-class, in which case they are variously starving to death or crippled by easily preventable diseases.

The minute, liberal, pro-business government, or what there is of one, prioritizes Defense, with Industry, Education, and Public Transport also on the agenda, while International Aid and Welfare aren't funded at all. The average income tax rate is 5.1%.

The powerhouse Mertainean economy, worth 96.0 trillion gold bars a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Retail industry, with major contributions from Uranium Mining, Basket Weaving, and Soda Sales. Average income is 78,239 gold bars, with the richest citizens earning 5.2 times as much as the poorest.

There's never a spare chair in the retirement home, commemorative mugs remembering last year's Black Friday Crockery Riots are a best seller this year, voting for pro-Bigtopian candidates is voluntary, and the news of budget cuts leaves a sour taste in Mertainean mouths. Crime, especially youth-related, is a major problem, probably because of the absence of a police force. Mertaine's national animal is the Cow Bat, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Mertaine is ranked 324,557^th in the world and 1^st in Mertaine for Highest Average Tax Rates, with 5.06 Effective Tax Rate.