The Federal Republic of Photan is a massive, orderly nation, ruled by Vorteen Of San Ming with an iron fist, and remarkable for its teetotalling pirates, keen interest in outer space, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless, devout population of 4.03 billion Photanians 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 government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Administration, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Shveersterdam. The average income tax rate is 87.5%.

The frighteningly efficient Photanian economy, worth 649 trillion bahtons a year, is quite specialized and mostly comprised of black market activity, especially in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Tourism, and Woodchip Exports. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 161,127 bahtons, with the richest citizens earning 5.2 times as much as the poorest.

Civil servants spend most their time carrying out risk assessments for paper cuts, Members of Parliament operate under a PAYE scheme, government adverts say that twelve lashes a day keeps divine wrath at bay, and chewing tree bark proves to have limited value during childbirth. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Photan's national animal is the Rooster, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Photan is ranked 212,840^th in the world and 4,004^th in The North Pacific for Largest Furniture Restoration Industry, scoring 214.55 on the Spitz-Pollish Productivity Index.