The Empire of Shingento is a mid-sized, genial nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service. The hard-working, devout population of 62 million Gensonese have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The relatively small government juggles the competing demands of Education, Spirituality, and Law & Order. The average income tax rate is 21.1%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The strong Gensonese economy, worth 4.15 trillion kins a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Trout Farming, Tourism, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Average income is 66,959 kins, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.6 times as much as the poorest.

Unshaven men are viewed with suspicion in courts of law, incarcerated crime lords manage their empires from massage tables, entomologists flock to Shingento City for its remarkable gadfly population, and the Ministry of Health has reported a sharp increase in the incidence of delayed menopause. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Shingento's national animal is the Gensonese Red Panda, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Shingento is ranked 46,784^th in the world and 112^th in Horizon for Most Cultured, scoring 73 on the Snufflebottom-Wiggendum Pentatonic Scale.