The Empire of Shuora is a colossal, efficient nation, ruled by Emperor Abash with an even hand, and notable for its museums and concert halls, national health service, and devotion to social welfare. The hard-nosed, devout population of 3.903 billion Shuorans are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The large, corrupt, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Administration, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Nihungopatra. The average income tax rate is 90.9%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Shuoran economy, worth 648 trillion bashmarkes a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is broadly diversified, is led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Book Publishing. Average income is an impressive 166,171 bashmarkes, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Conscripts often volunteer for a second tour of duty so they can get a ticket to next year's Army Revue, modelling agencies send their clients to work in nursing homes, betting pennies on games of Go Fish is considered deviant, and cultural heritage is measured in Scoville Heat Units. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Shuora's national animal is the peacock, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Patratism.

Shuora is ranked 17,681^st in the world and 1^st in Nihungopatra for Largest Manufacturing Sector, scoring 34,261.5 on the Gooback-Jerbs Productivity Index.