The Eternal Misfortune of Thalasse is a gargantuan, safe nation, ruled by Leader with a fair hand, and notable for its museums and concert halls, absence of drug laws, and restrictive gun laws. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful, devout population of 18.817 billion Thalasseans love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, socially-minded, outspoken government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Thalasse City. The income tax rate is 100%.

The frighteningly efficient Thalassean economy, worth a remarkable 6,136 trillion Flowers a year, is driven almost entirely by government activity, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is extremely specialized, is mostly made up of the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing. State-owned companies are the norm. Average income is an amazing 326,136 Flowers, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Children's daycare starts at the crack of dawn, one of the most popular models in Thalasse has a scarred face and one working eye, evenings at university debating societies often end with everyone acknowledging both sides may well be right, and the government is ignoring the latest terrorist atrocities in Thalasse City for fear of causing a fuss. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Thalasse's national animal is the Radioactive Butterfly, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Peace.

Thalasse is ranked 284,000^th in the world and 34^th in Pencil Sharpeners Puppet Storage for Largest Cheese Export Sector, scoring -48.05 on the Mozzarella Productivity Index.