The Insular Prefectures of The Laurel Islands is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by Premier Amanda Clark with an even hand, and remarkable for its infamous sell-swords, national health service, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, democratic population of 5.175 billion Laurelians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Welfare, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Oakbridge. The average income tax rate is 59.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Laurelian economy, worth 686 trillion Foors a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Beef-Based Agriculture. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 132,624 Foors, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

War vets look after war animals, space research funding has hit a recent high while several military bases are being closed down, days begin with afternoon tea, and a faint smell of body odour can be detected at several miles' distance from the National Science Park. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. The Laurel Islands's national animal is the Whale Shark, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans.

The Laurel Islands is ranked 31,295^th in the world and 1,990^th in Osiris for Lowest Crime Rates, with 81.98 law-abiding acts per hour.