The Kingdom of West Erie is a colossal, orderly nation, ruled by Queen Abigail Hawthorne II with an iron fist, and remarkable for its compulsory military service, frequent executions, and enforced nudity. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 8.501 billion West Erieans 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 large, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government prioritizes Defense, although Spirituality, Administration, and Industry are also considered important, while Environment and Social Policy receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Detroit. The average income tax rate is 67.9%.

The powerhouse West Eriean economy, worth 867 trillion Marks a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a large, well-organized, quite specialized black market in Arms Manufacturing, Retail, Uranium Mining, and Woodchip Exports. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an impressive 102,026 Marks, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.3 times as much as the poorest.

Policemen regularly conduct midnight raids on closed donut shops to 'collect evidence', EULAs remind customers that "Private Mode" is a browser setting rather than a promise, the military refers to helpless combatants offering surrender as "sitting ducks", and the national Police Academies have dedicated infant wings. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. West Erie's national animal is the Red Fox, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

West Erie is ranked 282,593^rd in the world and 10,601^st in Osiris for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring -112.88 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.