The Republic of Wilkshire is a gargantuan, socially progressive nation, ruled by President Paul Williams with an even hand, and notable for its keen interest in outer space, anti-smoking policies, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful population of 39.052 billion Wilkshireans enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Vasbury. The income tax rate is 100%.

The frighteningly efficient Wilkshirean economy, worth an astonishing 11,257 trillion wilkoes a year, is extremely specialized and mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an amazing 288,267 wilkoes, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Mantis shrimp studies is academia's fastest-growing field, a suspicious number of male students have joined the Ladies' Wrestling League, sex changes are routinely performed at Wilkshire's hospitals, and the long arm of the law possesses a rather slow hand. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Wilkshire's national animal is the cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Wilkshire is ranked 238,886^th in the world and 9,727^th in The North Pacific for Largest Basket Weaving Sector, scoring -52.15 on the Hickory Productivity Index.