The Democratic States of Valska is a huge, safe nation, notable for its irreverence towards religion, devotion to social welfare, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic population of 404 million Valskans 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.

The enormous government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Law & Order, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Haelstadt. The average income tax rate is 65.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The Valskan economy, worth 20.9 trillion kreskas a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is dominated by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Furniture Restoration, Woodchip Exports, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 51,722 kreskas, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Taking hostages is a great way to influence government policy, the government is washing its hands of alleged corruption, bombs are permitted on planes for the 'security of the passengers', and new arrivals are asked the location of the Minister of the Interior's birthmark. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Valska's national animal is the reindeer, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Valska is ranked 206,515^th in the world and 1,179^th in Europe for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 37.39 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.