The Federal Monarchy of Pekares is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Queen Alba II with an even hand, and remarkable for its public floggings, lack of airports, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, humorless, devout population of 14.425 billion Pekaresians have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked morass — juggles the competing demands of Environment, Healthcare, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Poshep. The average income tax rate is 74.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Pekaresian economy, worth 817 trillion Peks a year, is highly specialized and mostly made up of the Soda Sales industry, with significant contributions from Retail and Woodchip Exports. Average income is 56,685 Peks, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Stores employing more than 100 employees are required to be at least twenty miles from any competitor, male med students learning female anatomy do so with their eyes tightly closed, the government is attempting to revitalize a gutted private sector, and above Pekares there is only sky and the fear of the unknown. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Pekares's national animal is the Sheep, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Catholicism.

Pekares is ranked 37,456^th in the world and 10^th in The Great Experiment for Safest, scoring 106.52 on the Bubble-Rapp Safety Rating.