The Empire of -Flanel is a huge, orderly nation, ruled by -Flanel with an iron fist, and notable for its compulsory military service, soft-spoken computers, and frequent executions. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless population of 969 million -Flanelians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The relatively small, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Industry, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of -Flanelpolis. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 8.3%.

The frighteningly efficient -Flanelian economy, worth 125 trillion pounds 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 slick, highly efficient, broadly diversified black market in Information Technology, Trout Farming, Arms Manufacturing, and Retail. 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 129,607 pounds, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 450,818 per year while the poor average 27,153, a ratio of 16.6 to 1.

The government's economic policy is "sort it yourself", photographers can be found hiding behind the curtains in -Flanel's bedroom, -Flanelian police have to pay out of their own pockets for bulletproof vests, and local government operates tolls on every village road. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. -Flanel's national animal is the crocodile, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

-Flanel is ranked 30,169^th in the world and 110^th in Capitalist Paradise for Largest Manufacturing Sector, scoring 16,651.78 on the Gooback-Jerbs Productivity Index.