The Hellenic Republic of Byzanthia is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by President Charles Burgardt with a fair hand, and notable for its punitive income tax rates, restrictive gun laws, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic population of 21.827 billion Byzanthians hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The enormous, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Environment, Education, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Nafplio. The average income tax rate is 78.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The large but inefficient Byzanthian economy, worth 954 trillion euros a year, is quite specialized and mostly made up of the Book Publishing industry, with significant contributions from Furniture Restoration, Tourism, and Basket Weaving. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 43,712 euros, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.4 times as much as the poorest.

Enemy navies sail within bombardment range of major coastal cities with impunity, excited shovel-bearing geeks wander the countryside, old dogs don't have to learn new tricks but they have to prove they haven't forgotten old ones, and it takes months to get the proper permits for a child's first tricycle. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Byzanthia's national animal is the phoenix, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Greek Orthodoxy.

Byzanthia is ranked 75,257^th in the world and 1^st in The United Coalition of Nation States for Lowest Crime Rates, with 69.26 law-abiding acts per hour.