The District of Durham Common is a titanic, socially progressive nation, ruled by privy council chairman with a fair hand, and notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, irreverence towards religion, and absence of drug laws. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 20.261 billion Durham Commonians live in a state of perpetual fear, as a complete breakdown of social order has led to the rise of order through biker gangs.

The minute, liberal, pro-business, outspoken government, or what there is of one, juggles the competing demands of Administration, Defense, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of District City. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 4.6%.

The strong Durham Commonian economy, worth a remarkable 1,170 trillion Juno aurums a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Automobile Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Basket Weaving, Door-to-door Insurance Sales, and Furniture Restoration. Average income is 57,762 Juno aurums, but there is an enormous disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 359,802 per year while the poor average 3,965, a ratio of 90.7 to 1.

Councils up and down the country wrangle over legal matters, devotion to God is only skin-deep, literature classes frequently go on field trips to rock concerts, and education is transforming people into first-rate snobs. Crime, especially youth-related, is a major problem, probably because of the absence of a police force. Durham Common's national animal is the quick pink fox, which can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage in the nation's cities.

Durham Common is ranked 153,642^nd in the world and 2^nd in British North America for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 73.14 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.