The Third Element of Lithium is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by Johan August Arfwedson with an even hand, and notable for its ubiquitous missile silos, irreverence towards religion, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 27.376 billion chemists are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The large government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Tripoli. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 53.6%.

The thriving lithium economy, worth a remarkable 2,045 trillion batteries a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Gambling, Furniture Restoration, and Woodchip Exports. Average income is 74,725 batteries, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 268,229 per year while the poor average 14,917, a ratio of 18.0 to 1.

A video of Johan August Arfwedson wearing shock-blue face paint and smashing an electric guitar in front of a frenzied crowd is on endless repeat on the nightly news, governments opposing Lithium are beset by rebels, the homeless more often beg for mercy than money, and the nation is reliant on the principle of mutually assured destruction to maintain its security. Crime is well under control, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Lithium's national animal is the robot, which can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage in the nation's cities, and its national religion is chemistry.

Lithium is ranked 53,556^th in the world and 1^st in Northern P4 for Most Patriotic, with 26.03 flags saluted per person per day.