The United Socialist States of Prairiegrass is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by Matthew van Hardwick with a fair hand, and remarkable for its keen interest in outer space, state-planned economy, and ban on automobiles. The compassionate, democratic population of 1.389 billion Prairiegrassians love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, socially-minded, outspoken government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Felinapolis. The average income tax rate is 93.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but inefficient Prairiegrassian economy, worth 64.0 trillion Wheatons a year, is driven almost entirely by government activity, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is extremely specialized, is mostly made up of the Book Publishing industry, with significant contributions from Trout Farming. State-owned companies are the norm. Average income is 46,057 Wheatons, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Clergy who start talking about politics are forced to take a holy vow of silence, children in school playgrounds can be heard chanting the hymns of the Order of Violet, giggling elementary school newspaper reporters want to know why Matthew van Hardwick is a silly poophead, and charged suspects often have to wait years before the courts have room to judge their trial. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Prairiegrass's national animal is the Prairie Cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Prairiegrass is ranked 19,602^nd in the world and 1,046^th in Osiris for Smartest Citizens, with 63.15 quips per hour.