The Fanciful Tales of Refuge Isle is a massive, genial nation, ruled by Arch-Administrator McGrath with a fair hand, and notable for its rampant corporate plagiarism, absence of drug laws, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful, devout population of 3.37 billion Refugi are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, liberal, socially-minded, outspoken morass — juggles the competing demands of Education, Welfare, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of the Admin Tower. The average income tax rate is 98.7%.

The frighteningly efficient Refugi economy, worth 471 trillion planets a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is highly specialized, is led by the Book Publishing industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology and Tourism. Average income is an impressive 139,956 planets, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Public incontinence is a growing problem amongst the nation's women, modelling agencies send their clients to work in nursing homes, the annual budget is heralded by the Treasury Minister donning a fake plastic mustache and giant star-shaped glasses, and the saying 'break a leg' is now taken literally. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Refuge Isle's national animal is the simplebot, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is The Zyqxuwy.

Refuge Isle is ranked 141,904^th in the world and 36^th in Refugia for Largest Basket Weaving Sector, scoring 174.79 on the Hickory Productivity Index.