The Syndicate of Shevik is a colossal, socially progressive nation, ruled by Joyboy with an even hand, and notable for its rum-swilling pirates, sprawling nuclear power plants, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, cheerful population of 7.263 billion Shevikians enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The large, corrupt, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Defense, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of El Dorado. The average income tax rate is 92.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Shevikian economy, worth a remarkable 1,228 trillion luas a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Arms Manufacturing. Average income is an impressive 169,150 luas, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Super Barry Brothers is the most popular video game in the nation, designer truncheons are the latest law enforcement fashion craze, angry men scowl at each other across chess boards, and hundreds of subterranean tunnels are being built as part of "Project Morlock". Crime is totally unknown. Shevik's national animal is the capybara, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Prismology.

Shevik is ranked 18,719^th in the world and 1,208^th in Osiris for Lowest Crime Rates, with 90.79 law-abiding acts per hour.