The Republic of Simonel is a mammoth, safe nation, notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, zero percent divorce rate, and hatred of cheese. The hard-nosed, democratic, devout population of 7.178 billion Simonelians 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.

The large, socially-minded government prioritizes Administration, although Law & Order, Welfare, and Defense are also considered important, while International Aid and Social Policy aren't funded at all. The average income tax rate is 40.0%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The large but sluggish Simonelian economy, worth 115 trillion dollars a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a slick, highly efficient, highly specialized black market in Trout Farming, Uranium Mining, and Arms Manufacturing. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is 16,089 dollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Literature classes frequently go on field trips to rock concerts, Leader is refusing to make decisions until the Moon is out of Capricorn, councils up and down the country wrangle over legal matters, and the treehouse in Turtle Park is the tallest building in Simonel. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Simonel's national animal is the turtle, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to heavy metals seepage into national waterways.

Simonel is ranked 230,525^th in the world and 1^st in Magenta for Largest Gambling Industry, scoring -3.67 on the Kelly Criterion Productivity Index.