The Borderlands of V217a is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by the Most Glorious Visionary with an even hand, and remarkable for its sprawling nuclear power plants, state-planned economy, and keen interest in outer space. The compassionate, humorless population of 28.532 billion V217ovians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked morass — juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Carlow. The income tax rate is 100%.

The frighteningly efficient V217an economy, worth a remarkable 5,073 trillion Quid 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 mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing. Average income is an impressive 177,815 Quid, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Scientists are terrified of fabulous new breakthroughs, companies struggle to cover for the hordes of employees on parental leave, chemical burn victims tan their scars summering at luxury beach resorts with huge cash settlements, and the nation's space program is doxxing the planet. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. V217a's national animal is the Satsuma, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is a collection of silly beliefs.

V217a is ranked 4,051^st in the world and 16^th in the Outback for Safest, scoring 131.99 on the Bubble-Rapp Safety Rating.