The Kingdom of Valhardt is a small, safe nation, notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, compulsory military service, and irreverence towards religion. The compassionate, hard-working, cynical population of 36 million Valhardtians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Welfare, and Administration. The average income tax rate is 28.0%.

The Valhardtian economy, worth 1.84 trillion Valmarks a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Woodchip Exports industry, with major contributions from Furniture Restoration, Book Publishing, and Door-to-door Insurance Sales. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 51,082 Valmarks, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.1 times as much as the poorest.

Goldfish bowls are three metres in diameter, the term cold case has taken on a very literal meaning, blind students are at a disadvantage now that test papers printed in braille have been discontinued, and throwing garbage out of your house's front window makes it legally someone else's problem. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Valhardt's national animal is the Black Eagle, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Valhardt is ranked 153,686^th in the world and 15^th in kingdom of Greater Esteriae for Most Developed, scoring 55.29 on the Human Development Index.