The Armed Republic of Valkstein is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by a council of specialists and officials with an even hand, and renowned for its daily referendums, flagrant waste-dumping, and ritual sacrifices. The hard-nosed, devout population of 3.544 billion Valksteinians have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The relatively small, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Industry, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Valkstain. The average income tax rate is 46.9%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Valksteinian economy, worth 725 trillion Reuses a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Information Technology, and Retail. Black market activity is rampant. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an amazing 204,627 Reuses, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.7 times as much as the poorest.

Double-parking is on the rise as automobile numbers increase, politicians are often found scavenging bins at night to supplement their income, A council of specialists and officials has killer fashion sense, and white strait-jackets are the new orange jumpsuits. Crime, especially youth-related, is a serious problem, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Valkstein's national animal is the bullfrog, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Valkstein is ranked 29,777^th in the world and 625^th in the South Pacific for Most Advanced Public Education, scoring 6,411.84 on the Edu-tellignce® Test Score.