The Federal Commonwealth of Polarea is a gargantuan, genial nation, ruled by First Minister Elysia Lynne with a fair hand, and renowned for its keen interest in outer space, soft-spoken computers, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful population of 16.343 billion Polareans are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The enormous, liberal, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Göteborg. The average income tax rate is 99.2%.

The frighteningly efficient Polarean economy, worth a remarkable 3,315 trillion Polar Crowns 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 Tourism and Book Publishing. Average income is an amazing 202,870 Polar Crowns, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

More sidewalk is dedicated to animals than people, the Ministry of Health has reported a sharp increase in the incidence of delayed menopause, families waiting for delayed pipe installations hope daily for rain, and nude art is becoming wildly popular. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Polarea's national animal is the Various, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Polarea is ranked 1,927^th in the world and 1^st in Arctic for Highest Food Quality, scoring 284.11 on the Meeshlin-Starr Index.