The Incorporated States of Retris is a large, socially progressive nation, renowned for its barren, inhospitable landscape, irreverence towards religion, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 80 million Retrisians are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

The tiny, pro-business, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Education, and Healthcare. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 6.1%.

The very strong Retrisian economy, worth 5.37 trillion Cers a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Uranium Mining industry, with major contributions from Furniture Restoration, Automobile Manufacturing, and Book Publishing. Average income is 67,143 Cers, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 208,683 per year while the poor average 16,618, a ratio of 12.6 to 1.

A large-scale revitalization of the education system is underway, the alarmingly racist TV show 'Bigtopians Say the Darndest Things' is a hit, the mining industry is making inroads into environmentally sensitive areas, and professionals are ready to retire by the time they receive permission to use their credentials. Crime is a problem, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Retris's national animal is the Pigeon , which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Retris is ranked 219,471^st in the world and 2,848^th in the West Pacific for Most Patriotic, with 4.43 flags saluted per person per day.