The Kingdom of Bars is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, renowned for its state-planned economy and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 25.049 billion Barsians 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 government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked morass — juggles the competing demands of Spirituality, Law & Order, and Education. The average income tax rate is 73.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The Barsian economy, worth a remarkable 1,001 trillion Hyons 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 led by the Beef-Based Agriculture industry, with significant contributions from Basket Weaving and Automobile Manufacturing. Average income is 39,975 Hyons, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

A large-scale revitalization of the education system is underway, horses are considered a delicacy, corporations donate huge sums of money to favored politicians, and a major religion has been named as Bars's national religion. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Bars's national animal is the horse, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is a major religion.

Bars is ranked 248,733^rd in the world and 12,040^th in Lazarus for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 28.28 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.