The Republic of Buddhai is a colossal, socially progressive nation, remarkable for its museums and concert halls, flagrant waste-dumping, and smutty television. The hard-nosed, hard-working, humorless population of 7.424 billion Buddhaians are either ruled by a sleek, efficient government or a conglomerate of multinational corporations; it's difficult to tell which.

The minute, corrupt, pro-business government, or what there is of one, is effectively ruled by the Department of Administration, with Law & Order also on the agenda, while Environment and Social Policy aren't funded at all. Income tax is unheard of.

The frighteningly efficient Buddhaian economy, worth a remarkable 2,429 trillion currencies a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Retail industry, with major contributions from Soda Sales, Gambling, and Uranium Mining. Average income is an amazing 327,261 currencies, but there is a vast disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 2,959,509 per year while the poor average 4,329, a ratio of 683 to 1.

The Buddhai City Prison Revue puts on a better stage show than anything in the Theatre District, farmers are complaining that the buzzing and the sparks from the nearby MagRail are blighting their crops, flu research is commonly shut down for fear of creating a superbug, and sometimes a whole prison wing will house a single prisoner. Crime, especially youth-related, is so common that it is unusual to encounter someone following the law, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Buddhai's national animal is the animal, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Buddhai is ranked 540^th in the world and 12^th in Vickenian experiment incubator for Highest Disposable Incomes, with 327,261.97 Standard Monetary Units.