The Protectorate of Burs is a gargantuan, orderly nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service, absence of drug laws, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 24.704 billion Bursians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The large, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Industry. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 33.0%.

The very strong Bursian economy, worth 620 trillion Ghosts a year, is highly specialized and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Automobile Manufacturing, Uranium Mining, and Woodchip Exports. Average income is 25,101 Ghosts, with the richest citizens earning 5.9 times as much as the poorest.

Voting is voluntary, college students make ends meet by selling their kidneys, military spending recently hit a new high, and nudity is frowned upon. Crime is moderate. Burs's national animal is the pony, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Burs is ranked 246,132^nd in the world and 46^th in The Genesis Corporation for Lowest Crime Rates, with 53.19 law-abiding acts per hour.