The Republic of Bywell is a massive, cultured nation, notable for its smutty television, irreverence towards religion, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic population of 1.017 billion Bywellians hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The enormous, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Welfare, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Mount Hope. The average income tax rate is 78.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Bywellian economy, worth 98.2 trillion Bywellian Dollars a year, is quite specialized and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 96,555 Bywellian Dollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The delay between passed legislation and real world implementation is often a decade or longer, college athletes are arrested for selling lemonade, banana distribution among collective farm workers is an important topic in public discourse, and attendance of fathers at PTA meetings is at an all-time high. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Bywell's national animal is the Alpaca, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Bywell is ranked 6,928^th in the world and 382^nd in The North Pacific for Least Corrupt Governments, with 94.77 Percentage Of Bribes Refused.