The Dirlandic State of Cottony is a colossal, safe nation, ruled by Mayor Yoshiko McAdams with an even hand, and remarkable for its ban on automobiles, multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, and free-roaming dinosaurs. The compassionate, cheerful population of 8.362 billion Dirlanders are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The enormous government juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Kuntawillen. The average income tax rate is 86.6%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Dirlandic economy, worth 746 trillion kořnëts a year, is highly specialized and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Tourism and Information Technology. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 89,302 kořnëts, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Some Dirlandic athletes have defected to Blackacre after being denied the chance to compete in international sporting events, heartfelt sentiments are mercilessly marketed by a million-kořnët treacle machine, paranoid museum guards keep a lookout for any animated displays attempting to escape the premises after dark, and things are looking up for patients accidentally prescribed erectile dysfunction medication. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Cottony's national animal is the Dirlandic sparrow, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Cottony is ranked 144,903^rd in the world and 18^th in Nordic Lands for Largest Black Market, with 155 billion Standard Monetary Units.