The New Beginnings Old Endings of Gavriel is a mammoth, orderly nation, notable for its teetotalling pirates, free-roaming dinosaurs, and frequent executions. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 8.391 billion Gavrielians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The large, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Education, and Administration. The average income tax rate is 70.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Gavrielian economy, worth 862 trillion marks a year, is quite specialized and dominated by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture, Information Technology, and Woodchip Exports. Black market activity is extensive. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 102,786 marks, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.0 times as much as the poorest.

Elevator music has been replaced by thrash metal played at maximum volume, government employees cannot vote for the policies they have to implement, taxpayer money is hard at work exorcizing laundry, and sales of fishnet stockings have reached a record high. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Gavriel's national animal is the dreamflier, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Gavriel is ranked 298,728^th in the world and 6^th in Portugal de Esquerda for Largest Gambling Industry, scoring -11.75 on the Kelly Criterion Productivity Index.