The Crowned Republic of Highton is a massive, socially progressive nation, notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 3.45 billion Hightonians are either ruled by a sleek, efficient government or a conglomerate of multinational corporations; it's difficult to tell which.

The minute, pro-business government, or what there is of one, juggles the competing demands of Education, Defense, and Spirituality. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Highton City. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 3.7%.

The very strong Hightonian economy, worth 272 trillion Blocks a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Uranium Mining industry, with major contributions from Gambling, Arms Manufacturing, and Pizza Delivery. Average income is 78,919 Blocks, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 360,390 per year while the poor average 10,535, a ratio of 34.2 to 1.

Voters must frequently select what they view as the lesser of two evils on the ballot, orange is the new black for judicial robes, the latest Harry Potter book is a bestseller, and Highton has designated Highton City as its capital city. Crime is a serious problem, probably because of the absence of a police force. Highton's national animal is the Coco Monkey, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Highton is ranked 12,742^nd in the world and 491^st in The North Pacific for Highest Wealthy Incomes, with 360,391 Standard Monetary Units.