The Principality of Hohnwechsen is a massive, safe nation, ruled by Stephan Ferdinand von Weisspferd with an iron fist, and notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, devotion to social welfare, and stringent health and safety legislation. The cynical, devout population of 4.41 billion Hohnwechsenians are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The enormous, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Welfare, and Spirituality. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Hardtwindung. The average income tax rate is 72.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The large but underdeveloped Hohnwechsenian economy, worth 170 trillion Briefmarks a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is dominated by the Trout Farming industry, with significant contributions from Woodchip Exports, Arms Manufacturing, and Door-to-door Insurance Sales. Average income is 38,641 Briefmarks, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Shivering secretaries type letters under torrential downpours in open-roof offices, Hohnwechsen has designated Hardtwindung as its capital city, small shoes often wash up on the beach, and Stephan Ferdinand von Weisspferd has just been declared ruler of Hohnwechsen in an international press conference. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Hohnwechsen's national animal is the White Horse, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Hohnwechsen is ranked 47,551^st in the world and 8^th in Alemannia for Lowest Crime Rates, with 74.92 law-abiding acts per hour.