The Elysium of Howar31 is a gargantuan, genial nation, ruled by Howar31 with a fair hand, and renowned for its compulsory military service, public floggings, and irreverence towards religion. The democratic population of 17.64 billion Usagians enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Education, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Usagi Nexus. The average income tax rate is 29.7%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The Usagiy economy, worth a remarkable 1,111 trillion Bits a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Automobile Manufacturing, and Woodchip Exports. Average income is 63,007 Bits, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.2 times as much as the poorest.

Park rangers struggle to deal with a rash of stolen pic-a-nic baskets, unshaven men are viewed with suspicion in courts of law, Usagis that venture near secret military bases are shipped off to prison for espionage, and the family summer vacation has become a thing of the past following the introduction of the year-round school year. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Howar31's national animal is the Usagi.

Howar31 is ranked 252,477^th in the world and 5,445^th in The North Pacific for Most Patriotic, with 1.91 flags saluted per person per day.