The Democratic Empire of Lartace is a massive, efficient nation, ruled by Savagitika Romullaf with an even hand, and notable for its parental licensing program, ban on automobiles, and pith helmet sales. The devout population of 2.126 billion Lartaceans are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The large, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Mangover. The average income tax rate is 70.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Lartacean economy, worth 202 trillion Æztidags a year, is led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Woodchip Exports. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 95,058 Æztidags, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.1 times as much as the poorest.

People can't decide between preserving forests and buying print copies of 'Dogman Versus The Giggler', code enforcement officers circle wealthy Lartaceans like vultures, the acceptance of acupuncture and other alternative therapies has needled the scientific community, and religious bigotry and a fear of outsiders have replaced religious studies in schools. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Lartace's national animal is the Snake, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Uradus.

Lartace is ranked 33,383^rd in the world and 143^rd in Europe for Most Conservative, scoring 80.25 on the Bush-Santorum Dawning Terror Index.