The Autocratic Republic of Merlovich is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by Mason Bryce with an even hand, and renowned for its avowedly heterosexual populace, frequent executions, and irreverence towards religion. The hard-nosed, hard-working, humorless population of 2.49 billion Merlovichans are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, corrupt government prioritizes Defense, with Education, Industry, and Law & Order also on the agenda, while Spirituality is ignored. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Melbourne. The average income tax rate is 72.0%.

The frighteningly efficient Merlovichian economy, worth 371 trillion Merlovichan Dollars a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Retail, and Book Publishing. Black market activity is extensive. Average income is an impressive 149,001 Merlovichan Dollars, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.4 times as much as the poorest.

People talk about things being better when men were men, the government is more interested in identifying problems than fixing them, fashion magazine covers finally display realistic body images following photo-manipulation becoming illegal, and Merlovichian watches list strained wrists as a common side effect. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Merlovich's national animal is the Kangaroo, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its national religion is Christianity.

Merlovich is ranked 17,540^th in the world and 543^rd in The East Pacific for Largest Mining Sector, scoring 6,291.69 on the Blue Sky Asbestos Index.