The Democracy of Merni is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Emperor Xaranas IV with an even hand, and renowned for its compulsory military service, irreverence towards religion, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, humorless population of 16.566 billion Mernians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded morass — juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Qersi. The average income tax rate is 99.0%.

The thriving Mernian economy, worth a remarkable 2,355 trillion koras a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector is solely comprised of the Book Publishing industry. Average income is an impressive 142,211 koras, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Contemporary art museums showcase the latest in centuries-old art, daring to agree with another politician is grounds for instant dismissal, arguments about toilet seats being left up or down get surprisingly heated, and Emperor Xaranas IV is called 'Patches' at international summits. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Merni's national animal is the horse, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Merni is ranked 1,500^th in the world and 2^nd in The Labyrinth for Lowest Crime Rates, with 154.02 law-abiding acts per hour.