The Minarcho-Capitalist Republic of Oswain is a massive, safe nation, ruled by President with a fair hand, and remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, irreverence towards religion, and spontaneously combusting cars. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 4.437 billion Oswainians are effectively ruled by a group of massive corporations, who run for political office and provide their well-off citizens with world-class goods and services. Their poorer citizens, however, are mostly starving to death while being urged to go out and get real jobs. The populace has reasonably extensive civil rights, although these are mostly aimed at allowing them to buy whatever they like.

The medium-sized, pro-business government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Vallastela. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 19.4%.

The frighteningly efficient Oswainian economy, worth 423 trillion Goldmarks a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Retail, Woodchip Exports, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 95,509 Goldmarks, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 397,693 per year while the poor average 14,994, a ratio of 26.5 to 1.

The acceptance of acupuncture and other alternative therapies has needled the scientific community, old folks reminisce about the last time someone was acquitted of a crime, money that should have gone to charities is instead spent on monitoring them, and President's media campaigns take a hiatus around exam week. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Oswain's national animal is the Oswainian Lion, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Oswain is ranked 261,084^th in the world and 9,195^th in Balder for Nicest Citizens, with 0.81 average smiles per day.