The Republic of Paragania is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by a rock with a fair hand, and notable for its keen interest in outer space, irreverence towards religion, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, democratic population of 28.546 billion Paraganians are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, liberal, outspoken morass — juggles the competing demands of Defense, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Lepton City. The average income tax rate is 87.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Paraganian economy, worth a remarkable 2,278 trillion Paraganian Dollars a year, is highly specialized and mostly made up of the Book Publishing industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology and Tourism. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 79,824 Paraganian Dollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Mantis shrimp studies is academia's fastest growing field, elections have become procedural nightmares due to voters persistently rejecting candidates, a rock has just been declared ruler of Paragania in an international press conference, and crocodile roadkill is smeared across the asphalt of the new Formula One track. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Paragania's national animal is the Great White Wolf, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Paragania is ranked 8,449^th in the world and 1^st in New Septentrion for Largest Populations, with 28.5 billion capita.