The Most Excellent Empire of Picairn is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by Emperor Menellia I with a fair hand, and renowned for its daily referendums, pith helmet sales, and irreverence towards religion. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful population of 8.22 billion Picairnians 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 medium-sized, liberal, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Stormridge. The average income tax rate is 98.0%.

The frighteningly efficient Picairnian economy, worth a remarkable 2,065 trillion Dollars a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Arms Manufacturing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an amazing 251,266 Dollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Emperor Menellia I's exquisite office door is replaced monthly due to angry petitioners, the fire protection service is wholly government-funded, teenage TV characters are played by thirty-year-olds by the end of the second season, and the nation threatens sanctions on islands only visible at low tide. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Picairn's national animal is the Phoenix, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Secularism.

Picairn is ranked 208,274^th in the world and 5,065^th in The North Pacific for Most Pro-Market, scoring 29.22 on the Rand Index.