The Empire of Picairn is a huge, cultured nation, ruled by Emperor Menellia I with a fair hand, and remarkable for its museums and concert halls, irreverence towards religion, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic population of 986 million Picairnians hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, 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 68.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Picairnian economy, worth 149 trillion Dollars a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Arms Manufacturing. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 152,036 Dollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

You need two tenors and a coloratura contralto to sing the national anthem properly, condos feature wall-mounted cages containing endangered animals, party-lovers often change religions just for the weekend, and the Picairnian Babysitters Club has proven to be a huge relief to stressed-out parents across the nation. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Picairn's national animal is the Phoenix, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Picairn is ranked 111,569^th in the world and 4,874^th in The North Pacific for Largest Automobile Manufacturing Sector, scoring 412.65 on the Henry Ford Productivity Index.