The Too-Well-Hidden Bunker of Podium is a massive, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Michael Talberg with an even hand, and renowned for its daily referendums, keen interest in outer space, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, hard-working population of 4.285 billion Poduminians enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

The medium-sized, liberal government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Eighburn. The average income tax rate is 66.9%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Poduminian economy, worth 777 trillion points a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Arms Manufacturing. Average income is an impressive 181,490 points, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.0 times as much as the poorest.

Organised sports are frowned upon as frivolous, police officers that upset their bosses get assigned to 24 hour stakeouts of bike sheds, the nation's universities are often mistaken for foreign embassies, and there's sophisticated talk of revolution within the ever-expanding mining colonies. Crime is totally unknown. Podium's national animal is the sergal, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Podium is ranked 163,810^th in the world and 3,995^th in the West Pacific for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -2.9 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.