The Free Republic of Ponderosa is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by President Walker with a fair hand, and renowned for its rum-swilling pirates, barren, inhospitable landscape, and free-roaming dinosaurs. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 11.366 billion Ponderosans live in a state of perpetual fear, as a complete breakdown of social order has led to the rise of order through biker gangs.

The minute, corrupt, liberal, pro-business, outspoken government, or what there is of one, juggles the competing demands of Industry, Education, and Defense. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Santa Fe. Income tax is unheard of.

The frighteningly efficient Ponderosan economy, worth a remarkable 3,321 trillion Ponderosa dollars a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Retail, Arms Manufacturing, and Soda Sales. Average income is an amazing 292,238 Ponderosa dollars, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 1,072,252 per year while the poor average 56,379, a ratio of 19.0 to 1.

The restriction that you must be over 1.1 metres tall to ride a carnotaurus has recently been waived, mall countdown clocks warn that there are only 364 more shopping days until Maxxmas, stockbrokers dream of getting rich by writing textbooks, and prolonged government investigations are a common revenge tactic among spurned spouses. Crime, especially youth-related, is all-pervasive, probably because of the absence of a police force. Ponderosa's national animal is the Osprey, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Ponderosa is ranked 156,435^th in the world and 271^st in Wintreath for Safest, scoring 2.57 on the Bubble-Rapp Safety Rating.