The Commonwealth of Requand is a colossal, genial nation, remarkable for its national health service, sprawling nuclear power plants, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful population of 7.124 billion Requans 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 enormous, liberal, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Welfare, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Phenna. The average income tax rate is 99.7%.

The frighteningly efficient Requan economy, worth a remarkable 1,483 trillion Fentoes a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is highly specialized, is led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing and Tourism. Average income is an amazing 208,208 Fentoes, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The "feminist protest" defence is increasingly common for cases of armed robbery, sex changes are routinely performed at Requand's hospitals, in a fit of passion Leader has shredded thirty years' worth of petitions, and a primitive society is being eroded as its youth flock to the modern world. Crime is totally unknown. Requand's national animal is the Butterfly, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Requand is ranked 168,250^th in the world and 261^st in Democratic Socialist Assembly for Largest Basket Weaving Sector, scoring -4.43 on the Hickory Productivity Index.