The Democratic Republic of Riversa is a huge, orderly nation, renowned for its public floggings, irreverence towards religion, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 278 million Riversans are ruled with an iron fist by the corrupt, dictatorship government, which oppresses anyone who isn't on the board of a Fortune 500 company. Large corporations tend to be above the law, and use their financial clout to gain ever-increasing government benefits at the expense of the poor and unemployed.

The relatively small, moralistic, pro-business, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Industry. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 9.5%.

The powerhouse Riversan economy, worth 19.5 trillion Rivertas a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Gambling, Door-to-door Insurance Sales, and Automobile Manufacturing. Average income is 70,142 Rivertas, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 264,553 per year while the poor average 12,955, a ratio of 20.4 to 1.

A National Academy regulates grammar and usage, the military patrols the streets in search of possible secessionists, nobody brings rolls of coins to the laundromat anymore, and the military refers to helpless combatants offering surrender as "sitting ducks". Crime, especially youth-related, is relatively low, thanks to a capable police force. Riversa's national animal is the Rivertain, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Riversa is ranked 85,145^th in the world and 9^th in Gas Station for Largest Soda Pop Sector, scoring 1,263.88 on the Addison-Fukk Productivity Rating.