The Grand Duchy of Rivienland is a massive, safe nation, ruled by the Grand Duke of Rivienland with an even hand, and remarkable for its ban on automobiles, avowedly heterosexual populace, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, cynical, devout population of 3.901 billion Rivienlanders have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The enormous government juggles the competing demands of Environment, Education, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Hindeveen. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 76.4%.

The all-consuming Rivienlandian economy, worth 269 trillion Rivenlander guilders a year, is highly specialized and mostly made up of the Beef-Based Agriculture industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing, Cheese Exports, and Furniture Restoration. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 69,079 Rivenlander guilders, with the richest citizens earning 6.0 times as much as the poorest.

People who have had childhood imaginary friends are told they can't ever be trusted with guns, the news is showing footage of the Grand Duke of Rivienland bullying an old man to the point of tears, treaties are taken to be mere rules of thumb, and skateboarding is considered a form of diplomacy. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Rivienland's national animal is the Rivienlander yellow warbler, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Catholicism.

Rivienland is ranked 116,053^rd in the world and 164^th in Forest for Most Pro-Market, scoring 43 on the Rand Index.