The Empire of Roughst is a huge, orderly nation, renowned for its keen interest in outer space, frequent executions, and devotion to social welfare. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 526 million Roughstians are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The large, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Defense, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Cliffehawk. The average income tax rate is 68.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Roughstian economy, worth 46.4 trillion Cliffes a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Book Publishing, and Tourism. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 88,304 Cliffes, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.2 times as much as the poorest.

Hidden bedroom-cams are installed to catch mothers doing their kids' homework, expectant parents view twins with equal parts joy and suspicion, the Treasury has been accused of flushing money down the toilet, and the arms industry is backed by government subsidies and harsh anti-protest laws are in place. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Roughst's national animal is the weasel, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Roughst is ranked 134,700^th in the world and 112^th in Lands End for Most Stationary, with 96.36800776888 days.