The Royal Isles of Shalotte is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Alsa II with an even hand, and remarkable for its teetotalling pirates, fear of technology, and national health service. The compassionate, cheerful, devout population of 21.78 billion Shalottes enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, liberal morass — juggles the competing demands of Spirituality, Environment, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Alauna. The average income tax rate is 84.3%.

The large but sluggish Shalotte economy, worth 391 trillion barters a year, is extremely specialized and mostly made up of the Basket Weaving industry, with significant contributions from Furniture Restoration. Average income is 17,960 barters, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.3 times as much as the poorest.

Foreign policy is mostly just to smile and hope for the best, the weather report is the prisoners' favourite programme, news headlines suggest that Alsa II has a sideline in guinea pig pimping, and teenagers claim that morning paper rounds are performance art. Crime, especially youth-related, is a major problem, probably because of the absence of a police force. Shalotte's national animal is the puffin, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Shalotte Pantheon.

Shalotte is ranked 312,993^rd in the world and 295^th in Forest for Largest Arms Manufacturing Sector, scoring -43.54 on the Charon Conveyancy Index.