The Republic of Shemrock is a huge, safe nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service, absence of drug laws, and suspicion of poets. The hard-working, democratic population of 618 million Shemrockians are effectively ruled by a group of massive corporations, who run for political office and provide their well-off citizens with world-class goods and services. Their poorer citizens, however, are mostly starving to death while being urged to go out and get real jobs. The populace has reasonably extensive civil rights, although these are mostly aimed at allowing them to buy whatever they like.

The relatively small, pro-business, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Industry, and Defense. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Bentlewood. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 21.0%.

The frighteningly efficient Shemrockian economy, worth 79.3 trillion Logans a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Retail, Book Publishing, and Furniture Restoration. Average income is an impressive 128,278 Logans, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 459,741 per year while the poor average 25,669, a ratio of 17.9 to 1.

EpiPen sales have skyrocketed, internet sites are legally unable to stop their users from posting pornography, soldiers must key in their passwords every time they want to reload their weapons, and elderly citizens regularly buy posh multimillion-Logan mansions. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Shemrock's national animal is the Pig, which can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage in the nation's cities.

Shemrock is ranked 163,709^th in the world and 435^th in Conch Kingdom for Largest Welfare Programs, scoring 737.04 on the Safety Net Mesh Density Rating.