The Republic of Shishenburg is a huge, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its keen interest in outer space, punitive income tax rates, and devotion to social welfare. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 550 million Shishenburgians are ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet.

The large, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Caffedon. The average income tax rate is 74.0%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Shishenburgian economy, worth 58.5 trillion Shies a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Tourism, and Retail. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 106,431 Shies, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.0 times as much as the poorest.

Anyone who sleeps in past 9am can be declared legally dead, primetime re-runs of The Black and White Minstrel Show are a critical hit, businesses that prove successful are immediately broken up, and soldiers must key in their passwords every time they want to reload their weapons. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Shishenburg's national animal is the Swan, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Shishenburg is ranked 234,338^th in the world and 2,726^th in the West Pacific for Largest Basket Weaving Sector, scoring -1.18 on the Hickory Productivity Index.