The Democratic Republic of The Stratosphere Islands is a huge, environmentally stunning nation, notable for its public floggings, pith helmet sales, and compulsory military service. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic population of 661 million Stratosphereans enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

The large government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Del Faisán. The average income tax rate is 61.9%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Stratosphere Islandsian economy, worth 62.9 trillion Stratosphere Dollars a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Cheese Exports. Average income is 95,154 Stratosphere Dollars, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.5 times as much as the poorest.

The government violently suppresses separatist movements, the number of deaths due to poor fungus identification is mushrooming, the installation of street lights across remote goat tracks has left citizens bemused, and the The Stratosphere Islands Automotive Racing Series draws millions of spectators annually while those near the tracks complain about the noise. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Stratosphere Islands's national animal is the Golden Pheasant, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

The Stratosphere Islands is ranked 83,696^th in the world and 4,637^th in The North Pacific for Largest Pizza Delivery Sector, scoring 967.71 on the Pepperoni Propulsion Productivity Index.