The Tired Old Man of Severisen is a gargantuan, safe nation, ruled by Septenary with an iron fist, and notable for its museums and concert halls, pith helmet sales, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, cynical population of 27.058 billion Sevvies are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The enormous, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Aelholt. The average income tax rate is 77.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient sevish economy, worth a remarkable 2,529 trillion Shades a year, is quite specialized and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Information Technology, and Basket Weaving. Black market activity is extensive. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 93,491 Shades, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.1 times as much as the poorest.

The word "sexagenarian" has taken on a whole new meaning, children get arrested for floating paper boats on lakes, gossip magazines have been replaced by mask catalogs, and it is illegal to carry an umbrella when the official weather forecast predicts a sunny day. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Severisen's national animal is the Phoenix, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Severisen is ranked 206,172^nd in the world and 1,854^th in the Pacific for Nudest, with 111.75 cheeks per square mile.