The Commonwealth of The Plough Islands is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Arthur Gibbs with an even hand, and remarkable for its rampant corporate plagiarism, state-planned economy, and daily referendums. The compassionate population of 13.971 billion Plough Islanders are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded morass — prioritizes Education, with Healthcare, Environment, and Welfare also on the agenda, while Spirituality and International Aid aren't funded at all. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Sutton. The average income tax rate is 95.5%.

The all-consuming Plough Islander economy, worth a remarkable 1,449 trillion shillings a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is extremely specialized, is mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Trout Farming. Average income is an impressive 103,748 shillings, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Armed war-criminals gain asylum if deemed 'fabulous' enough, elections are won by the candidate who makes the best 'yo mama' jokes, NationStates is now a popular brand of laxatives despite Max Barry's protests, and the Random Number Gods do play dice with the universe (The Plough Islands has found 1 easter egg). Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Plough Islands's national animal is the red fox, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

The Plough Islands is ranked 6,109^th in the world and 5^th in Anaia for Most Beautiful Environments, with 2,107.24 pounds of wildlife per square mile.