The United Kingdom of The Thirteen Thunder Dragons is a very large, genial nation, remarkable for its museums and concert halls, sprawling nuclear power plants, and absence of drug laws. The compassionate, democratic, devout population of 213 million Carats enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The enormous, liberal, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Welfare. The average income tax rate is 68.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but sluggish Carat economy, worth 6.26 trillion diamond carats a year, is quite specialized and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Basket Weaving, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Woodchip Exports. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 29,402 diamond carats, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Tax evaders are regularly visited by agents of the The Thirteen Thunder Dragons Blood Tithe, many friends and relatives of Leader have been given ambassador jobs in tropical island nations, freighter lifeboats have been replaced by state of the art marker buoys so divers can recover the cargo after they sink, and bemused citizens are encouraged to sing foreign-language hymns of religions they have never heard of. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Thirteen Thunder Dragons's national animal is the Horanghae, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

The Thirteen Thunder Dragons is ranked 52,953^rd in the world and 1,145^th in The North Pacific for Smartest Citizens, with 42.7 quips per hour.