The Republic of Cylea is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by George Madison with a fair hand, and remarkable for its daily referendums, sprawling nuclear power plants, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic, devout population of 42.335 billion Cyleans 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 relatively small government juggles the competing demands of Education, Law & Order, and Spirituality. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Bastion. The average income tax rate is 8.8%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The thriving Cylean economy, worth a remarkable 4,572 trillion catrons a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Book Publishing industry, with significant contributions from Uranium Mining, Woodchip Exports, and Information Technology. Average income is an impressive 108,019 catrons, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.8 times as much as the poorest.

George Madison's luxurious new home has been designated as a protected cultural heritage site, the Finance Ministry posts hourly updates on where taxpayer money is spent, owning a fishing rod can cause you to be subject to military questioning, and foreign policy is mostly just to smile and hope for the best. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Cylea's national animal is the owl, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Cylea is ranked 1^st in the world and 1^st in Island of Lost Souls for Most Advanced Public Education, scoring zero on the Edu-tellignce® Test Score.