The United Socialist Alliance of Franchina is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by Maopoleon V with an iron fist, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, compulsory vegetarianism, and ritual sacrifices. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 28.237 billion Franchinans are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The enormous, corrupt, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Environment, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Beiris. The income tax rate is 100%.

The frighteningly efficient Franchinan economy, worth an astonishing 13,948 trillion euro de la yuan a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is an enormous, deeply entrenched, highly specialized black market in Arms Manufacturing and Information Technology. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an amazing 493,963 euro de la yuan, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The police have nothing to do with the increasing number of 'disappeared', cleaners are very careful not to bump into the big red button on Maopoleon V's desk, ghost regiments exist only on paper, and Maopoleon V has been declared supreme ruler for all eternity. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Franchina's national animal is the fox, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Franchina is ranked 345^th in the world and 6^th in Balder for Lowest Crime Rates, with 215.64 law-abiding acts per hour.