The State of Girone is a gargantuan, safe nation, renowned for its state-planned economy, compulsory military service, and restrictive gun laws. The hard-nosed, cynical, devout population of 11.456 billion Gironeans 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 government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized morass — juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Westminster. The average income tax rate is 73.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The large but stagnant Gironean economy, worth 130 trillion betales a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector is led by the Retail industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Information Technology, and Book Publishing. Average income is 11,398 betales, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The nation's official head of religious affairs is an atheist, the automotive industry soaks up huge government handouts, gambling is outlawed, and Girone has designated Westminster as its capital city. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Girone's national animal is the deer, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Girone is ranked 109,304^th in the world and 2^nd in Heavenly Palace for Most Beautiful Environments, with 553.46 pounds of wildlife per square mile.