The Norse federation of Gothic Vandelia is a massive, orderly nation, ruled by John Kaiser with an iron fist, and remarkable for its compulsory military service, complete lack of prisons, and irreverence towards religion. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless population of 3.67 billion Gothic Vandelians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The medium-sized, corrupt, well-organized government is primarily concerned with Defense, although Industry and Education are also considered important, while Spirituality and International Aid receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Deep13. The average income tax rate is 80.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Gothic Vandelian economy, worth a remarkable 1,621 trillion Rand a year, is broadly diversified and mostly comprised of black market activity, especially in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Retail, and Automobile Manufacturing. Average income is an amazing 441,945 Rand, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.0 times as much as the poorest.

Eau de Trashcan has become a wildly popular perfume, Harry Potter conventions are closely watched by the government for any signs of 'dueling', international trade is a sticky issue, and workers can choose whether they prefer offices that smell of pungent body odor or whale vomit. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Gothic Vandelia's national animal is the Crow and its national religion is Norse.

Gothic Vandelia is ranked 6,223^rd in the world and 8^th in Novus Lucidum for Most Cultured, scoring 135 on the Snufflebottom-Wiggendum Pentatonic Scale.