The Republic of Lasien is a gargantuan, cultured nation, remarkable for its state-planned economy, punitive income tax rates, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic population of 15.435 billion Lasienians 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 enormous, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Conres. The average income tax rate is 88.6%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Lasienian economy, worth a remarkable 1,320 trillion gons a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism. Average income is 85,574 gons, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Years of counter-terrorism planning are foiled by small details, new arrivals are asked the location of the Minister of the Interior's birthmark, the latest guided missile cruiser "Ship-1642" has received precisely zero column inches in the press, and Lasien's heavy congestion charges are the bane of motorists' lives. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Lasien's national animal is the phoenix, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Lasien is ranked 31,619^th in the world and 2^nd in The Socialist States of Upper Canada for Lowest Crime Rates, with 81.79 law-abiding acts per hour.