The Republic of Near North is a massive, pleasant nation, notable for its burgeoning turtle population. The hard-working population of 1.038 billion Near Northians have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Welfare. The average income tax rate is 21.7%.

The Near Northian economy, worth 42.3 trillion deniers a year, is led by the Furniture Restoration industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Trout Farming, and Information Technology. Average income is 40,794 deniers, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.6 times as much as the poorest.

Crime is relatively low, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Near North's national animal is the turtle.

Near North is ranked 207,824^th in the world and 1^st in The Near North for Largest Basket Weaving Sector, scoring 440.81 on the Hickory Productivity Index.