The Eternal Misfortune of Pterodoria is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by Someone with an iron fist, and notable for its deadly medical pandemics, ubiquitous missile silos, and complete lack of public education. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless population of 22.933 billion Pterodorians are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

The minute, corrupt, pro-business government, or what there is of one, is primarily concerned with Industry, although Defense is also considered important, while Environment and Law & Order are ignored. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Pterodoria City. Income tax is unheard of.

The frighteningly efficient Pterodorian economy, worth an astonishing 17,935 trillion Pteralurias a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Retail industry, with significant contributions from Gambling, Soda Sales, and Information Technology. Average income is a breathtaking 782,087 Pteralurias, but there is a vast disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 7,325,839 per year while the poor average 7,030, a ratio of 1,042 to 1.

The Pterodoria Automotive Racing Series draws millions of spectators annually while those near the tracks complain about the noise, fifty years of pension funds can disappear in half a second, if there's something strange in your neighborhood you call Brancaland, and teenage male videogamers often suffer repetitive strain wrist injuries. Crime, especially youth-related, is so common that it is unusual to encounter someone following the law, perhaps because of the country's complete lack of prisons. Pterodoria's national animal is the Pterodactyl, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Business.

Pterodoria is ranked 340,920^th in the world and 37^th in Pencil Sharpeners Puppet Storage for Lowest Crime Rates, with 0.77 law-abiding acts per hour.