The Scholarites of Shanlix is a massive, safe nation, ruled by the Daiamid with an even hand, and remarkable for its museums and concert halls, irreverence towards religion, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, hard-working population of 1.685 billion Shanlixians 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 Education, Administration, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Old Shar-lo. The average income tax rate is 52.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Shanlixian economy, worth 242 trillion lixes a year, is broadly diversified and dominated by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing, Tourism, and Retail. Average income is an impressive 143,991 lixes, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.4 times as much as the poorest.

Advert breaks are played at lower volumes to make them easier to ignore, the diplomatic corps tends to open negotiations by insulting all the foreigners in the room, a new Brasilistani government has become a daily report on the main evening news, and skateparks can be found in every city. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Shanlix's national animal is the owl, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Sajuuk.

Shanlix is ranked 209,523^rd in the world and 55^th in Philosophers for Largest Welfare Programs, scoring 323.52 on the Safety Net Mesh Density Rating.