The Allied States of Thirteen Shadows is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, notable for its state-planned economy and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, democratic population of 21.338 billion Thirteen Shadowsians 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 large government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Spirituality. The average income tax rate is 51.7%.

The Thirteen Shadowsian economy, worth a remarkable 1,008 trillion Candles a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Soda Sales, Door-to-door Insurance Sales, and Woodchip Exports. Average income is 47,273 Candles, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.2 times as much as the poorest.

The military refers to helpless combatants offering surrender as "sitting ducks", the government burgles the houses of holidaying citizens, bemused citizens are encouraged to sing foreign-language hymns of religions they have never heard of, and the local custom of Biking With The Cars sends tourists home bemused or in body-bags. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Thirteen Shadows's national animal is the Black Cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Thirteen Shadows is ranked 123,282^nd in the world and 2,172^nd in Suspicious for Lowest Crime Rates, with 63.37 law-abiding acts per hour.