The United States of Dark lighting is a large, safe nation, notable for its compulsory military service. The devout population of 180 million Dark lightingians 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 tiny government juggles the competing demands of Spirituality, Education, and Law & Order. The average income tax rate is 9.4%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but inefficient Dark lightingian economy, worth 9.00 trillion eggshells a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Trout Farming, Retail, and Uranium Mining. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 50,007 eggshells, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.3 times as much as the poorest.

Voting for pro-Bigtopian candidates is voluntary, the government's fruit business reeks of rotting produce and corruption, the family summer vacation has become a thing of the past following the introduction of the year-round school year, and pharmaceutical companies emphatically promise that "your pills are in the mail" rather than admit any supply shortfall. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Dark lighting's national animal is the Kiwi bird.

Dark lighting is ranked 100,342^nd in the world and 1^st in Beepers for Lowest Crime Rates, with 67.05 law-abiding acts per hour.