The Most Serene Republic of Derrial Book is a titanic, socially progressive nation, renowned for its rum-swilling pirates, state-planned economy, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic, devout population of 16.441 billion Shepherds love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded, outspoken morass — juggles the competing demands of Spirituality, Education, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Southdown Abbey. The average income tax rate is 81.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The large but inefficient Monastic economy, worth 594 trillion Alliance Credits a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is highly specialized, is led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Trout Farming and Cheese Exports. Average income is 36,132 Alliance Credits, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The government is financing an extremely costly war against malaria, the Monastic Intelligence Agency relies on internet search engines to know what is happening overseas, politicians tend to jump ship to whichever party is currently leading in the polls, and the nation faces constant invasions by foreign boy bands. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Derrial Book's national animal is the chicken, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Derrial Book is ranked 12,391^st in the world and 6^th in Union of Allied Planets for Largest Welfare Programs, scoring 4,082.71 on the Safety Net Mesh Density Rating.