The Crown Colony of Dire Straits Settlements is a massive, efficient nation, ruled by His Excellency the Governor with an even hand, and remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, infamous sell-swords, and enforced nudity. The hard-nosed, hard-working, devout population of 2.292 billion Dire Straits Settlements denizens are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Industry, and Spirituality. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Singapore. The average income tax rate is 25.2%.

The frighteningly efficient Dire Straits economy, worth 234 trillion straits dollars a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Uranium Mining, Retail, and Book Publishing. Black market activity is notable. Average income is an impressive 102,316 straits dollars, with the richest citizens earning 5.4 times as much as the poorest.

Customs officers pretend not to hear shouts of "HELP LET ME OUT!" emerging from diplomatic bags, many marriages end in murder, people talk about things being better when men were men, and those who turn the other cheek seem to enjoy being slapped just a little too much. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Dire Straits Settlements's national animal is the lion, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its national religion is Church of the Province of SE Asia.

Dire Straits Settlements is ranked 110,532^nd in the world and 5^th in ASEAN for Most Advanced Defense Forces, scoring 2,219.13 on the Total War Preparedness Rating.