The United States of Etesdia is a small, efficient nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service, irreverence towards religion, and spontaneously combusting cars. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 23 million Etesdians are either ruled by a sleek, efficient government or a conglomerate of multinational corporations; it's difficult to tell which.

The tiny government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Industry. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 6.1%.

The very strong Etesdian economy, worth 1.61 trillion Pelas a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Retail, Pizza Delivery, and Soda Sales. Average income is 69,843 Pelas, with the richest citizens earning 7.7 times as much as the poorest.

The country's famous rainforests are being bulldozed by the mining industry, scientists earn more grant money for reproducing old experiments than trying anything new, Humongo-Mart's Beef 'n Avispa Lasagne is a hit, and global warming is heating up. Crime is moderate, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Etesdia's national animal is the Avispa, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Etesdia is ranked 253,296^th in the world and 5^th in UFEJ for Nicest Citizens, with 6.84 average smiles per day.