The Watchfires of Flathead-1 is a gargantuan, safe nation, remarkable for its state-planned economy, daily referendums, and soft-spoken computers. The devout population of 27.295 billion Flathead-1ians 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 medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Industry, Education, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 29.1%.

The powerhouse Flathead-1ian economy, worth a remarkable 1,887 trillion $$s a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a slick, highly efficient, broadly diversified black market in Information Technology, Arms Manufacturing, Woodchip Exports, and Uranium Mining. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is 69,139 $$s, with the richest citizens earning 5.0 times as much as the poorest.

What citizens give with one hand they take away with the other, pregnant hitchhikers with signs requesting rides to "competent care" are a common sight on Flathead-1ian roads, citizens are exhausted from weekly general elections, and the populace harbors a fierce hatred of the metric system. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Flathead-1's national animal is the eagle, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Flathead-1 is ranked 132,231^st in the world and 1^st in Flathead River for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring 1,447.91 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.