The République confédérale of Granvalie is a massive, safe nation, ruled by töm sturtewaghiën with an iron fist, and remarkable for its state-planned economy, punitive income tax rates, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 1.888 billion Granvalieans are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The large, corrupt, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of oubekis. The average income tax rate is 75.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Granvaliean economy, worth 206 trillion euros 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 black market in Tourism, Arms Manufacturing, Cheese Exports, and Furniture Restoration. 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 an impressive 109,380 euros, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

All government communication requires the imprimatur of the Truth Police, rugby players that knock each other over always stop to make sure the other fellow is okay, epidemiologists happily announce that the reported incidence of depression is close to zero percent, and those found guilty of illicit affairs are jailed. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Granvalie's national animal is the lion, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is doudouisme.

Granvalie is ranked 197,357^th in the world and 1,155^th in Europe for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 42.53 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.