The Imperium of Halgard is a massive, genial nation, ruled by Rosalind Price with an iron fist, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, anti-smoking policies, and ban on automobiles. The compassionate, cynical population of 1.308 billion Halgardians 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 enormous, corrupt, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Praetoria. The average income tax rate is 73.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The strong Halgardian economy, worth 95.0 trillion Halgardian Marks a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing, Information Technology, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 72,648 Halgardian Marks, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

People believe that if you teach a man to fish he won't buy fish from you any more, high-income earners pay a 100% tax rate, police officers that upset their bosses get assigned to 24 hour stakeouts of bike sheds, and only AIs know why the nation is rapidly increasing its semiconductor stockpile. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Halgard's national animal is the Eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Cognitive Restructuring.

Halgard is ranked 154,891^st in the world and 114^th in Refugia for Largest Pizza Delivery Sector, scoring 489.4 on the Pepperoni Propulsion Productivity Index.