The Western States of Holding is a gargantuan, efficient nation, renowned for its enforced nudity, complete lack of public education, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 30.405 billion Holdingians are effectively ruled by a group of massive corporations, who run for political office and provide their well-off citizens with world-class goods and services. Their poorer citizens, however, are mostly starving to death while being urged to go out and get real jobs. The populace has reasonably extensive civil rights, although these are mostly aimed at allowing them to buy whatever they like.

The relatively small government prioritizes Spirituality, although Law & Order, Industry, and Social Policy are also considered important, while Welfare and Defense aren't funded at all. The average income tax rate is 9.4%.

The thriving Holdingian economy, worth a remarkable 1,276 trillion Golds a year, is led by the Gambling industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Basket Weaving, and Woodchip Exports. Average income is 41,981 Golds, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.8 times as much as the poorest.

All tariffs have been abolished, organ donation is compulsory, TV shows must meet strict ethnicity quotas, and young children are regularly seen wagering pocket money at blackjack tables. Crime is a problem. Holding's national animal is the goldfish, which can occasionally be seen avoiding garbage in the nation's murky oceans, and its national religion is Atheism.

Holding is ranked 109,640^th in the world and 2^nd in Te Ao for Most Influential, scoring 569 on the Soft Power Disbursement Rating.