The Democratic People's Republic of Hyphen is a mammoth, environmentally stunning nation, notable for its fear of technology, pith helmet sales, and ban on automobiles. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 9.613 billion Hyphenis are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The enormous, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Law & Order, and Industry. The average income tax rate is 91.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Hypheni economy, worth a remarkable 1,690 trillion dollars 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 an enormous, deeply entrenched, highly specialized black market in Information Technology, Arms Manufacturing, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Tourism. 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 175,825 dollars, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.6 times as much as the poorest.

Blue-collar workers agree that Thirdsday is the dreariest day of the week, years of counter-terrorism planning are foiled by small details, the state auctions off combat drones to fund war reparations, and frustrated teenage boys are told that if they like it then they should have put a ring on it. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Hyphen's national animal is the partridge, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Hyphen is ranked 127,151^st in the world and 1,937^th in The North Pacific for Smartest Citizens, with 32.8 quips per hour.