The United Kingdom of Matthea is a mammoth, genial nation, ruled by Queen Leticia with an even hand, and renowned for its public floggings, daily referendums, and irreverence towards religion. The compassionate, cheerful population of 8.728 billion Mattheans are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The large, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Industry, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Matthea. The average income tax rate is 98.5%.

The frighteningly efficient Matthean economy, worth a remarkable 1,805 trillion Mattheas a year, is led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Arms Manufacturing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an amazing 206,881 Mattheas, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.9 times as much as the poorest.

Dinosaur cloners are fitted with Ankylosaurus monitors, lifeguards are stationed on the streets during rainstorms, the government denies any involvement in the release of the Hot Load computer virus, and betting pennies on games of Go Fish is considered deviant. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Matthea's national animal is the Matthean Eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Roman Catholic.

Matthea is ranked 4,539^th in the world and 8^th in Aesica for Smartest Citizens, with 136.89 quips per hour.