The Principality of Merlight is a colossal, socially progressive nation, notable for its absence of drug laws and spontaneously combusting cars. The hard-working, cynical population of 4.111 billion Merlightians enjoy great individual freedoms in everything except elections, which, where they exist at all, are populist shams for a dictatorship government that has no intention of ever giving up power.

The tiny, liberal, pro-business, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Welfare. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 8.4%.

The very strong Merlightian economy, worth 238 trillion francs a year, is led by the Beef-Based Agriculture industry, with major contributions from Soda Sales, Book Publishing, and Automobile Manufacturing. Average income is 57,948 francs, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 243,819 per year while the poor average 8,937, a ratio of 27.3 to 1.

Crime is a serious problem. Merlight's national animal is the fox.

Merlight is ranked 185,077^th in the world and 1^st in Constellation for Nicest Citizens, with 12 average smiles per day.