The Grand Duchy of Pensan is a mammoth, safe nation, notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, state-planned economy, and restrictive gun laws. The hard-nosed, cynical, devout population of 5.387 billion Pensens 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 government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized morass — juggles the competing demands of Spirituality, Law & Order, and Defense. The average income tax rate is 76.0%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The large but underdeveloped Pensen economy, worth 154 trillion kronor a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Woodchip Exports industry, with major contributions from Gambling, Arms Manufacturing, and Cheese Exports. Average income is 28,623 kronor, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Military spending recently hit a new high, all major public areas are watched by police surveillance cameras, the alarmingly racist TV show 'Bigtopians Say the Darndest Things' is a hit, and genetic researchers have been expelled. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Pensan's national animal is the squirrel, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Pensan is ranked 287,000^th in the world and 14^th in Lelaris for Rudest Citizens, with 13.88 insults per minute.