The Democratic Republic of Perchlorius is a massive, safe nation, ruled by President Stomberg with a fair hand, and remarkable for its parental licensing program, infamous sell-swords, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 1.478 billion Perchlorians enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Industry, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Perchlorica Dania. The average income tax rate is 44.1%.

The frighteningly efficient Perchlorian economy, worth 148 trillion perchlorates a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Information Technology, and Retail. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 99,934 perchlorates, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.2 times as much as the poorest.

The question "please would you...?" is usually laden with passive aggression, major cities are suffering under water rationing, the government has declined to declare any particular religion as its 'official' one, and coffee cups have grown in size to accommodate the huge ingredients list. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Perchlorius's national animal is the pigeon, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Perchlorius is ranked 35,379^th in the world and 21^st in Free Market Federation for Smartest Citizens, with 52.04 quips per hour.