The Dominion of Riberiyn Interstellar Colonies is a very large, safe nation, notable for its state-planned economy, hatred of cheese, and devotion to social welfare. The hard-nosed, democratic, devout population of 209 million Riberiyns are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded morass — juggles the competing demands of Welfare, Law & Order, and Defense. The average income tax rate is 78.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but stagnant Riberiyn economy, worth 2.19 trillion Rings a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Automobile Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture, Furniture Restoration, and Trout Farming. Average income is 10,462 Rings, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

High school bands practice by moonlight, the sudden rash of anti-drug laws has left everyone dazed and confused, foreign leaders are advising that Leader's letters must have gotten lost in the mail, and in court almost every witness is a hostile witness. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Riberiyn Interstellar Colonies's national animal is the Fox, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Riberiyn Interstellar Colonies is ranked 19,303^rd in the world and 1^st in Riberiyn for Highest Average Tax Rates, with 78.29 Effective Tax Rate.