The Allied States of Shallow Alto is a very large, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its smutty television, punitive income tax rates, and stringent health and safety legislation. The democratic, devout population of 197 million Shallow Altoans hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The enormous, liberal, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Welfare. The average income tax rate is 60.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but inefficient Shallow Altoan economy, worth 6.45 trillion Hippie coins a year, is quite specialized and led by the Retail industry, with significant contributions from Uranium Mining, Pizza Delivery, and Book Publishing. Average income is 32,766 Hippie coins, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.3 times as much as the poorest.

Economists confusingly list "fusarium rot and leaf blight" as major risk factors for monetary deflation, Shallow Altoan watches list strained wrists as a common side effect, the ruling party has a devil of a time keeping order in the ranks, and the state considers itself the 'third parent' of every child in the nation. Crime is almost non-existent, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Shallow Alto's national animal is the Cougar, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Shallow Alto is ranked 158,089^th in the world and 12^th in Silicon Valley for Lowest Crime Rates, with 60.33 law-abiding acts per hour.