The Commonwealth of Solenthea is a fledgling, socially progressive nation, remarkable for its irreverence towards religion, devotion to social welfare, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic population of 6 million Solentheans enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Welfare, Administration, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 71.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The basket case Solenthean economy, worth 72.7 billion shiles 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 Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Basket Weaving, Furniture Restoration, and Woodchip Exports. Average income is 12,119 shiles, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

It is illegal to distribute Girl Guide Cookies without an advanced food hygiene diploma, the nation locks people up and tells them they're mad for compassion's sake, annulments are on the rise as couples discover their ancestors were born in the same hospitals, and the government sends submarines to retrieve bodies from shipwrecked submarines. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Solenthea's national animal is the ferret, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Solenthea is ranked 84,717^th in the world and 411^th in The Communist Bloc for Smartest Citizens, with 38.36 quips per hour.