The Free Land of The Shindig is a mammoth, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its state-planned economy, compulsory military service, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic, devout population of 6.613 billion Shindigians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The medium-sized, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Welfare, Education, and Spirituality. The average income tax rate is 41.9%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The large but sluggish Shindigian economy, worth 256 trillion Jiggers a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is broadly diversified, is led by the Trout Farming industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Cheese Exports, and Information Technology. Average income is 38,702 Jiggers, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The only things written in the stars are arrest warrants for astrologers, the government has declined to declare any particular religion as its 'official' one, Leader has just been declared ruler of The Shindig in an international press conference, and Mr Happy's Funland has just been named The Shindig's new capital. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Shindig's national animal is the Fiddler Crab, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans.

The Shindig is ranked 228,530^th in the world and 61^st in Hurricane 12 for Rudest Citizens, with 32.77 insults per minute.