The Federation of The Terapins is a colossal, genial nation, ruled by TheNG with a fair hand, and notable for its conspicuous electricity pylons, ubiquitous missile silos, and smutty television. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful population of 3.583 billion Terapins love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The large, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Stohess. The average income tax rate is 93.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Terapin economy, worth 674 trillion Chunks of Bread a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Trout Farming. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 188,361 Chunks of Bread, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.1 times as much as the poorest.

Homeowners are evicted to make way for new runways, employers are never quite sure if graduates' qualifications have any merit or meaning, vaccinations are mandatory, and children have taken to using semaphore in light of the recent mobile phone ban. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Terapins's national animal is the Pigeon, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Flocks.

The Terapins is ranked 8,601^st in the world and 16^th in The Order of the Grey Wardens for Most Eco-Friendly Governments, scoring 6,119.16 on the Dolphin Recycling Awareness Index.