The People's Republic of Upper Flanders is a tiny, efficient nation, remarkable for its irreverence towards religion, absence of drug laws, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 7 million Upper Flanderians live in a state of perpetual fear, as a complete breakdown of social order has led to the rise of order through biker gangs.

The minute, liberal, pro-business, outspoken government, or what there is of one, juggles the competing demands of Administration, Defense, and Education. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 4.8%.

The thriving Upper Flandersian economy, worth 463 billion Flander Standardized Marks a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Uranium Mining industry, with major contributions from Soda Sales, Cheese Exports, and Pizza Delivery. Average income is 66,086 Flander Standardized Marks, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 266,337 per year while the poor average 10,959, a ratio of 24.3 to 1.

Workers tend to schedule naps during all-hands meetings, a chain of pubs that cater solely to children has recently been unveiled, pandemics are over and done with by the time it takes to pass the nation's stringent border security, and the military is researching proton packs and PK-meters to combat "unseen enemy forces". Crime, especially youth-related, is a serious problem, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Upper Flanders's national animal is the Pergrine Falcon.

Upper Flanders is ranked 56,997^th in the world and 1,198^th in The North Pacific for Smartest Citizens, with 41.38 quips per hour.