The Wine Dark Sea of Val-1 is a gargantuan, safe nation, renowned for its pith helmet sales, frequent executions, and restrictive gun laws. The cynical, humorless, devout population of 28.418 billion Val-1ians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The medium-sized, moralistic government prioritizes Law & Order, although Defense, Administration, and Industry are also considered important. The average income tax rate is 59.3%.

The powerhouse Val-1ian economy, worth a remarkable 2,639 trillion $$s a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture, Arms Manufacturing, and Basket Weaving. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 92,876 $$s, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.6 times as much as the poorest.

New mothers can pay for their weekly grocery shop with a bottle of breast milk, government employees have reverted to carrier pigeon due to never-ending virus scans, the nation's interest in space is at an all-time high while interest in saving the planet is at an all-time low, and airplane passengers who purchase "basic economy" tickets are often assigned seats in the lavatory. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Val-1's national animal is the Dolly Varden, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Val-1 is ranked 78,776^th in the world and 1^st in Valencia for Most Compassionate Citizens, scoring 45.34 on the Kitten Softness Rating.