The Most Serene Republic of Vela Land is a massive, genial nation, remarkable for its daily referendums, pith helmet sales, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic population of 2.289 billion Velandions 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, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of West Veldalia. The average income tax rate is 71.0%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The strong Vela economy, worth 163 trillion Vollars a year, is quite specialized and led by the Trout Farming industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 71,502 Vollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Government agents stalk the aisles of grocery stores for out-of-stock medications, stuttering trypanophobes are doomed never to marry, elementary school children develop thousand-yard stares, and the words guilty and evidence have left the Vela lexicon. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Vela Land's national animal is the Giant Anteater, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Vela Land is ranked 37,630^th in the world and 696^th in the South Pacific for Highest Average Tax Rates, with 71.03 Effective Tax Rate.