The Armed Republic of Purisect is a massive, cultured nation, renowned for its frequent executions, public floggings, and keen interest in outer space. The hard-nosed, humorless population of 2.85 billion Purisectians have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The enormous, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Rence. The average income tax rate is 90.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Purisectian economy, worth 360 trillion Separats a year, is quite specialized and led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Basket Weaving, Information Technology, and Cheese Exports. Black market activity is rampant. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 126,423 Separats, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

A popular saying is "a chicken for every pot and an abortion clinic on every street", extreme hiring regulations mean a job in Purisect is often a lifetime appointment, nobody is allowed to stop the local daycare from reading Nietzsche to pre-schoolers, and power stations shutting down at night has made bedtime reading tricky. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Purisect's national animal is the Canis dirus, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Purisect is ranked 63,559^th in the world and 1,086^th in the South Pacific for Most Patriotic, with 22.16 flags saluted per person per day.