The Free Land of Upper Ryu Lorty is a massive, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Mister Leader with an even hand, and renowned for its compulsory military service, punitive income tax rates, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed, devout population of 1.21 billion Upper Ryu-Lortyians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The large government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Loryuer. The average income tax rate is 58.2%.

The sizeable but inefficient Upper Ryu Lortyian economy, worth 50.7 trillion octothorpes a year, is quite specialized and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture, Arms Manufacturing, and Cheese Exports. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 41,926 octothorpes, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.7 times as much as the poorest.

CSI Forest is this year's hit new crime show, employers may fire workers without giving any reason, drowning sailors are hung out to dry, and the needs of the living outweigh the needs of the dead. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Upper Ryu Lorty's national animal is the thylacine, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Ryuanism.

Upper Ryu Lorty is ranked 85,575^th in the world and 1,739^th in the South Pacific for Most Advanced Public Education, scoring 2,436.52 on the Edu-tellignce® Test Score.