The Rivers of Eldwyn is a colossal, socially progressive nation, ruled by Lord Chancellor Frida with an even hand, and renowned for its multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, keen interest in outer space, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate population of 2.745 billion Eldwynians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The large, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Caer Wynne. The average income tax rate is 72.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Eldwynian economy, worth 285 trillion Eldmarks a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Retail, Book Publishing, and Furniture Restoration. Average income is an impressive 104,044 Eldmarks, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Sea side cafes are required by law to close during summer, military officers are given medals for disobeying orders, government officials go door-to-door educating about the dangers of pseudoscience, and election results are often delayed for weeks to count the expat votes. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Eldwyn's national animal is the Barn Owl, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Unitarian.

Eldwyn is ranked 39,531^st in the world and 613^th in the South Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 213.6 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.