The Communist sharks of Eskard is a huge, efficient nation, notable for its anti-smoking policies, smutty television, and ubiquitous missile silos. The hard-nosed, hard-working, devout population of 925 million Sharks are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed, including voting. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Spirituality. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Karsvik. The average income tax rate is 44.5%.

The powerhouse Eskardian economy, worth 77.5 trillion Sheckles a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Woodchip Exports industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Furniture Restoration. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 83,812 Sheckles, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.0 times as much as the poorest.

Major corporations receive tax breaks for no apparent reason, teams of painters are converting road signs from horse lengths to kilometers, more and more people are signing up for the government party, and government officials stay up all night in flame wars with their constituents. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Eskard's national animal is the Sharks, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans.

Eskard is ranked 294,085^th in the world and 336^th in 10000 Islands for Most Compassionate Citizens, scoring 32.09 on the Kitten Softness Rating.