The Constitutional Monarchy of Gradient Descent is a mammoth, environmentally stunning nation, renowned for its zero percent divorce rate, compulsory military service, and irreverence towards religion. The compassionate population of 6.417 billion Gradient Descentians are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Industry, and Defense. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 36.8%.

The very strong Gradient Descentian economy, worth 495 trillion pesos a year, is led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Woodchip Exports, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Tourism. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 77,184 pesos, with the richest citizens earning 8.4 times as much as the poorest.

The government seizes all major gold finds, internet ads promising "hot singles in your area" are even less accurate than they used to be, sneezing pedestrians are grabbed by alley-lurking doctors, and Gradient Descentian political exiles populate the near abroad. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Gradient Descent's national animal is the sheep, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Gradient Descent is ranked 90,999^th in the world and 12^th in England for Highest Average Incomes, with 77,184.53 Standard Monetary Units.