The House of Balloons of GridLand Empire is a mammoth, efficient nation, ruled by Jermaine Tesfaye with an iron fist, and remarkable for its strictly enforced bedtime, prohibition of alcohol, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, devout population of 8.31 billion Gridians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The medium-sized, corrupt, well-organized government prioritizes Defense, although Law & Order, Industry, and Administration are also considered important, while Welfare and International Aid receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Dreamville. The average income tax rate is 58.0%.

The frighteningly efficient Gridlandian economy, worth 876 trillion zemers a year, is broadly diversified and dominated by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture, Information Technology, and Book Publishing. Average income is an impressive 105,503 zemers, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.4 times as much as the poorest.

The roundel of the Gridlandian Air Force has become an internationally recognized symbol of destruction, tombstones are ten feet high to accommodate the names of inhabitants, card players are calling the government's bluff on anti-gambling legislation, and the nation's mettle is about to be tested. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. GridLand Empire's national animal is the goat, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its national religion is Elmorism.

GridLand Empire is ranked 92,461^st in the world and 755^th in The North Pacific for Largest Populations, with 8.31 billion capita.