The Grand Duchy of Highmere is a huge, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its daily referendums and irreverence towards religion. The hard-nosed, hard-working population of 877 million Highmereans have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The tiny government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Industry. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 8.7%.

The thriving Highmerean economy, worth 69.1 trillion Varils a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Gambling, Information Technology, and Book Publishing. Average income is 78,805 Varils, with the richest citizens earning 8.9 times as much as the poorest.

Dancing with your first cousin is a misdemeanor, the police double as repo men, immigrants are required to salute the flag five times a day, and Scoutmasters debate whether luxury log cabins defeat the purpose of camping. Crime, especially youth-related, is relatively low. Highmere's national animal is the Beer Beatle, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Highmere is ranked 16,813^th in the world and 1^st in Restoros for Largest Gambling Industry, scoring 7,428.86 on the Kelly Criterion Productivity Index.