The Republic of January 4th is a very large, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its state-planned economy, compulsory military service, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed, devout population of 273 million January 4thians are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The enormous, moralistic, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Spirituality, and Administration. The average income tax rate is 69.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but stagnant January 4thian economy, worth 4.35 trillion Cards a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Automobile Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Furniture Restoration, Uranium Mining, and Soda Sales. Average income is 15,928 Cards, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Teenagers are told they're not thinking about sex enough, ministers are now allowed to put suggestions in the governmental suggestion box, January 4th has designated January 4th City as its capital city, and flatulent people are left to die of cancer at the end of hospital waiting lists. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. January 4th's national animal is the Card, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

January 4th is ranked 245,173^rd in the world and 46^th in Calendar for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -5.48 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.