The Democratic States of Matterlands is a huge, safe nation, remarkable for its triple-decker prams, parental licensing program, and daily referendums. The hard-nosed, democratic, devout population of 385 million Matterlandsians love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The relatively small, outspoken government prioritizes Spirituality, although Administration, Healthcare, and Industry are also considered important. The average income tax rate is 22.5%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The Matterlandsian economy, worth 22.6 trillion Mats a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a slick, highly efficient, broadly diversified black market in Basket Weaving, Woodchip Exports, Tourism, and Automobile Manufacturing. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is 58,610 Mats, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Builders across Matterlands are blocked up with orders for new public loos, interviewees for teaching jobs are waterboarded to "reveal undesirable histories", crocodile roadkill is smeared across the asphalt of the new Formula One track, and museums have more touchscreens on display than artifacts. Crime is totally unknown. Matterlands's national animal is the Tiger.

Matterlands is ranked 55,708^th in the world and 1,740^th in the South Pacific for Largest Manufacturing Sector, scoring 11,966.02 on the Gooback-Jerbs Productivity Index.