The Department of Meuse is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Muriel Nguyen with an iron fist, and remarkable for its keen interest in outer space, frequent executions, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, cynical, devout population of 24.662 billion Meusiens are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The large government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Bar-le-Duc. The average income tax rate is 36.3%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The Meusien economy, worth 906 trillion guldens a year, is led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Woodchip Exports, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 36,740 guldens, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Chain-gangs are often seen toting barges and lifting bales, small children are learning a lot of new words from a teacher with Tourette Syndrome, Muriel Nguyen is described as an everyday person with normal tastes and the usual interests, and the sanitised and dull music festivals of Meuse are famed for their reasonable volume levels. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Meuse's national animal is the cow, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Roman Catholicism.

Meuse is ranked 214,524^th in the world and 58^th in Department Store for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -3.22 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.