The United Socialist States of MLSWOOD is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by Lady Mel with an even hand, and notable for its museums and concert halls, frequent executions, and free-roaming dinosaurs. The devout population of 1.985 billion Melts are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Administration, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of MLSWOOD. The average income tax rate is 80.6%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The strong MLSWOODian economy, worth 171 trillion Melts a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Arms Manufacturing, and Book Publishing. Average income is 86,248 Melts, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Groups of government workers are declared protected tribes if they venture too deep into the Capitol, pre-schoolers who draw stick figures of their favorite celebrities are sued for infringing image rights, war vets look after war animals, and the breathalyser pledge is a traditional part of marriages in MLSWOOD. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. MLSWOOD's national animal is the Deer, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Melinism.

MLSWOOD is ranked 48,372^nd in the world and 1,514^th in the South Pacific for Most Beautiful Environments, with 665.88 pounds of wildlife per square mile.