The Gold Clad Nation of Rhododendronius is a huge, efficient nation, remarkable for its ubiquitous missile silos, suspicion of poets, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 760 million Rhododendronians live in a state of perpetual fear, as a complete breakdown of social order has led to the rise of order through biker gangs.

The tiny, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Industry, Administration, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Novus Rhodenia. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 5.2%.

The frighteningly efficient Rhododendronian economy, worth 96.3 trillion Dollars a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Retail industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Woodchip Exports. Average income is an impressive 126,714 Dollars, but there is an enormous disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 748,871 per year while the poor average 9,918, a ratio of 75.5 to 1.

Pieces of iron pyrite are believed to be worth their weight in gold, politicians have tenure, elevator music has been replaced by thrash metal played at maximum volume, and relatives of recent award winners find their trophies make stylish urns. Crime is a major problem, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Rhododendronius's national animal is the Capitalizt Goblin, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Rhododendronius is ranked 100,812^th in the world and 1^st in IIII for Largest Furniture Restoration Industry, scoring 3,061.03 on the Spitz-Pollish Productivity Index.