The Grain of Sand is a gargantuan, socially progressive nation, notable for its complete lack of prisons, public floggings, and daily referendums. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic, humorless population of 27.53 billion Sandians 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 minute, corrupt, liberal, pro-business government, or what there is of one, is solely concerned with Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of SiO2. Income tax is unheard of.

The frighteningly efficient Sandian economy, worth a remarkable 6,439 trillion Grains of Sand a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Gambling, Pizza Delivery, and Soda Sales. Average income is an amazing 233,917 Grains of Sand, but there is a vast disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 2,175,000 per year while the poor average 2,308, a ratio of 942 to 1.

The Great Pyramid of SiO2 can be seen from miles away, not many kids know Shakespeare's Hamlet but most of them have seen unofficial sequel Hamlet III - The Search For Osric, bars are packed at all hours, and children gain their first sex education from reading the dictionary. Crime, especially youth-related, is so common that it is unusual to encounter someone following the law, perhaps because of the country's complete lack of prisons. Sand's national animal is the Camel, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Sand is ranked 36,065^th in the world and 103^rd in 10000 Islands for Largest Black Market, with 48.7 trillion Standard Monetary Units.