The People's Republic of Shmeck is a very large, socially progressive nation, renowned for its irreverence towards religion, punitive income tax rates, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate population of 341 million Shmeckians enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Welfare, and Education. The average income tax rate is 69.9%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but sluggish Shmeckian economy, worth 8.07 trillion dallors a year, is quite specialized and led by the Uranium Mining industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Tourism, and Arms Manufacturing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 23,672 dallors, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Rumor has it that Leader has won three lotteries in a row, public footpaths are being slowly eroded by the burgeoning number of ramblers, mollycoddled youths run the country, and minority children spend hours bussing to schools miles away from home. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Shmeck's national animal is the jimothy, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Shmeck is ranked 259,683^rd in the world and 79^th in Tarkin for Largest Cheese Export Sector, scoring -3.79 on the Mozzarella Productivity Index.