The Sernetian Governorate of Stalliost is a colossal, efficient nation, ruled by Stalliost Council with an even hand, and remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, enslaved workforce, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, hard-working population of 4.538 billion Stalliostians are free to succeed or fail in life on their own merits; the successful tend to enjoy an opulent (but moralistic) lifestyle, while the failures can be seen crowding out most jails.

The tiny government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Industry, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Stalmesen. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 6.0%.

The thriving Stalliostian economy, worth 372 trillion Metrons a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Retail, Door-to-door Insurance Sales, and Pizza Delivery. Average income is 82,038 Metrons, but there is an enormous disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 520,841 per year while the poor average 5,356, a ratio of 97.2 to 1.

Summer science camps are regularly raided by narcotics police, exports are stamped with "made by the invisible hand you commies", the inchworm that measured the marigolds is six feet under, and immigrant herding has become a national pastime. Crime is a serious problem, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Stalliost's national animal is the Stalliostian Splidge, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Stalliost is ranked 95,814^th in the world and 7^th in Urseom for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 100.5 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.