The Golden Grand Duchy of Thexaelen is a huge, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service, zero percent divorce rate, and restrictive gun laws. The compassionate, hard-working population of 617 million Thex are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Education, Defense, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Nova celes. The average income tax rate is 33.4%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Thexaelenian economy, worth 65.7 trillion carapeses a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Book Publishing, and Information Technology. Black market activity is notable. Average income is an impressive 106,553 carapeses, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.2 times as much as the poorest.

Conscripts often volunteer for a second tour of duty so they can get a ticket to next year's Army Revue, a surprising number of police officers have been arrested for turtle sacrifices, the institution of marriage is held sacred and strictly enforced, and girls who wear lipstick are berated for pandering to male gazes. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, despite the fact that it is difficult to make it through a day without breaking one of the country's many laws. Thexaelen's national animal is the turtle, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans.

Thexaelen is ranked 22,174^th in the world and 359^th in 10000 Islands for Healthiest Citizens, with 9.87 bananas ingested per day.