The People's Republic of Changolandia is a gargantuan, genial nation, ruled by João Gordo with an even hand, and remarkable for its state-planned economy, lack of airports, and multi-spousal wedding ceremonies. The compassionate, cheerful population of 11.453 billion Changolandians enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded morass — juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Quanton. The average income tax rate is 98.9%.

The frighteningly efficient Changolandian economy, worth a remarkable 1,812 trillion Changoes a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is extremely specialized, is mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing. Average income is an impressive 158,288 Changoes, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The government has begun selling heroin and ecstasy to help fund its projects, students are wary of colorfully decorated new teachers with names like Professor Pipsqueak, droves of former desperados are applying to join the border police, and the latest national park is visited by more sharks than people. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Changolandia's national animal is the Dolphin, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans.

Changolandia is ranked 1,618^th in the world and 34^th in the South Pacific for Most Beautiful Environments, with 4,066.1 pounds of wildlife per square mile.