The Commonwealth of Valhardt is a very large, efficient nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service, irreverence towards religion, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, cynical population of 231 million Valhardtians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The medium-sized, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Education, and Administration. The average income tax rate is 39.9%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The very strong Valhardtian economy, worth 17.2 trillion Valmarks a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Woodchip Exports, Uranium Mining, and Furniture Restoration. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 74,271 Valmarks, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.8 times as much as the poorest.

Paralegals spend all day Hewlett-Packing attorneys' law briefs, school lockers are filled with fancy underwear, promising seven years of bad luck leads to seven years of community service, and chalkboards are replaced with billboards in the classroom. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Valhardt's national animal is the Black Eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Valhardt is ranked 217,015^th in the world and 96^th in kingdom of Greater Esteriae for Least Corrupt Governments, with 92.3 percentage of bribes refused.