The Republic of Wilkshire is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by President Paul Williams with an even hand, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, keen interest in outer space, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, cheerful population of 42.108 billion Wilkshireans are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Vasbury. The income tax rate is 100%.

The frighteningly efficient Wilkshirean economy, worth an astonishing 12,827 trillion wilkoes a year, is extremely specialized and mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an amazing 304,644 wilkoes, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

There is a growing belief that mothers love their children more than fathers, counselors have to sign pledges supporting gay rights before they can speak to any patients, tourists visit Wilkshire to mass-moon Wilkshirean politicians, and flipping a coin to make a decision leads to a referral to Gambling Addiction Services. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Wilkshire's national animal is the cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Wilkshire is ranked 6^th in the world and 2^nd in The North Pacific for Most Developed, scoring 102.32 on the Human Development Index.