The Republic of Yst is a massive, safe nation, notable for its state-planned economy. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 2.369 billion Ests are ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet.

The medium-sized, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Law & Order, and Defense. The average income tax rate is 28.2%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but underdeveloped Ystian economy, worth 87.2 trillion francs a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 36,814 francs, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The latest Harry Potter book is a bestseller, a large-scale revitalization of the education system is underway, surveillance cameras are banned, and libraries are now installed with jacuzzis and mini-bars. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Yst's national animal is the sheep, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Yst is ranked 194,045^th in the world and 2^nd in Grammar School for Largest Populations, with 2.37 billion capita.