The Protectorate of Cardora is a huge, cultured nation, notable for its soft-spoken computers, daily referendums, and ban on automobiles. The hard-working, devout population of 927 million Cardorans have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The relatively small government juggles the competing demands of Education, Spirituality, and Defense. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 19.6%.

The very strong Cardoran economy, worth 76.3 trillion Cardpoints a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a slick, highly efficient, broadly diversified black market in Tourism, Information Technology, Basket Weaving, and Book Publishing. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is 82,306 Cardpoints, with the richest citizens earning 6.1 times as much as the poorest.

The newest shade developed by Cardora's dye industry has been dubbed 'Agent Orange', citizens volunteer for tax audits to avoid the 80-page Practical Assessment Survey Tool On Religions, athletic teenagers are among the wealthiest members of society, and only AIs know why the nation is rapidly increasing its semiconductor stockpile. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Cardora's national animal is the fox, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Cardora is ranked 112,429^th in the world and 13^th in Trading Cards for Most Advanced Public Education, scoring 2,163.8 on the Edu-tellignce® Test Score.