The Republic of Gran Esponola is a colossal, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Viscount Lafayette with an even hand, and remarkable for its compulsory military service, keen interest in outer space, and daily referendums. The cynical, devout population of 6.468 billion Gran Esponolans are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The large, corrupt, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Administration, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Denerim. The average income tax rate is 69.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The thriving Gran Esponolan economy, worth 611 trillion francs a year, is led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Arms Manufacturing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 94,488 francs, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

100-year-old politicians are now a thing of the past, RPG fans reminisce fondly about when people thought they were evil and dangerous rather than geeky and socially inept, older citizens lament over the loss of law and order, and children are brainwashed at a young age to accept "love and peace!" as a way of life. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Gran Esponola's national animal is the panther, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Roman Catholic.

Gran Esponola is ranked 247,563^rd in the world and 3,688^th in the Rejected Realms for Largest Black Market, with 153 billion Standard Monetary Units.