The People's Republic of Karlos is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Karlos with an even hand, and remarkable for its ban on automobiles, national health service, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, cheerful population of 19.892 billion Karlosians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded morass — juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Karlosville. The income tax rate is 100%.

The frighteningly efficient Karlosian economy, worth a remarkable 3,696 trillion Karlos a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is extremely specialized, is mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing. Average income is an impressive 185,830 Karlos, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Old people living in plastic bubbles complain about a new type of social isolation, people faint regularly as they get stuck with compulsory vaccinations, retirement homes are often fitted with luxurious suites, and anyone who sneezes at border crossings is turned away. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Karlos's national animal is the Bear, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Karlos is ranked 629^th in the world and 7^th in The Internationale for Most Pacifist, with 238.49 cheeks turned per day.