The Empire of Laurendon is a colossal, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Chancellor Philippa Lawson with an even hand, and remarkable for its ubiquitous missile silos, daily referendums, and restrictive gun laws. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic, cheerful population of 7.763 billion Laurendonians enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

The medium-sized, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Healthcare, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Carsen. The average income tax rate is 53.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Laurendonian economy, worth a remarkable 1,452 trillion Laurons a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Retail, Information Technology, and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 187,107 Laurons, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.1 times as much as the poorest.

There's no representation without taxation, one-stop superstores divide and conquer family businesses, the government is washing its hands of alleged corruption, and the cruise missile launchers on the field hospital roof are purely deterrent in purpose. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Laurendon's national animal is the Lion, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Christianity.

Laurendon is ranked 7,777^th in the world and 381^st in The North Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 460.87 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.