The Democratic Republic of San Alve is a huge, safe nation, notable for its ubiquitous missile silos, public floggings, and restrictive gun laws. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 597 million San Alveans enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Administration. The average income tax rate is 37.6%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The thriving San Alvean economy, worth 39.3 trillion San Alvean Lire a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Retail industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Basket Weaving, and Arms Manufacturing. Average income is 65,819 San Alvean Lire, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.1 times as much as the poorest.

The nation's smallest owlball teams trade draft picks for a free lunch, students are wary of colorfully decorated new teachers with names like Professor Pipsqueak, roads are often attended by round-the-clock construction crews, and families returning from international vacations are unable to get their children back into the country. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. San Alve's national animal is the owl, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

San Alve is ranked 193,632^nd in the world and 7,307^th in Balder for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -2.37 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.