The IT'S CHRISTMAS of Acronis is a massive, genial nation, ruled by King Mital II with a fair hand, and notable for its ban on automobiles, compulsory military service, and hatred of cheese. The compassionate, democratic, devout population of 4.292 billion Acronians love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded, outspoken morass — juggles the competing demands of Environment, Spirituality, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Zaram. The average income tax rate is 90.9%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The thriving Acronian economy, worth 319 trillion Nashdats a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is highly specialized, is mostly made up of the Beef-Based Agriculture industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing and Arms Manufacturing. Average income is 74,409 Nashdats, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The new national mascot has to be wheeled onto the field of play, boys are forced to pair off for the school disco slow dance as the girls are all staying at home, park rangers struggle to deal with a rash of stolen pic-a-nic baskets, and dog breeding has been banned in accordance with recent animal experimentation laws. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Acronis's national animal is the macaw, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Akronism.

Acronis is ranked 134,941^st in the world and 5,290^th in The East Pacific for Largest Arms Manufacturing Sector, scoring 1,289.03 on the Charon Conveyancy Index.