The Watchfires of Can-1 is a titanic, safe nation, renowned for its daily referendums, keen interest in outer space, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, cynical, devout population of 21.661 billion Can-1ians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The medium-sized government prioritizes Defense, with Law & Order, Education, and Industry also on the agenda. The average income tax rate is 46.9%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The thriving Can-1ian economy, worth a remarkable 2,018 trillion $$s a year, is broadly diversified and dominated by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Uranium Mining, and Automobile Manufacturing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 93,173 $$s, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.0 times as much as the poorest.

Pinkerton agents are called in to forcibly break up white collar strikes, soldiers stream their classified military operations live for millions of fans, banning party poppers has been a real party pooper, and the roar of the Niagara 3000 mega-loo can be heard several blocks away. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Can-1's national animal is the Death's-head Hawkmoth, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Can-1 is ranked 65,902^nd in the world and 1^st in Canton for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 145.46 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.