The Community of Dulcimer is a huge, cultured nation, notable for its multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, keen interest in outer space, and daily referendums. The compassionate, democratic population of 700 million Dulcimerians enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The enormous, liberal, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Welfare, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Trinity. The average income tax rate is 72.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The very strong Dulcimerian economy, worth 49.7 trillion Pods a year, is quite specialized and dominated by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Furniture Restoration, and Pizza Delivery. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 70,973 Pods, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Scientists take credit every time it rains in Polar South, court cases mostly involve lawyers shouting questions at witnesses giving silent shrugs, elementary school students are required to master Bach's Chaconne in D before graduation, and teenage TV characters are played by thirty-year-olds by the end of the second season. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Dulcimer's national animal is the swan, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Dulcimer is ranked 9,080^th in the world and 2^nd in Polar South for Most Compassionate Citizens, scoring 66.72 on the Kitten Softness Rating.