The Republic of Houndsworth is a very large, safe nation, remarkable for its burgeoning dog population. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 222 million Houndsworthians have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The large government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Education. The average income tax rate is 44.7%.

The Houndsworthian economy, worth 9.48 trillion coins a year, is quite specialized and mostly made up of the Trout Farming industry, with significant contributions from Door-to-door Insurance Sales and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 42,690 coins, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.0 times as much as the poorest.

Euthanasia is legal, beloved cartoon icon Mikkey Dog writhes after eating coins, a National Academy regulates grammar and usage, and any body part that can be cut off a person is no longer considered to be their property. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Houndsworth's national animal is the dog.

Houndsworth is ranked 286,303^rd in the world and 2^nd in The Haunted House for Largest Cheese Export Sector, scoring -6.1 on the Mozzarella Productivity Index.