The Twenty Four Free lands of Meropis is a gargantuan, socially progressive nation, ruled by The Leader with an even hand, and remarkable for its museums and concert halls, infamous sell-swords, and compulsory vegetarianism. The hard-nosed, hard-working, humorless population of 24.6 billion Meropisians enjoy some of the most opulent lifestyles in the region, unless they are unemployed or working-class, in which case they are variously starving to death or crippled by easily preventable diseases.

The relatively small, corrupt, liberal government is primarily concerned with Industry, although Education, Defense, and Healthcare are also considered important, while Spirituality and International Aid receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of The Big Place. The average income tax rate is 5.4%.

The frighteningly efficient Meropisian economy, worth an astonishing 12,660 trillion Pompas a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Retail, and Book Publishing. Black market activity is frequent. Average income is a breathtaking 514,663 Pompas, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.2 times as much as the poorest.

The government is attempting to revitalize a gutted private sector, unpopular cops are fired at a moment's notice by the citizens they police, movie producers send film critics wads of cash in their morning newspapers in anticipation of gushing praise, and maintaining economic growth is no laughing matter. Crime, especially youth-related, is so common that it is unusual to encounter someone following the law, perhaps because of the country's complete lack of prisons. Meropis's national animal is the Bombus Terrestris, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is The Truth.

Meropis is ranked 285,136^th in the world and 1,376^th in Europe for Most Cheerful Citizens, with 11.61 Percentage Of Water Glasses Perceived Half-Full.