The Democratic People's Republic of Hyphen is a mammoth, orderly nation, remarkable for its strictly enforced bedtime, anti-smoking policies, and keen interest in outer space. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 9.385 billion Hyphenians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The enormous, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Law & Order, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Stalingrad. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 90.4%.

The frighteningly efficient Hyphenian economy, worth a remarkable 1,710 trillion pounds a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is an enormous, deeply entrenched, quite specialized black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Tourism. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an impressive 182,231 pounds, with the richest citizens earning 6.0 times as much as the poorest.

Stranded mountaineers can watch livestreamed footage of their rescues, the "give and take" of international diplomacy often happens at gunpoint, digital novelty coins make for surprising vanguards of the revolution, and there's nothing special about Leader. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Hyphen's national animal is the eagle, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Hyphen is ranked 300,542^nd in the world and 4,404^th in The North Pacific for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -12.85 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.