The Free Land of Upper Ryu Lorty is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by Mister Leader with an even hand, and renowned for its public floggings, compulsory military service, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed, devout population of 1.278 billion Upper Ryu-Lortyians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The large government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Loryuer. The average income tax rate is 63.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but inefficient Upper Ryu Lortyian economy, worth 55.4 trillion octothorpes a year, is quite specialized and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture, Arms Manufacturing, and Cheese Exports. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 43,323 octothorpes, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Atheists on vacation find Ryuanism's scriptures make useful doorstops, visiting the best Upper Ryu Lortyian restaurants requires keeping a visa on file, nations that kill an Upper Ryu-Lortyian can expect a strongly worded letter, and real power lies not in the debating room but with those who decide what is debated. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Upper Ryu Lorty's national animal is the thylacine, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Ryuanism.

Upper Ryu Lorty is ranked 75,002^nd in the world and 1,890^th in the South Pacific for Most Cheerful Citizens, with 50.99 Percentage Of Water Glasses Perceived Half-Full.