The Republic of Matapedia is a massive, safe nation, remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, compulsory military service, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic, devout population of 1.59 billion Matapedians are free to succeed or fail in life on their own merits; the successful tend to enjoy an opulent (but moralistic) lifestyle, while the failures can be seen crowding out most jails.

The relatively small, moralistic, pro-business government prioritizes Spirituality, with Law & Order, Defense, and Healthcare also on the agenda, while Welfare and Social Policy receive no funds. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 8.8%.

The very strong Matapedian economy, worth 112 trillion dollars a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Cheese Exports. Average income is 70,831 dollars, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 215,195 per year while the poor average 18,113, a ratio of 11.9 to 1.

Hospital administrators can usually be found scrubbing their floors with toothbrushes, stealing from a clothesline is a serious offence, posters on 'Matapedian Values' advise against being proud of Matapedia, and the government has officially clarified that "wee on your hands to save time" does not count as proper hygiene. Crime, especially youth-related, is almost non-existent, despite the fact that it is difficult to make it through a day without breaking one of the country's many laws. Matapedia's national animal is the beaver, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Matapedia is ranked 195,449^th in the world and 40^th in Terranova for Largest Basket Weaving Sector, scoring 737.34 on the Hickory Productivity Index.