The Republic of Northridge is a mammoth, genial nation, ruled by Akseli Pöyry with an even hand, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, ban on automobiles, and free-roaming dinosaurs. The compassionate, devout population of 8.157 billion Northridgeans are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded morass — juggles the competing demands of Spirituality, Education, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Avalgard. The average income tax rate is 78.9%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The strong Northridgean economy, worth 460 trillion pols a year, is quite specialized and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Cheese Exports, Trout Farming, and Basket Weaving. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 56,402 pols, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

No-one ever lasts longer than a week on a life support machine, garden stores are not allowed to sell water butts, the countryside is shrouded by wind farms, and prosecutors are tucked into bed by the household police officer. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Northridge's national animal is the Polar Bear, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Christianity.

Northridge is ranked 133,896^th in the world and 3^rd in Berytus for Largest Trout Fishing Sector, scoring 1,921.98 on the Nemo Depletion Efficiency Index.