The Empire of Shilvend is a huge, safe nation, renowned for its ubiquitous missile silos, public floggings, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 822 million Shivakoraz are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The large, corrupt, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Mophaisza. The average income tax rate is 67.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The thriving Shilvendian economy, worth 68.0 trillion Fasis a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is broadly diversified, is dominated by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Uranium Mining, and Book Publishing. Average income is 82,775 Fasis, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Residents of houses built on a foundation of wishful thinking are prone to an odd sinking feeling, onions have been banned due to their tendency to cause eye irritation, the Mophaisza Film Festival recently voted 'Shilvano Getting Hit By Football' as best film, and murderers frequently escape punishment by claiming they were protecting their honour. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Shilvend's national animal is the Wolf, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Shilvend is ranked 76,146^th in the world and 1,914^th in the South Pacific for Most Cheerful Citizens, with 50.99 Percentage Of Water Glasses Perceived Half-Full.