The Free Land of Phodopus is a large, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its museums and concert halls, state-planned economy, and absence of drug laws. The compassionate, democratic population of 195 million Phodosians are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The enormous, liberal, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Welfare. The average income tax rate is 77.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but inefficient Phodopusian economy, worth 10.0 trillion Cricets a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is highly specialized, is mostly made up of the Trout Farming industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 51,366 Cricets, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

A favorite "life hack" for gap year backpackers is to pretend to be homeless for government handouts, the Museum of Blackacrean War Crimes is located on "Blackacre Did Nothing Wrong Avenue", Phodopus's Medieval Faire is renowned as one of the best in the region, and professionals are ready to retire by the time they receive permission to use their credentials. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Phodopus's national animal is the Prairie Vole, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Phodopus is ranked 284,410^th in the world and 3,896^th in The North Pacific for Largest Manufacturing Sector, scoring 2,000.59 on the Gooback-Jerbs Productivity Index.