The Federal Republic of Phthalo is a huge, cultured nation, renowned for its parental licensing program, avowedly heterosexual populace, and compulsory military service. The hard-nosed, devout population of 686 million Phthalians are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The medium-sized, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Cotz. The average income tax rate is 49.2%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Phthalian economy, worth 62.8 trillion Leibsmarks a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Book Publishing, and Tourism. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 91,576 Leibsmarks, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Big Agriculture has the government by the nuts, people who make the leader's blood boil get boiled, internet ads promising "hot singles in your area" are even less accurate than they used to be, and bike rage is all the rage. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Phthalo's national animal is the White-Shouldered Eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Phthalo is ranked 297,271^st in the world and 75^th in Der Leibwache for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 23.56 on the Bus Surprisal Index.