The Republic of Rianval is a mid-sized, pleasant nation, remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, ban on automobiles, and irreverence towards religion. The hard-working, democratic population of 80 million Rianvalians are effectively ruled by a group of massive corporations, who run for political office and provide their well-off citizens with world-class goods and services. Their poorer citizens, however, are mostly starving to death while being urged to go out and get real jobs. The populace has reasonably extensive civil rights, although these are mostly aimed at allowing them to buy whatever they like.

The tiny, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Education. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 8.4%.

The strong Rianvalian economy, worth 5.21 trillion Provincial Talers a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Uranium Mining industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Basket Weaving, and Information Technology. Average income is 65,169 Provincial Talers, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 195,257 per year while the poor average 16,998, a ratio of 11.5 to 1.

Late night adverts for breast milk co-ops regularly win pornography industry awards, employees who skip lunch to avoid sub-par cafeteria food risk getting fired, lending firms are subject to strict government regulations, and teachers are dying as they attempt to read 500 word essays without pausing for breath. Crime is moderate. Rianval's national animal is the Provincial Dog, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Rianval is ranked 171,663^rd in the world and 15^th in Urcea for Largest Trout Fishing Sector, scoring 988 on the Nemo Depletion Efficiency Index.