The Empire of United Shiba is a titanic, genial nation, ruled by Emperor papa shibe with a fair hand, and notable for its keen interest in outer space, punitive income tax rates, and restrictive gun laws. The compassionate, democratic population of 12.462 billion United Shibans hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The enormous, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Shiban DC. The average income tax rate is 93.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient United Shiban economy, worth a remarkable 1,528 trillion Shiburos a year, is quite specialized and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing and Tourism. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 122,640 Shiburos, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

In musicals everybody's a little bit racist, third world countries are rich in "I Love Shiban DC" t-shirts, the seats at the back of the parliament are reserved for indigenous ministers, and a five-year-old and a convicted terrorist can sit alongside one another in jury service. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. United Shiba's national animal is the Shiba Inu, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Shibe.

United Shiba is ranked 15,787^th in the world and 721^st in Balder for Highest Poor Incomes, with 101,895.25 Standard Monetary Units.