The Federation of Veren is a very large, cultured nation, remarkable for its museums and concert halls, smutty television, and flagrant waste-dumping. The compassionate, democratic population of 241 million Verenians love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The relatively small, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Welfare, and Administration. The average income tax rate is 24.3%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The strong Verenian economy, worth 20.1 trillion VERS 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 led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Trout Farming, Information Technology, and Retail. Average income is 83,493 VERS, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.0 times as much as the poorest.

There is no other place with more lab coats per square mile than former houses of worship, they who do not work shall not eat, women who walk into the ladies' changing room are accused of being Peeping Toms, and bris parties are all the rage. Crime is totally unknown. Veren's national animal is the Golden Eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Veren is ranked 307,145^th in the world and 477^th in Starlight for Largest Black Market, with 10.0 billion Standard Monetary Units.