The Autocratic Empire of Yurkun is a huge, cultured nation, renowned for its museums and concert halls, parental licensing program, and free-roaming dinosaurs. The compassionate, cynical population of 676 million Yurkunians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The large, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Defense, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Reidhal City. The average income tax rate is 71.6%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Yurkuni economy, worth 59.7 trillion Ghygia Eladrian Pounds a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Book Publishing industry, with significant contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Automobile Manufacturing, and Basket Weaving. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 88,267 Ghygia Eladrian Pounds, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Scrabble champions have been left scrambling for scraps, scenic mountain valleys are flooded with water as damming projects get underway, the nation's reputation for treachery has left it sidelined on the international stage, and fraternities are notorious for drunken hooliganism. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Yurkun's national animal is the Golden Pheasant, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Yurkun is ranked 281,275^th in the world and 169^th in Eladria for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 25.09 on the Bus Surprisal Index.