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The United States of Tiraque is a mammoth, safe nation, ruled by Premier Saxon with an iron fist, and renowned for its keen interest in outer space, pith helmet sales, and compulsory gun ownership. The hard-nosed, cynical, devout population of 9.192 billion Tiraqueans 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 medium-sized, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Industry, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Tiraque City. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 73.9%.

The frighteningly efficient Tiraquean economy, worth a remarkable 1,318 trillion Tirries 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 Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Woodchip Exports, and Book Publishing. Average income is an impressive 143,489 Tirries, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 549,586 per year while the poor average 25,858, a ratio of 21.3 to 1.

The Coast Guard is pioneering a quixotic program to train fish, motorists' locations are constantly tracked by intelligence and law enforcement agencies, scientists who publish a non-reproducible result are tarred and feathered, and convicts get out of jams easily. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Tiraque's national animal is the Hooded Crow, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Tiraque is ranked 206,914^th in the world and 120^th in KAISERREICH for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -3.92 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.