The Incorporated States of NSC161 is a colossal, cultured nation, remarkable for its closed borders, ritual sacrifices, and devotion to social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, humorless, devout population of 7.447 billion NSC161ians are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The large, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Industry, and Law & Order. The average income tax rate is 87.6%.

The frighteningly efficient NSC161ian economy, worth a remarkable 1,207 trillion cards a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Retail industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing, Information Technology, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Black market activity is extensive. Average income is an impressive 162,133 cards, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.6 times as much as the poorest.

People can often be seen driving to work in war-surplus tanks, arthritic surgeons with tremulous fingers reassure patients that they are in safe hands, it is customary to begin the summer with a fasting ritual in which people eat nothing but kumquat smoothies, and this year's televised Budget Forecast has been cancelled because there was already one last year. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. NSC161's national animal is the legendary, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

NSC161 is ranked 67,190^th in the world and 315^th in Two for Largest Cheese Export Sector, scoring 3,870.47 on the Mozzarella Productivity Index.