The Colony of Ulm 147 is a massive, efficient nation, renowned for its unlimited-speed roads, ubiquitous missile silos, and keen interest in outer space. The hard-nosed, humorless, devout population of 1.949 billion Ulm 147ians are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Industry. The average income tax rate is 71.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Ulm 147ian economy, worth 279 trillion pounds a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a large, well-organized, fairly diversified black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Woodchip Exports. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an impressive 143,349 pounds, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.7 times as much as the poorest.

Every new building project has to undergo a five-year environmental impact study before it can go ahead, recapturing giraffes is proving to be a tall order, theatre may or may not be changing for the better but it is being changed for good, and many parents are becoming frustrated with their children's choices in spouses. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ulm 147's national animal is the eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Ulm 147 is ranked 49,390^th in the world and 164^th in Swabian autonomous region for Most Extensive Public Healthcare, scoring 3,189.43 on the Theresa-Nightingale Rating.