The Republic of Ulm 276 is a massive, orderly nation, notable for its ritual sacrifices, lack of airports, and avant-garde cinema. The compassionate, cynical, humorless, devout population of 1.561 billion Ulm 276ians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The medium-sized, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Administration. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 65.6%.

The frighteningly efficient Ulm 276ian economy, worth 189 trillion Ducats 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 slick, highly efficient, fairly diversified black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Tourism, and Book Publishing. 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 121,416 Ducats, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 410,931 per year while the poor average 26,511, a ratio of 15.5 to 1.

A sincere statement of belief can get you out of anything, singing in public is only allowed if you are singing the praise of the Motherland, barbed wire entanglements and guard towers surround the Ulm 276 City Natural History Museum, and many parents are becoming frustrated with their children's choices in spouses. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ulm 276's national animal is the Bear, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Ulm 276 is ranked 112,656^th in the world and 199^th in Swabian autonomous region for Highest Disposable Incomes, with 41,767.23 Standard Monetary Units.