The Republic of Ulm 283 is a massive, efficient nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service, public floggings, and suspicion of poets. The compassionate, hard-working, cynical, devout population of 1.449 billion Ulm 283ians 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 Defense, Law & Order, and Administration. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 74.5%.

The frighteningly efficient Ulm 283ian economy, worth 186 trillion Ducats a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Automobile Manufacturing. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 128,415 Ducats, with the richest citizens earning 7.9 times as much as the poorest.

Prodigal children celebrate as charitable bequests plummet, pilots always remember to send their doctors a Maxxmas card, no animal is considered endangered if there's another that looks kind of like it, and Ulm 283ian political exiles populate the near abroad. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ulm 283's national animal is the Bear, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Ulm 283 is ranked 152,997^th in the world and 108^th in Swabian autonomous region for Largest Gambling Industry, scoring 438.31 on the Kelly Criterion Productivity Index.