The Swabian Autonomous Zone of Ulm 9 is a massive, orderly nation, remarkable for its keen interest in outer space, state-planned economy, and unlimited-speed roads. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 2.333 billion Ulm 9ians are ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet.

The large, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Zelenomara. The average income tax rate is 72.3%.

The frighteningly efficient Ulm 9ian economy, worth 305 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, broadly diversified black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Woodchip Exports, and Tourism. 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 130,580 Ducats, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.1 times as much as the poorest.

Families returning from international vacations are unable to get their children back into the country, old people living in plastic bubbles complain about a new type of social isolation, blue bloods are welcome in Ulm 9, and starving citizens are offered nuclear pasta. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ulm 9's national animal is the Bear, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Ulm 9 is ranked 42,253^rd in the world and 254^th in Swabian autonomous region for Smartest Citizens, with 47.7 quips per hour.