The Commonwealth of Ulm 98 is a massive, efficient nation, renowned for its barren, inhospitable landscape, compulsory military service, and compulsory gun ownership. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 1.898 billion Ulm 98ians are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Industry, and Administration. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 58.6%.

The frighteningly efficient Ulm 98ian economy, worth 223 trillion bitcoins 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 Basket Weaving. 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 117,884 bitcoins, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 339,446 per year while the poor average 32,517, a ratio of 10.4 to 1.

The air force's greatness is based on how many enemies are made during procurement, male friends are often accompanied by a female relative in order to prove their 'straightness', Animal Liberationists are regularly arrested, and lawyers spend as much time preparing their make-up as they do their briefs. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ulm 98's national animal is the panther, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Ulm 98 is ranked 248,918^th in the world and 308^th in Swabian autonomous region for Largest Publishing Industry, scoring -4.32 on the Bella Potter Productivity e-Index.