The Republic of Zaba is a colossal, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its daily referendums, zero percent divorce rate, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 5.181 billion Zabans 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 government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Industry. The average income tax rate is 73.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Zaban economy, worth a remarkable 1,019 trillion zahts 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, broadly diversified black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Beef-Based Agriculture, 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 196,694 zahts, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.3 times as much as the poorest.

Leader spends weekends doing the laundry of foreign leaders, reflection is vital for badly behaved politicians, Zaban dissenters are begging human rights groups to ignore them, and Leader's media campaigns take a hiatus around exam week. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Zaba's national animal is the porpoise, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans.

Zaba is ranked 57,796^th in the world and 94^th in Gardenia Botanicum for Highest Disposable Incomes, with 52,910.81 Standard Monetary Units.