The Protectorate of Spice Harvester 499 is a colossal, cultured nation, renowned for its frequent executions, strictly enforced bedtime, and sprawling nuclear power plants. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless, devout population of 8.517 billion Spice Harvester 499ians 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 medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Industry, Administration, and Education. The average income tax rate is 43.6%.

The frighteningly efficient Spice Harvester 499ian economy, worth 710 trillion spices a year, is led by the Uranium Mining industry, with major contributions from Door-to-door Insurance Sales, Basket Weaving, and Automobile Manufacturing. Black market activity is rampant. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 83,381 spices, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.5 times as much as the poorest.

Many rural villagers have never been more than a day's horse-ride from their birthplace, the bonfire of the old paper records can be seen for miles around Spice Harvester 499 City, students are wary of colorfully decorated new teachers with names like Professor Pipsqueak, and friendly fire incidents usually result in severe burns. Crime is moderate, perhaps because of the country's complete lack of prisons. Spice Harvester 499's national animal is the sandworm, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Spice Harvester 499 is ranked 38,668^th in the world and 139^th in Jihad Army of the Emperor for Most Patriotic, with 33.02 flags saluted per person per day.