The Protectorate of Kurbuck is a titanic, efficient nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service, irreverence towards religion, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 18.408 billion Kurbuckians are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

The relatively small, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Education. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 13.1%.

The very strong Kurbuckian economy, worth a remarkable 1,007 trillion Kurbuck kryptoes a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Trout Farming, Furniture Restoration, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 54,736 Kurbuck kryptoes, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 158,522 per year while the poor average 14,977, a ratio of 10.6 to 1.

It is illegal to make racist remarks in public, the alarmingly racist TV show 'Bigtopians Say the Darndest Things' is a hit, the consent form for routine blood pressure measurement has been nominated for the 'Novel Of The Year' award, and the latest Harry Potter book is a bestseller. Crime is moderate. Kurbuck's national animal is the Fish.

Kurbuck is ranked 230,983^rd in the world and 9,889^th in Lazarus for Longest Average Lifespans, with 66.94 years.