The Incorporated States of 1996 Coup is a colossal, efficient nation, ruled by The Man with an iron fist, and notable for its frequent executions, keen interest in outer space, and national health service. The cynical, devout population of 8.821 billion 1996 Coupians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Industry, and Defense. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Great Lakes Megapolis. The average income tax rate is 61.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient 1996 Coupian economy, worth 971 trillion new credits a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Arms Manufacturing, and Uranium Mining. Average income is an impressive 110,093 new credits, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.0 times as much as the poorest.

Nine-year-olds' chat logs are scoured for evidence of radicalization, maximum security fish farms leave caged salmon pining for the fjords, teams of painters are converting road signs from horse lengths to kilometers, and the government now pays the "Really Awesome Super Heroes" (RASH) to catch evildoers. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. 1996 Coup's national animal is the bald eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is approved ones.

1996 Coup is ranked 264,701^st in the world and 18^th in Yertania City for Most Cultured, scoring 63 on the Snufflebottom-Wiggendum Pentatonic Scale.