The Colony of Cygnus 036 is a mammoth, environmentally stunning nation, notable for its daily referendums, compulsory military service, and public floggings. The hard-nosed, hard-working, devout population of 7.358 billion Stargazers are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, moralistic government is primarily concerned with Defense, although Administration, Law & Order, and Industry are also considered important, while Education and International Aid aren't funded at all. The average income tax rate is 28.1%.

The powerhouse Cygnus 036ian economy, worth 533 trillion Saiphs a year, is quite specialized and mostly made up of the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Gambling, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Woodchip Exports. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 72,501 Saiphs, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.6 times as much as the poorest.

A recent political debate came to a quick close once the ruling party decreed it was "just plain silly", citizens are exhausted from weekly general elections, prisoners work-share to cut down rising costs of keeping them in jail, and the face of Leader is a permanent feature of the Cygnus 036 City skyline. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force. Cygnus 036's national animal is the Bellatrix, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Cygnus 036 is ranked 11,787^th in the world and 486^th in Balder for Largest Gambling Industry, scoring 8,274.86 on the Kelly Criterion Productivity Index.