The Republic of Bankowiata is a massive, socially progressive nation, ruled by Strong AI with a fair hand, and notable for its vat-grown people, otherworldly petting zoo, and multi-spousal wedding ceremonies. The compassionate, democratic, humorless population of 1.597 billion Bankowiatans love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The enormous government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Bankowiata City. The average income tax rate is 97.0%.

The frighteningly efficient Bankowiatan economy, worth 252 trillion Virtual Coins a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism and Book Publishing. Average income is an impressive 158,374 Virtual Coins, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Movies depict muscle-bound women kicking down a titanium door to carry hysterical men to safety, shelters struggle to keep up with the endless intake of stray animals, the new national mascot has to be wheeled onto the field of play, and families are left homeless as entire suburbs are bulldozed on the whim of tribal chiefs. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Bankowiata's national animal is the Hedgehog, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Bankowiata is ranked 232,278^th in the world and 9,006^th in The North Pacific for Most Armed, with 0.11 Weapons Per Person.