The Republic of Mambo 197 is a huge, safe nation, renowned for its barren, inhospitable landscape, ban on automobiles, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic, devout population of 644 million Mambo 197ians are known throughout the region for their efficiency and work ethic, as well as their general suspicion of leisure.

The large government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Administration. The average income tax rate is 39.6%.

The thriving Mambo 197ian economy, worth 38.1 trillion izerns a year, is led by the Woodchip Exports industry, with significant contributions from Uranium Mining, Cheese Exports, and Book Publishing. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 59,098 izerns, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.4 times as much as the poorest.

Patriots insist that size does matter, human sacrifice to the metaphorical altar of Mammon ensures national prosperity, more than one company makes the board game Monopoly, and boats straying just metres away from the shore will raise the ire of the Coast Guard. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force. Mambo 197's national animal is the izern, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Mambo 197 is ranked 291,405^th in the world and 850^th in Izern for Most Compassionate Citizens, scoring 33.37 on the Kitten Softness Rating.