The Corporate Federation of Maritzal is a colossal, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by President Cornelius Crewes with an iron fist, and renowned for its vat-grown people, compulsory vegetarianism, and fear of technology. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, cheerful population of 9.49 billion Maritzalians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The relatively small, corrupt, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Administration, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Meridian. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 78.4%.

The frighteningly efficient Maritzalian economy, worth a remarkable 3,839 trillion Pistas a year, is mostly comprised of black market activity, especially in Information Technology, Retail, Arms Manufacturing, and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an amazing 404,602 Pistas, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 2,076,821 per year while the poor average 43,166, a ratio of 48.1 to 1.

It's hunting season on loan sharks, drive-by spoilers are an increasingly common crime, possession of tomato seeds with intent to garden is a criminal offence, and it's rare to find an unchewed pencil. Crime, especially youth-related, is pervasive, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Maritzal's national animal is the Cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Atheism.

Maritzal is ranked 22,477^th in the world and 319^th in Europe for Most Advanced Public Education, scoring 6,665.93 on the Edu-tellignce® Test Score.