The Shipwreck of USS Monitor is a colossal, genial nation, ruled by Lt John L Worden with an even hand, and notable for its ban on automobiles, compulsory military service, and complete lack of public education. The compassionate, hard-working, devout population of 7.69 billion crewmen have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The minute government, or what there is of one, is primarily concerned with Defense, with Law & Order also on the agenda, while Social Policy and International Aid are ignored. The average income tax rate is 6.1%.

The large but inefficient Monitorian economy, worth 305 trillion dollars a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Trout Farming, Information Technology, and Beef-Based Agriculture. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 39,691 dollars, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.1 times as much as the poorest.

People who stay late at the office often come home to find their own funeral being planned, people with political aspirations study how to make balloon animals, hypochondriacs demand treatment for genetic disorders they don't have, and the government loves seeing the little people fight. Crime, especially youth-related, is relatively low. USS Monitor's national animal is the powder monkey.

USS Monitor is ranked 84,901^st in the world and 12^th in North Carolina for Largest Mining Sector, scoring 1,049.1 on the Blue Sky Asbestos Index.