The Elysian Fields of ZOO288 is a massive, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by The Black Fox sisters with an even hand, and notable for its daily referendums, punitive income tax rates, and compulsory gun ownership. The hard-nosed, humorless population of 3.874 billion ZOO288ians 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 relatively small, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Education, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of New Foxford. The average income tax rate is 56.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient ZOO288ian economy, worth 980 trillion Black Fox coins a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is an enormous, deeply entrenched, fairly diversified black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Book Publishing. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an amazing 253,158 Black Fox coins, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.0 times as much as the poorest.

Conductors wield diamond-encrusted batons to fit in with their freshly gilded surroundings, Red Cross demand for body bags is rising while sutures go unused, cleaners are very careful not to bump into the big red button on The Black Fox sisters's desk, and schoolyard sandboxes resemble ashtrays due to the large number of cigarette butts. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. ZOO288's national animal is the Fennec Fox, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is teumessian fox.

ZOO288 is ranked 69,500^th in the world and 32^nd in Underworld for Largest Gambling Industry, scoring 2,457.47 on the Kelly Criterion Productivity Index.