The Little Gunboat that Could of USS Merrimack is a titanic, genial nation, ruled by Captain Franklin Buchanan with a fair hand, and renowned for its frequent executions, punitive income tax rates, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic population of 19.253 billion Merrimackians hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The large government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Welfare, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Hampton Roads. The average income tax rate is 53.6%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The thriving USS Merrimackian economy, worth a remarkable 1,222 trillion Dollars a year, is quite specialized and led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Furniture Restoration, and Soda Sales. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 63,498 Dollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The armed forces pride themselves on being conventional and predictable, wealthy pranksters dump refuse on unsuspecting citizens from up high, doctors prescribe medicines but they rarely dispense hope or compassion, and bins outnumber trees in city parks. Crime is totally unknown. USS Merrimack's national animal is the Bald Eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

USS Merrimack is ranked 179,947^th in the world and 5,744^th in Lazarus for Fattest Citizens, with 9.64 Obesity Rate.