The Grand Duchy of Zapato is a gargantuan, safe nation, renowned for its compulsory military service, absence of drug laws, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed, democratic population of 29.855 billion Zapatoans love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded morass — prioritizes Environment, with Defense, Welfare, and Healthcare also on the agenda, while Public Transport and Administration aren't funded at all. The average income tax rate is 80.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The large but sluggish Zapatoan economy, worth 426 trillion Z-pesos a year, is driven almost entirely by government activity. The industrial sector, which is extremely specialized, is mostly made up of the Trout Farming industry, with major contributions from Cheese Exports. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 14,284 Z-pesos, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Scientists regularly clone human beings for research purposes and same-sex marriages are increasingly common. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Zapato's national animal is the zombie, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Zapato is ranked 230,822^nd in the world and 853^rd in Europeia for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 29.5 on the Bus Surprisal Index.