The Social Democracy of Maktaria is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by President Cosmo with a fair hand, and remarkable for its museums and concert halls, sprawling nuclear power plants, and keen interest in outer space. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic population of 5.179 billion Maktarians hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The large, liberal, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Bhontaigh. The average income tax rate is 74.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Maktarian economy, worth 595 trillion Mackerel a year, is highly specialized and mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing and Tourism. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 115,038 Mackerel, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Occam's razor has sliced to pieces any childhood belief in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, military equipment is being auctioned off to extend comatose centenarians' lives, pristine wilderness has been trashed in the quest for cheaper oil, and sales of disinfectant wipes have skyrocketed. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Maktaria's national animal is the Mackerel Fish, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans, and its national religion is Environmentalism.

Maktaria is ranked 5,634^th in the world and 1^st in The Galactics Union for Safest, scoring 129.33 on the Bubble-Rapp Safety Rating.