The Modified Democratic States of Cogitation is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by James Chronicle with a fair hand, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, and smutty television. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful population of 46.63 billion Cogitationites hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Cogitation City. The average income tax rate is 70.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Cognitive economy, worth a remarkable 8,019 trillion pennies a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Tourism, and Arms Manufacturing. Average income is an impressive 171,973 pennies, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Welfare funding has recently gone through the roof, James Chronicle's speeches are beloved by insomniacs, shaken martini sales have soared in nations surrounding Cogitation, and it is illegal to make racist remarks in public. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Cogitation's national animal is the wise owl, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Cogitation is ranked 4,805^th in the world and 1^st in The Realm of Ambrosia for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 574.42 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.