The United Socialist States of Nivgrad is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by General Secretary Andrei Kedrov with an iron fist, and notable for its strictly enforced bedtime, zero percent divorce rate, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless population of 16.91 billion Nivgradians are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The enormous, corrupt, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Nivgrad City. The income tax rate is 100%.

The frighteningly efficient Nivgradian economy, worth a remarkable 4,677 trillion Nivgradian Marks a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Uranium Mining, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Average income is an amazing 276,617 Nivgradian Marks, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The 'kind of scrawny' 500 meter hurdle is a popular event, military equipment is being auctioned off to extend comatose centenarians' lives, school uniforms are compulsory, and the family summer vacation has become a thing of the past following the introduction of the year-round school year. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Nivgrad's national animal is the Arctic Caterpiller, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Nivgrad is ranked 279^th in the world and 1^st in Europeia for Lowest Crime Rates, with 226.29 law-abiding acts per hour.