The Republic of -Mark- is a titanic, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its restrictive gun laws, suspicion of poets, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, cynical, devout population of 13.445 billion -Mark-ians 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 medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Administration. The average income tax rate is 67.0%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient -Mark-ian economy, worth a remarkable 1,650 trillion Marks a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is broadly diversified, is led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Arms Manufacturing, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Average income is an impressive 122,722 Marks, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Postcards from -Mark-ian driving test centres are popular souvenirs, brains have been removed from lists of best brain foods, students and teachers are regularly stopped and searched for symbols of religious affiliation before class, and the nation's navy has been named the scourge of the seven thousand seas. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. -Mark-'s national animal is the White Marked Tree Dog, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

-Mark- is ranked 291,259^th in the world and 5^th in Byss for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 21.38 on the Bus Surprisal Index.