The United States of Schiaparelli is a huge, genial nation, remarkable for its keen interest in outer space, daily referendums, and smutty television. The compassionate, democratic population of 203 million Schiaparellians enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Law & Order. The average income tax rate is 37.7%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The strong Schiaparellian economy, worth 14.3 trillion AICS a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Uranium Mining, and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 70,599 AICS, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.3 times as much as the poorest.

Government officials are held to the highest standard of morality, bizarre-looking creatures called 'Scorpiondogs' dominate wildlife preserves, a crusade against barbaric religious practices has begun, and rumor has it that Leader has won three lotteries in a row. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Schiaparelli's national animal is the Scorpion, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Schiaparelli is ranked 8,799^th in the world and 175^th in Europe for Safest, scoring 123.04 on the Bubble-Rapp Safety Rating.