The Democratic City State of Nieuw Gent is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by the Council with an even hand, and notable for its soft-spoken computers, multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, and restrictive gun laws. The compassionate, cheerful population of 8.697 billion Nieuwe Gentenaars enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The enormous, liberal, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Nieuw Gent. The average income tax rate is 97.0%.

The frighteningly efficient Ne nieuwe gentenaar economy, worth a remarkable 1,252 trillion Euros a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is highly specialized, is mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing and Tourism. Average income is an impressive 144,060 Euros, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Artists are renowned for their ability to make art pieces out of thin air, the media seems excessively interested in what the Council is wearing this season, snooze factory is now prison lingo for rehabilitation center, and protesters are up in arms over new nuclear power stations. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Nieuw Gent's national animal is the Crowned Lion, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Nieuw Gent is ranked 11,251^st in the world and 201^st in Europe for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 384.35 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.