The Narodna Demokratska Republik of Mercov is a mammoth, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by The Ghost of Mercov's Past with an even hand, and remarkable for its ubiquitous missile silos, keen interest in outer space, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate population of 8.536 billion Mercovians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The large government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Vivisaksoa. The average income tax rate is 96.3%.

The frighteningly efficient Mercovian economy, worth a remarkable 1,411 trillion Lichas a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector is dominated by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing, Tourism, and Arms Manufacturing. Average income is an impressive 165,397 Lichas, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Intelligence agencies frequently invite passers-by into their secret vaults for tea and biscuits, The Ghost of Mercov's Past has been nicknamed 'Robomop', getting an autograph has become harder than ever, and the nation's black ops are starting to get on people's nerves. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Mercov's national animal is the Mercovian Crow, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Mercovian Orthodoxy.

Mercov is ranked 13,535^th in the world and 35^th in The Region That Has No Big Banks for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 372.2 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.