The Republic of Zanthamun is a huge, cultured nation, renowned for its state-planned economy, keen interest in outer space, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic population of 419 million Zanthamunians are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The medium-sized, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Welfare, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Básţon. The average income tax rate is 49.7%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The very strong Zanthamunian economy, worth 31.2 trillion bits a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Pizza Delivery. Average income is 74,490 bits, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Doctors who mutter "Oh my God" often lose their medical license, collisions between bicycles and carnival floats are on the rise, abortions are routinely performed in the nation's hospitals, and the nation has opened its arms to an influx of refugees. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Zanthamun's national animal is the white-eared fruit bat, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Zanthamun is ranked 32,015^th in the world and 431^st in Europe for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 210.1 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.