The Republic of Zarlan is a huge, socially progressive nation, remarkable for its parental licensing program, ubiquitous missile silos, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate population of 790 million Zarlanians enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Zarlan City. The average income tax rate is 46.6%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The thriving Zarlanian economy, worth 65.9 trillion Zaris a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Trout Farming, Tourism, and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 83,457 Zaris, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

A surprising number of police officers have been arrested for leopard sacrifices, incarcerated crime lords manage their empires from massage tables, Z-SPAN viewership drops as MPs act their age, and 'Totally Not Partisan News' is a line item on the government budget. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Zarlan's national animal is the leopard, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Zarlan is ranked 178,835^th in the world and 1,669^th in the West Pacific for Most Politically Free, scoring 53.14 on the Diebold Election Inking Scale.