The Confederacy of Zila is a large, efficient nation, remarkable for its rum-swilling pirates, compulsory military service, and frequent executions. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 117 million Zilans are effectively ruled by a group of massive corporations, who run for political office and provide their well-off citizens with world-class goods and services. Their poorer citizens, however, are mostly starving to death while being urged to go out and get real jobs. The populace has reasonably extensive civil rights, although these are mostly aimed at allowing them to buy whatever they like.

The relatively small, pro-business, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Administration, and Defense. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 12.9%.

The all-consuming Zilan economy, worth 9.97 trillion Byrds a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Automobile Manufacturing, and Uranium Mining. Average income is 85,176 Byrds, with the richest citizens earning 5.5 times as much as the poorest.

All funding starts one dime at a time, military recruitment numbers are down as citizens object on 'moral grounds', workers have their fruitcake and eat it too, and automotive regulators are throwing in the towel. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Zila's national animal is the Raven, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Zila is ranked 274,208^th in the world and 614^th in Horizon for Most Eco-Friendly Governments, scoring zero on the Dolphin Recycling Awareness Index.