The Kingdom of Southwest Zumarik is a massive, genial nation, ruled by King Matthew Richard Diedrich the First with a fair hand, and remarkable for its keen interest in outer space, national health service, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic, devout population of 1.959 billion Zumarikians hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The large, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Education, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Crowns Royal Zurika. The average income tax rate is 60.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Southwest Zumarikian economy, worth 168 trillion Zums a year, is quite specialized and led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Cheese Exports. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 85,886 Zums, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Agreeing to appear on TV is often the best way to access social care, moonshine has made a resurgence, drug lords often avoid prison time by teaching "chemistry" classes to underprivileged youth, and politicians stage photo ops featuring barely functional fighter jets. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Southwest Zumarik's national animal is the emu, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Holy Brothers Trinity.

Southwest Zumarik is ranked 41,235^th in the world and 71^st in The Kodiak Republic for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 173.69 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.