The Republic of Baninus is a gargantuan, cultured nation, remarkable for its state-planned economy, keen interest in outer space, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed population of 37.024 billion Baninusians are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The enormous, moralistic, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Welfare, and Education. The average income tax rate is 67.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The enormous but inefficient Baninusian economy, worth a remarkable 1,153 trillion Euros a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is broadly diversified, is led by the Trout Farming industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Arms Manufacturing, and Book Publishing. Average income is 31,162 Euros, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Citizens with artificial limbs are forbidden to serve as beauty pageant judges, Leader has just been declared ruler of Baninus in an international press conference, money can't buy happiness but it can buy immunity to prosecution, and billions of Euros are being poured into a space program. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Baninus's national animal is the Otter.

Baninus is ranked 46,374^th in the world and 2^nd in Munster for Largest Welfare Programs, scoring 2,177.14 on the Safety Net Mesh Density Rating.