The Federation of Ziev is a massive, efficient nation, ruled by Berry Maxman with an even hand, and remarkable for its ubiquitous missile silos, avant-garde cinema, and pith helmet sales. The hard-nosed, humorless population of 1.822 billion Zievians have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Zlukland. The average income tax rate is 70.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Zievian economy, worth 327 trillion Zievian Deutsche Marks a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Arms Manufacturing, and Beef-Based Agriculture. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 179,644 Zievian Deutsche Marks, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.3 times as much as the poorest.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar has been banned for advocating gluttony, Zievian companies generally just fire employees in lieu of giving them vacation, builders spend more time negotiating "tasteful architecture" than on actual construction, and Berry Maxman is too busy listening to praise to get any work done. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ziev's national animal is the Eight Pointed Star, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Atheistic Leauge.

Ziev is ranked 8,422^nd in the world and 16^th in The League for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 443.73 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.