The Republic of Vurk is a huge, environmentally stunning nation, renowned for its daily referendums, frequent executions, and keen interest in outer space. The compassionate population of 331 million Vurks 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 enormous government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Kinigin. The average income tax rate is 78.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Vurkian economy, worth 30.9 trillion Credits a year, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Tourism, and Arms Manufacturing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 93,400 Credits, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Hockey players who drop their gloves discard them on abandoned baseball mitts, female newsreaders distract the nation by breastfeeding during broadcast, the new Owl Supremacy Party is faring well in the polls, and leading ethologists are being investigated for illegal electoral interference. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Vurk's national animal is the Owl, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Vurk is ranked 29,149^th in the world and 412^th in Europe for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 224.04 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.