The Buzz about Town of Mantis Barmaid is a mammoth, efficient nation, ruled by Aphid of my Heart with an iron fist, and remarkable for its keen interest in outer space, suspicion of poets, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless population of 6.113 billion Mantis Barmaids are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Administration, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Grand Royal Garden. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 33.8%.

The frighteningly efficient Mantis Barmaid economy, worth 701 trillion BARMAID coins a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Woodchip Exports, Automobile Manufacturing, and Arms Manufacturing. Black market activity is extensive. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 114,750 BARMAID coins, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 425,701 per year while the poor average 21,757, a ratio of 19.6 to 1.

Lawyers turn down litigation cases and corporate work in order to focus on lucrative public defence work, foreign nationals are widely distrusted, Mantis Barmaid is sometimes referred to as the global janitor, and the government spends millions of BARMAID coins every year prosecuting spammers. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Mantis Barmaid's national animal is the Aphid on a Leash, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Mantis Barmaid is ranked 221,703^rd in the world and 21^st in BARMAIDS ltd for Largest Welfare Programs, scoring 775.47 on the Safety Net Mesh Density Rating.