The People's Republic of Zapatal is a small, socially progressive nation, renowned for its compulsory military service, punitive income tax rates, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic population of 45 million Zapatalis enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Welfare, Administration, and Education. The average income tax rate is 71.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but inefficient Zapatalian economy, worth 2.03 trillion Veris a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector is led by the Beef-Based Agriculture industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Basket Weaving, and Tourism. Average income is 45,122 Veris, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Coalition governments are essential to passing new laws, passionate nomination battles are often as intense as general elections, artists from across the nation compete to renovate the restrooms of old government buildings, and the armed forces pride themselves on being conventional and predictable. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Zapatal's national animal is the Swordfish, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans.

Zapatal is ranked 56,393^rd in the world and 344^th in The Leftist Assembly for Most Eco-Friendly Governments, scoring 1,778.3 on the Dolphin Recycling Awareness Index.