The People's Republic of Zarkona is a very large, environmentally stunning nation, renowned for its lack of airports, punitive income tax rates, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, cynical, devout population of 423 million Zarkonans are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The enormous, corrupt, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Esterabad. The average income tax rate is 91.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The strong Zarkonan economy, worth 36.2 trillion rubles a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a slick, highly efficient, quite specialized black market in Information Technology, Trout Farming, Arms Manufacturing, and Furniture Restoration. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is 85,601 rubles, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.8 times as much as the poorest.

Flash floods that dams could have controlled regularly ravage small towns in mountain valleys, people who tease dwarfs are being cut down to size, scientists take credit every time it rains in Squeaky Squeakers, and centuries-old marble buildings are being torn down and replaced with corrugated steel wind tunnels. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Zarkona's national animal is the fox, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Zarkona is ranked 326,964^th in the world and 255^th in Squeaky Squeakers for Largest Publishing Industry, scoring -11.92 on the Bella Potter Productivity e-Index.