The Empire of Bloatnikov is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by Leader with an even hand, and remarkable for its sprawling nuclear power plants, keen interest in outer space, and anti-smoking policies. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cheerful, devout population of 45.329 billion Bloatnikovians are free to succeed or fail in life on their own merits; the successful tend to enjoy an opulent (but moralistic) lifestyle, while the failures can be seen crowding out most jails.

The minute, corrupt government, or what there is of one, is primarily concerned with Defense, although Law & Order is also considered important, while Social Policy and Welfare receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Sludgegut. Income tax is unheard of.

The frighteningly efficient Bloatnikovian economy, worth an astonishing 11,274 trillion bloatskis a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Uranium Mining, Information Technology, and Gambling. Average income is an amazing 248,717 bloatskis, with the richest citizens earning 8.0 times as much as the poorest.

Domestic fishermen fly the Bloatnikovian flag out of fear of being blown up, many politicians are serving jail time for minor drug offenses, health insurance executives die young due to their claims being denied by their own companies, and the nation's atlases tend to go out of date every few weeks. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Bloatnikov's national animal is the oglop, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Bloatnikov is ranked 332,220^th in the world and 4^th in Mars for Largest Welfare Programs, scoring -53.39 on the Safety Net Mesh Density Rating.