The Empire of Ecoul is a massive, safe nation, ruled by Antolin with an even hand, and notable for its museums and concert halls, zero percent divorce rate, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate population of 1.46 billion Ecoulians are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Law & Order, and Education. The average income tax rate is 56.5%.

The powerhouse Ecoulian economy, worth 147 trillion Ecos a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Basket Weaving, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Uranium Mining. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 100,976 Ecos, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.9 times as much as the poorest.

Economists have been named Invertebrates of the Year, policy reversals are more often graceful demi-détournés than u-turns, perverts across the land rejoice after 'sexual harassment' was recently renamed 'persuasive courting', and the new one Ecos coin also makes a handy throwing-star. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ecoul's national animal is the eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Christianity and Islam.

Ecoul is ranked 51,213^th in the world and 55^th in The Kodiak Republic for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 179.08 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.