The Republic of Izern 197 is a massive, genial nation, renowned for its zero percent divorce rate, enslaved workforce, and suspicion of poets. The compassionate, cynical, humorless, devout population of 1.923 billion Izern 197ians are ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet.

The large, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Education. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 69.8%.

The frighteningly efficient Izern 197ian economy, worth 235 trillion banks 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 large, well-organized, broadly diversified black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Woodchip Exports, and Cheese Exports. 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 an impressive 122,534 banks, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 447,140 per year while the poor average 23,843, a ratio of 18.8 to 1.

Diplomats agree to the terms and conditions of peace treaties without reading them, convicted crypto-miners are sent to the salt mines, it's not only teenagers who mess around with fake IDs, and pallbearers at military funerals dive for cover when they hear the three-volley salute. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Izern 197's national animal is the card, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Izern 197 is ranked 181,961^st in the world and 267^th in Izern for Largest Pizza Delivery Sector, scoring 312.35 on the Pepperoni Propulsion Productivity Index.