The Republic of Izern 297 is a huge, cultured nation, remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, ubiquitous missile silos, and zero percent divorce rate. The compassionate, cynical, devout population of 707 million Izern 297ians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The large government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Administration, and Education. The average income tax rate is 46.0%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The strong Izern 297ian economy, worth 39.8 trillion izerns a year, is led by the Woodchip Exports industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Door-to-door Insurance Sales, and Basket Weaving. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 56,363 izerns, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.0 times as much as the poorest.

All facts are created equal, a suspicious number of John Smiths are known to donate to Izern 297ian politicians, many politicians are serving jail time for minor drug offenses, and citizens live in superstitious fear of the mysterious glowing clouds that float over Izern 297. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Izern 297's national animal is the izern, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Izern 297 is ranked 261,523^rd in the world and 599^th in Izern for Largest Populations, with 707 million capita.