The Republic of Mambo 257 is a huge, safe nation, notable for its zero percent divorce rate, keen interest in outer space, and suspicion of poets. The quiet, industrious population of 578 million Mambo 257ians are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The large, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Law & Order, and Defense. The average income tax rate is 42.1%.

The Mambo 257ian economy, worth 30.8 trillion izerns a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Soda Sales, Information Technology, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 53,310 izerns, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.2 times as much as the poorest.

Government-sponsored gallows are being erected by Violetist temples, former stunt pilots are unable to pass the licence test to fly a drone, obstetricians are not allowed to publish ultrasound pictures of fetuses in medical journals, and the latest guided missile cruiser "Ship-1642" has received precisely zero column inches in the press. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Mambo 257's national animal is the izern, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Mambo 257 is ranked 109,051^st in the world and 401^st in Izern for Largest Black Market, with 2.17 trillion Standard Monetary Units.