The Commonwealth of Saint Zachary is a massive, cultured nation, notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, compulsory military service, and devotion to social welfare. The democratic, devout population of 1.636 billion Zacharians love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Defense, and Welfare. The average income tax rate is 66.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but underdeveloped Zacharian economy, worth 55.9 trillion dollars 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 slick, highly efficient black market in Trout Farming, Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Basket Weaving. 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 34,141 dollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Eau de Trashcan has become a wildly popular perfume, political shows are fit for purpose, real chickens replace rooster weather vanes on inner-city rooftop gardens, and families make most of their annual income from government benefits. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Saint Zachary's national animal is the Zacharian parrot, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Saint Zachary is ranked 312,715^th in the world and 11^th in The Northern Commonwealth for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -10.44 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.