The Democratic Republic of Kretzel is a massive, safe nation, ruled by Ruling Committee with an iron fist, and remarkable for its sprawling nuclear power plants, compulsory military service, and restrictive gun laws. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 1.123 billion Kretzelians are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The large, corrupt, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Law & Order, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Vorona. The average income tax rate is 71.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Kretzelian economy, worth 101 trillion Drammars a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Retail, Book Publishing, and Tourism. Average income is 90,812 Drammars, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

A bureaucratic fight over KIA cafeteria food expenditures has caused the temporary suspension of all agency counterintelligence operations, riots have broken out as a water shortage threatens Kretzel's stability, restaurant owners fear visits from government officials more than the actual food critics, and coalition governments are essential to passing new laws. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Kretzel's national animal is the European Badger, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is State atheism.

Kretzel is ranked 139,478^th in the world and 1,872^nd in The North Pacific for Largest Arms Manufacturing Sector, scoring 3,924.13 on the Charon Conveyancy Index.