The Republic of NAS 29 is a colossal, safe nation, renowned for its barren, inhospitable landscape, public floggings, and compulsory military service. The compassionate, cynical population of 4.197 billion NAS 29ians 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 medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Industry. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 24.1%.

The strong NAS 29ian economy, worth 321 trillion Marks 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, broadly diversified black market in Arms Manufacturing, Beef-Based Agriculture, Automobile Manufacturing, 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 76,619 Marks, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 239,898 per year while the poor average 18,763, a ratio of 12.8 to 1.

Immigrant Maxtopians are routinely sold on popular internet auction sites, many marriages go virtually unconsummated, virtual assistants are seen with increasing suspicion every time they get an upgrade, and rumours have it that a secret police is responsible for the recent spate of missing persons. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. NAS 29's national animal is the Eagle, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

NAS 29 is ranked 95,840^th in the world and 39^th in The Ninth Army for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 100.44 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.