The Galactic Empire of Riptaria is a gargantuan, orderly nation, ruled by general degaras with an iron fist, and notable for its compulsory military service, ubiquitous missile silos, and frequent executions. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless population of 12.739 billion Riptarians 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 medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government is effectively ruled by the Department of Defense, with Law & Order also on the agenda, while International Aid and Social Policy receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of riptaria city. The income tax rate is 100%.

The frighteningly efficient Riptarian economy, worth a remarkable 8,391 trillion ripion doller and pound ripions 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 an enormous, deeply entrenched, broadly diversified black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Uranium Mining. 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 a breathtaking 658,720 ripion doller and pound ripions, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

This year's hottest fashion trend is the Lese Majeste collection, birth announcements often also serve as death announcements, the armed forces are locked in an expensive and bloody war abroad to stamp out possible terrorists, and heterosexuality is considered positive proof of fitness to parent. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Riptaria's national animal is the slave, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Atheism.

Riptaria is ranked 286,386^th in the world and 43^rd in The United Federations for Most Primitive, scoring -475.16 on the Scary Big Number Scale.