The Sails of Ships is a gargantuan, pleasant nation, ruled by The Captain with an even hand, and remarkable for its compulsory military service, ban on automobiles, and complete absence of social welfare. The cynical population of 24.907 billion Shipsians 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 government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Public Transport, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Sailtown. The average income tax rate is 32.6%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The Shipsian economy, worth 713 trillion Gilders a year, is quite specialized and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Retail, and Uranium Mining. Black market activity is notable. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 28,659 Gilders, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.2 times as much as the poorest.

Surveillance cameras are banned, criminals rejoice in the streets as the entire police force is sent away on a training retreat, Ships has designated Sailtown as its capital city, and The Captain has just been declared ruler of Ships in an international press conference. Crime, especially youth-related, is well under control, thanks to a very well-funded police force. Ships's national animal is the shark and its national religion is The water of Life.

Ships is ranked 202,183^rd in the world and 2^nd in North BirdsVille for Largest Publishing Industry, scoring zero on the Bella Potter Productivity e-Index.