The United Socialist States of Span is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by M Shobacus Maz with a fair hand, and remarkable for its museums and concert halls, absence of drug laws, and restrictive gun laws. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful, devout population of 43.552 billion Spanners hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, liberal, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Maz. The average income tax rate is 94.5%.

The all-consuming Spanner economy, worth an astonishing 13,226 trillion spannies a year, is highly specialized and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Tourism. Average income is an amazing 303,683 spannies, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Directors of low-budget sci-fi films are flocking to use Maz as a backdrop, disaster relief budgets are growing like wildfire, public projects are synonymous with yawn-inducing conformity, and passionate nomination battles are often as intense as general elections. Crime is totally unknown. Span's national animal is the donkey, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Span is ranked 304,494^th in the world and 11,978^th in The North Pacific for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 14.19 on the Bus Surprisal Index.