The United Socialist States of Donauvolk is a huge, orderly nation, remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, keen interest in outer space, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 292 million Donaus 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 enormous, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Education. The average income tax rate is 70.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The very strong Donau economy, worth 19.1 trillion Donau Francs a year, is led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Basket Weaving, Trout Farming, and Beef-Based Agriculture. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 65,580 Donau Francs, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The government has started a campaign to crack down on road rage and encourage alternate means of commuting, the nanny industry has had a boom after maternity leave was recently banned, there's never enough space in space, and excessive wheelchair ramps on government buildings have been compared to theme park attractions. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Donauvolk's national animal is the Finch, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Donauvolk is ranked 147,251^st in the world and 2,940^th in the South Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 66.58 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.