The Universal States of Astronomical is a massive, safe nation, ruled by Skyren Nebulae with a fair hand, and notable for its frequent executions, anti-smoking policies, and compulsory military service. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic population of 2.249 billion Astronomicalians enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

The large, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Orion Supercluster. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 62.0%.

The thriving Astronomicalian economy, worth 175 trillion Quasars a year, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Tourism, and Cheese Exports. Average income is 78,046 Quasars, with the richest citizens earning 6.2 times as much as the poorest.

Bus ads propagandize causes ranging from sexual revolution to religious pogroms, the government mails weekly updates on the new anti-junk mail laws to every citizen, the police are destroying all photographic evidence of their own existence, and Astronomical has been recently classified as an international menace after 'liberating' several nearby territories. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Astronomical's national animal is the Ursa Major, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Hypernovae.

Astronomical is ranked 97,229^th in the world and 5,062^nd in The North Pacific for Largest Agricultural Sector, scoring 105.06 on the Mu-Bah-Daggs Productivity Index.