The Imperial Vicariate of Arleat is a huge, genial nation, renowned for its museums and concert halls, keen interest in outer space, and national health service. The compassionate, democratic population of 607 million Arleats love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The large, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Nancy. The average income tax rate is 77.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Arlesian economy, worth 63.3 trillion Guilders a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Automobile Manufacturing. Average income is an impressive 104,343 Guilders, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Dogs are encouraged to confront the psychodynamic roots of their desire to be "good boys", unstable couples are known to break up over which one gets parental leave, the endangered saltwater humpback lion is only seen in captivity programs, and the most popular WhoTube videos are ones featuring parodies of iconic songs. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Arleat's national animal is the lion, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Arleat is ranked 10,061^st in the world and 222^nd in The East Pacific for Most Cheerful Citizens, with 55.65 Percentage Of Water Glasses Perceived Half-Full.