The Republic of Gratern is a massive, cultured nation, notable for its keen interest in outer space, frequent executions, and compulsory military service. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic, humorless population of 1.725 billion Graternians are effectively ruled by a group of massive corporations, who run for political office and provide their well-off citizens with world-class goods and services. Their poorer citizens, however, are mostly starving to death while being urged to go out and get real jobs. The populace has reasonably extensive civil rights, although these are mostly aimed at allowing them to buy whatever they like.

The relatively small, corrupt, pro-business, outspoken government is primarily concerned with Industry, with Administration and Law & Order also on the agenda, while Welfare is ignored. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 8.8%.

The frighteningly efficient Graternian economy, worth 286 trillion Eclipse Marks a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Retail industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Soda Sales, and Gambling. Average income is an impressive 165,973 Eclipse Marks, but there is a vast disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 1,495,070 per year while the poor average 2,275, a ratio of 656 to 1.

People often get liposuction to reduce their air fares, it can be a real jungle in a modern courtroom, foreign nations kill migratory animals at random in the hope that Gratern will pay them to stop, and the nation's interest in space is at an all-time high while interest in saving the planet is at an all-time low. Crime is well under control. Gratern's national animal is the Fox, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Gratern is ranked 1,987^th in the world and 9^th in Concord for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 249.83 on the Bus Surprisal Index.