The Concordat of New Vandenburg is a titanic, socially progressive nation, ruled by President Charles Tharn with a fair hand, and notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, keen interest in outer space, and compulsory military service. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 13.162 billion New Vandenburgers 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 relatively small government prioritizes Defense, with Education, Welfare, and Law & Order also on the agenda, while Environment and Social Policy aren't funded at all. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Locke. The average income tax rate is 15.7%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The strong New Vandenburger economy, worth 877 trillion dollars a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Cheese Exports, Woodchip Exports, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 66,686 dollars, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.4 times as much as the poorest.

Pandemics are over and done with by the time it takes to pass the nation's stringent border security, skateparks can be found in every city, education is transforming people into first-rate snobs, and the typical murderer weighs 150kg and has hairy arms. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. New Vandenburg's national animal is the eagle, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution, and its national religion is deism.

New Vandenburg is ranked 107,859^th in the world and 1^st in Confederate Army for Most Developed, scoring 59.79 on the Human Development Index.