The Republic of Arzistan is a large, safe nation, remarkable for its keen interest in outer space, public floggings, and compulsory military service. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 80 million Arzistinians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The medium-sized government prioritizes Defense, although Administration, Law & Order, and Education are also considered important. The average income tax rate is 42.7%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The Arzistinian economy, worth 4.09 trillion Arzistinian Dollars a year, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 51,100 Arzistinian Dollars, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.0 times as much as the poorest.

Several inches are being added to first class seating, stranded mountaineers can watch livestreamed footage of their rescues, children are raised bilingual from an early age, and the latest national park is visited by more sharks than people. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Arzistan's national animal is the Phoenix, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Arzistan is ranked 57,338^th in the world and 1,728^th in The North Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 131.18 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.