The Empire of Ahartsburg is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by Supreme Leader Ahart with an even hand, and remarkable for its museums and concert halls, keen interest in outer space, and pith helmet sales. The compassionate population of 15.346 billion Ahartsburgians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Thardan. The average income tax rate is 91.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Ahartsburgian economy, worth a remarkable 1,653 trillion Belles a year, is highly specialized and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing and Tourism. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 107,747 Belles, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Little League matches are often attended by riot police with water cannon... just in case, flamethrower-toting soldiers are also equipped with fire blankets and extinguishers, more than one company makes the board game Monopoly, and government bureaucrats review designs for birdhouses to ensure they do not block the views of neighbors. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ahartsburg's national animal is the Red Tail Hawk, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Ahartism.

Ahartsburg is ranked 18,231^st in the world and 6^th in Saeculum Obscurum for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 295.16 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.