The Free Land of Asthara is a gargantuan, genial nation, ruled by Empress Asthari with an iron fist, and notable for its compulsory military service, daily referendums, and hatred of cheese. The compassionate, cynical population of 30.988 billion Astharans are ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet.

The large, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Environment, Education, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Asthara City. The average income tax rate is 83.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The very strong Astharan economy, worth a remarkable 2,310 trillion Asthars a year, is driven almost entirely by government activity. The industrial sector is mostly comprised of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, although the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is 74,549 Asthars, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Burglars are known for taking cash, socks, and other valuables, city budgets are spent entirely on supporting the town royalty, teenage TV characters are played by thirty-year-olds by the end of the second season, and newspapers are celebrating Empress Asthari saving over a million cats from trees. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Asthara's national animal is the Dragon, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Asthara is ranked 14,451^st in the world and 209^th in the Rejected Realms for Nicest Citizens, with 25.69 average smiles per day.