The Midstate of Aureas is a massive, socially progressive nation, renowned for its compulsory military service, national health service, and otherworldly petting zoo. The hard-nosed, democratic population of 1.753 billion Auraesians have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Industry, and Environment. The average income tax rate is 28.9%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Auraesian economy, worth 179 trillion Coranthaean Pounds a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Tourism, and Cheese Exports. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 102,657 Coranthaean Pounds, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.5 times as much as the poorest.

Facial disfigurement is a leading cause of supervillainy, Aureas City Preparatory School for the Exceedingly Wealthy's basketball team is having a few off-years, 'Totally Not Partisan News' is a line item on the government budget, and children deemed 'disorderly' or otherwise unfit for public schools are shipped off to military academies. Crime, especially youth-related, is well under control. Aureas's national animal is the Cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Aureas is ranked 232,926^th in the world and 1^st in New Corinthea for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -4.69 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.