The Community of Esterborg is a mid-sized, safe nation, remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, compulsory military service, and restrictive gun laws. The hard-working, democratic, devout population of 56 million Esterborgians are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The relatively small, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Spirituality, Defense, and Welfare. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 19.3%.

The strong Esterborgian economy, worth 3.84 trillion borgsdalers a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Cheese Exports industry, with major contributions from Trout Farming, Gambling, and Uranium Mining. Average income is 68,654 borgsdalers, with the richest citizens earning 6.8 times as much as the poorest.

Genetic researchers have been expelled, a large-scale revitalization of the education system is underway, earthquake sirens are a leading cause of hearing loss, and military spending is on the increase. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Esterborg's national animal is the blueberry, which can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage in the nation's cities.

Esterborg is ranked 138,526^th in the world and 6^th in Tide for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 78.42 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.