The Empire of Iterien is a very large, efficient nation, remarkable for its museums and concert halls, barren, inhospitable landscape, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, hard-working, cynical population of 302 million Iterienians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Welfare, and Defense. The average income tax rate is 36.8%.

The powerhouse Iterienian economy, worth 25.7 trillion Iterien marks a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Retail, and Tourism. Average income is 85,133 Iterien marks, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.7 times as much as the poorest.

Criminals always seem to be forewarned of police raids, frat-house partying has become the national pastime, explicit slash fiction is repackaged for kindergarten kids as stories about friends cuddling friends, and entomologists flock to Iterien City for its remarkable gadfly population. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Iterien's national animal is the Eagle, which can occasionally be seen dodging aircraft in the nation's cities.

Iterien is ranked 53,369^th in the world and 23^rd in Mitteleuropa for Highest Disposable Incomes, with 53,804.41 Standard Monetary Units.