The Empire of Bathera is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by Grand Baron Elam Ol'ced VI with an even hand, and remarkable for its museums and concert halls, pith helmet sales, and ban on automobiles. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 15.061 billion Batherans are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Bathera City. The average income tax rate is 90.0%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Batheran economy, worth a remarkable 3,550 trillion Baht a year, is quite specialized and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Information Technology, and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an amazing 235,758 Baht, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.8 times as much as the poorest.

Environmentalists are advocating slash-and-burn in the nation's forests, cars are banned, criminals are really screwed, and twins move across the country to avoid being accused of the other's crimes. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Bathera's national animal is the Bat, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Christianity.

Bathera is ranked 4,225^th in the world and 94^th in Europe for Most Beautiful Environments, with 2,556.19 pounds of wildlife per square mile.