The Theocracy of Northern Air Temple is a colossal, safe nation, renowned for its absence of drug laws, punitive income tax rates, and stringent health and safety legislation. The democratic, devout population of 9.908 billion Northern Air Templeans are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The large, liberal, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Spirituality, Welfare, and Education. The average income tax rate is 56.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The large but sluggish Northern Air Templean economy, worth 223 trillion gliders a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Uranium Mining industry, with major contributions from Basket Weaving, Automobile Manufacturing, and Soda Sales. Average income is 22,557 gliders, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Northern Air Temple's national animal is the flying bison.

Northern Air Temple is ranked 81,798^th in the world and 8^th in Union of Allied Planets for Lowest Crime Rates, with 68.28 law-abiding acts per hour.