The Federal Republic of Asterborne is a massive, socially progressive nation, ruled by Franz with a fair hand, and renowned for its sprawling nuclear power plants, free-roaming dinosaurs, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic population of 1.142 billion Asterborneans 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 medium-sized, liberal, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Northford. The average income tax rate is 71.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Asterbornean economy, worth 157 trillion dollars a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Beef-Based Agriculture. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 137,793 dollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The government's foreign policy statements are less threatening than a World Assembly cease-and-desist letter, a favorite "life hack" for gap year backpackers is to pretend to be homeless for government handouts, bemused citizens are encouraged to sing foreign-language hymns of religions they have never heard of, and bizarre-looking creatures called 'tamarawdogs' dominate wildlife preserves. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Asterborne's national animal is the tamaraw, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Asterborne is ranked 7,265^th in the world and 163^rd in The East Pacific for Largest Publishing Industry, scoring 15,479.63 on the Bella Potter Productivity e-Index.