The Imperial Republic of Ariosa is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Artiel Hesse with an even hand, and remarkable for its state-planned economy, sprawling nuclear power plants, and free-roaming dinosaurs. The hard-nosed, humorless population of 11.898 billion Ariosians have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The relatively small, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Polis. The average income tax rate is 34.9%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Ariosian economy, worth a remarkable 2,688 trillion Drachmas a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a large, well-organized, fairly diversified black market in Information Technology, Arms Manufacturing, Book Publishing, and Tourism. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an amazing 225,950 Drachmas, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Nature magazines featuring stick insects on their covers are sometimes mistaken for fashion magazines, hidden bedroom-cams are installed to catch mothers doing their kids' homework, the government's suicide hotline now redirects callers to local tax lawyers, and prankster scientists legally change their names to silly pseudonyms before major discoveries. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Ariosa's national animal is the Hydra, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Humanism.

Ariosa is ranked 15,221^st in the world and 15^th in Yggdrasil for Most Patriotic, with 53.81 flags saluted per person per day.