The Commonwealth of Araneae is a massive, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its frequent executions, parental licensing program, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 1.092 billion Araneaeans are effectively ruled by a group of massive corporations, who run for political office and provide their well-off citizens with world-class goods and services. Their poorer citizens, however, are mostly starving to death while being urged to go out and get real jobs. The populace has reasonably extensive civil rights, although these are mostly aimed at allowing them to buy whatever they like.

The minute, pro-business, outspoken government, or what there is of one, juggles the competing demands of Defense, Education, and Welfare. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 7.0%.

The very strong Araneaean economy, worth 53.6 trillion flies a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Gambling, Arms Manufacturing, and Cheese Exports. Average income is 49,082 flies, with the richest citizens earning 5.7 times as much as the poorest.

Schoolboys who turn to watch pretty girls go by are given detention, citizens wishing to be parents must undertake a series of gruelling tests to evaluate their capabilities, there has been a rapid increase of noise complaints over the sound of buzzing bees, and the new coalition government has 99 problems and can't agree on how to fix one. Crime is a problem, probably because of the absence of a police force. Araneae's national animal is the fly.

Araneae is ranked 205,606^th in the world and 5^th in Araneae for Most Patriotic, with 6.26 flags saluted per person per day.