The Democratic Highland Republic of Ardu is a massive, efficient nation, ruled by Alexandre Beaumont with a fair hand, and remarkable for its state-planned economy, keen interest in outer space, and free-roaming dinosaurs. The compassionate, democratic population of 1.531 billion Arduans 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, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Ardaven. The average income tax rate is 80.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Arduan economy, worth 208 trillion DFS 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 Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Basket Weaving. Average income is an impressive 136,364 DFS, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

There's nothing special about Alexandre Beaumont, the government only invests in infrastructure after a natural disaster, jokes told in elementary school often come back to haunt politicians, and political talk shows often have children as guests whenever they need commentary on world religions. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ardu's national animal is the Bandit Shark, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans, and its national religion is A nameless religion that pre-dates Ardu.

Ardu is ranked 18,981^st in the world and 22^nd in Eladria for Most Eco-Friendly Governments, scoring 3,450.27 on the Dolphin Recycling Awareness Index.