The High-Technate of Athretvari is a gargantuan, efficient nation, renowned for its smutty television, compulsory military service, and keen interest in outer space. The hard-nosed, democratic, humorless population of 26.097 billion Vari love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Ars Scientia. The income tax rate is 100%.

The frighteningly efficient Athretvarian economy, worth an astonishing 20,121 trillion Athcoins a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is broadly diversified, is led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Tourism, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Average income is a breathtaking 771,035 Athcoins, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Newly synthesized elements' half-lives are a million times shorter than the time it takes to say their names, barbers who trim a few inches of hair bill the government for their labor, cyber-crime and tin-foil hat sales are both increasing at record rates, and wilderness-dwelling hermits are surprised to find railway stations on their front doorsteps. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Athretvari's national animal is the pygmy berserker-cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Scientific Universalism.

Athretvari is ranked 21,637^th in the world and 3^rd in New Coalition of Nations for Largest Gambling Industry, scoring 6,971.98 on the Kelly Criterion Productivity Index.