The Most Serene Republic of Belatero is a massive, efficient nation, notable for its compulsory military service and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, devout population of 1.519 billion Belateroans are free to succeed or fail in life on their own merits; the successful tend to enjoy an opulent (but moralistic) lifestyle, while the failures can be seen crowding out most jails.

The relatively small government is primarily concerned with Spirituality, with Law & Order, Defense, and Education also on the agenda, while Social Policy and Welfare are ignored. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 11.7%.

The very strong Belateroan economy, worth 97.8 trillion caranotoes a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Gambling industry, with major contributions from Trout Farming, Information Technology, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 64,395 caranotoes, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 185,691 per year while the poor average 17,727, a ratio of 10.5 to 1.

It is illegal to make racist remarks in public, the latest Harry Potter book is a bestseller, scientists regularly clone human beings for research purposes, and citizens pray for sunshine so that they can use illicit sundials for timekeeping. Crime, especially youth-related, is well under control, thanks to a capable police force. Belatero's national animal is the grizurso, which can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage in the nation's cities.

Belatero is ranked 22,263^rd in the world and 2^nd in Regency Puppets for Largest Trout Fishing Sector, scoring 6,253.6 on the Nemo Depletion Efficiency Index.