The Ermine Kingdom of Hunterdon is a mammoth, cultured nation, ruled by King Joseph III with an even hand, and renowned for its rum-swilling pirates, digital currency, and unlimited-speed roads. The hard-nosed, hard-working, humorless, devout population of 8.135 billion Hunterdonians 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, Industry, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Hunterdon. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 49.2%.

The frighteningly efficient Ermine economy, worth a remarkable 1,796 trillion ducats a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Retail, and Book Publishing. Average income is an amazing 220,791 ducats, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 690,232 per year while the poor average 54,191, a ratio of 12.7 to 1.

Politicians have to be granted day-release from prison to speak on bills, weekly religious services often resemble campaign rallies, 'To Regulate And Beyond' is the unofficial motto of the Ermine Space Agency, and murderers facing life in prison listen to long sermons on positive thinking. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Hunterdon's national animal is the ermine, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Roman Catholicism.

Hunterdon is ranked 5,021^st in the world and 100^th in The East Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 562.01 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.