The Empire of Ochenstein is a large, socially progressive nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service and irreverence towards religion. The hard-working, democratic population of 112 million Ochensteinians 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 tiny government juggles the competing demands of Welfare, Healthcare, and Defense. The average income tax rate is 8.7%.

The Ochensteinian economy, worth 6.45 trillion francs a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Basket Weaving industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Cheese Exports. Average income is 57,567 francs, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.3 times as much as the poorest.

Intellectual snobbery has the cognoscenti sneering at anyone who doesn't have an opinion on the semiological drift of Umberto Eco's works, TV shows must meet strict ethnicity quotas, hundreds of subterranean tunnels are being built as part of "Project Morlock", and meat-eating is frowned upon. Crime, especially youth-related, is relatively low. Ochenstein's national animal is the agila, which can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage in the nation's cities.

Ochenstein is ranked 78,930^th in the world and 3,562^nd in Osiris for Nicest Citizens, with 15.51 average smiles per day.