The Republic of Ostko is a colossal, safe nation, ruled by Hjemmet til de velstående with an even hand, and renowned for its flagrant waste-dumping, punitive income tax rates, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed population of 8.197 billion Ostkoans are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The enormous government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Defense, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Vesper Bay. The average income tax rate is 72.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The very strong Ostkoan economy, worth 569 trillion oshrs a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Basket Weaving, and Book Publishing. Average income is 69,523 oshrs, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Torture is illegal, the once prosperous capital is in utter decline, the nation's official head of religious affairs is an atheist, and Hjemmet til de velstående has taken to wearing medal-adorned military uniform in all public appearances. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ostko's national animal is the Snake, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is -nil-.

Ostko is ranked 103,078^th in the world and 1^st in Verilisis for Highest Food Quality, scoring 22.5 on the Meeshlin-Starr Index.