The Most Venerable Polis of Ortigia is a massive, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Delegates of the Council of Ten with a fair hand, and remarkable for its keen interest in outer space, soft-spoken computers, and compulsory military service. The compassionate, democratic population of 1.081 billion Ortigians 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 large, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Aretusa. The average income tax rate is 84.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Ortigian economy, worth 122 trillion Drachmas 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 dominated by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Arms Manufacturing. Average income is an impressive 113,075 Drachmas, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The government is pouring money into 'Operation Enduring Democracy', earthquake sirens are a leading cause of hearing loss, collisions between bicycles and carnival floats are on the rise, and prison visits increase substantially during election years. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ortigia's national animal is the Aquila, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Ortigia is ranked 21,707^th in the world and 328^th in Europe for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 267.39 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.