The Fifth Republic of Arcturia is a titanic, efficient nation, ruled by Bertrand Foutran with an even hand, and renowned for its compulsory military service, keen interest in outer space, and irreverence towards religion. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 20.331 billion Arcturians enjoy some of the most opulent lifestyles in the region, unless they are unemployed or working-class, in which case they are variously starving to death or crippled by easily preventable diseases.

The minute, pro-business government, or what there is of one, is effectively ruled by the Department of Defense, with Education also on the agenda, while Spirituality and Social Policy receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Alphaville. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 4.2%.

The powerhouse Arcturian economy, worth a remarkable 1,831 trillion Simoleons a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Information Technology, and Tourism. Average income is 90,090 Simoleons, but there is an enormous disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 487,624 per year while the poor average 8,605, a ratio of 56.7 to 1.

Park rangers perform full-body searches on suspected fungus smugglers, condos feature wall-mounted cages containing endangered animals, there is a heavy social stigma attached to e-cigarettes, and mall countdown clocks warn that there are only 364 more shopping days until Maxxmas. Crime, especially youth-related, is a major problem, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Arcturia's national animal is the Hirsute Eagle.

Arcturia is ranked 282,075^th in the world and 1^st in Cohort for Most Compassionate Citizens, scoring 36.01 on the Kitten Softness Rating.