The Democratic Highland Republic of Ardu is a massive, genial nation, ruled by Alexandre Beaumont with a fair hand, and renowned for its otherworldly petting zoo, sprawling nuclear power plants, and ubiquitous missile silos. The compassionate, democratic population of 1.643 billion Arduans 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, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Ardaven. The average income tax rate is 82.9%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Arduan economy, worth 231 trillion DFS a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is broadly diversified, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Basket Weaving, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Average income is an impressive 140,961 DFS, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Official Sermon-Free Zones are set-up around the nation's hotels, murderers facing life in prison listen to long sermons on positive thinking, any citizen who cries is immediately assigned a psychiatrist, and a little love goes a long way claim Arduan news. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ardu's national animal is the Bandit Shark, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans, and its national religion is Socialism.

Ardu is ranked 20,789^th in the world and 26^th in Eladria for Most Eco-Friendly Governments, scoring 3,282.04 on the Dolphin Recycling Awareness Index.