The Empire of Ashkan is a gargantuan, safe nation, ruled by Ashkan with an even hand, and remarkable for its sprawling nuclear power plants, public floggings, and irreverence towards religion. The hard-nosed, humorless population of 33.43 billion Ashkanians 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 relatively small, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Education, and Defense. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Ashkanian City. The average income tax rate is 63.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Ashkanian economy, worth a remarkable 9,612 trillion Dollars a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture, Arms Manufacturing, and Uranium Mining. Black market activity is rampant. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an amazing 287,527 Dollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The tax agency is feared more than serial killers and terrorists, jaywalking is punishable by public flogging, a third of Ashkanians are e-certified CEOs, and drills and shovels have been banned as the government cracks down on any means of fracking. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ashkan's national animal is the Bald Eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Zazen.

Ashkan is ranked 245,452^nd in the world and 7,344^th in the West Pacific for Healthiest Citizens, with 0.63 bananas ingested per day.