The Neo-Byzantine Empire of Athant is a titanic, orderly nation, ruled by Basileus Nikolaos Palaiologos IV with an iron fist, and remarkable for its rum-swilling pirates, keen interest in outer space, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless, devout population of 13.04 billion Athantians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The medium-sized, corrupt, well-organized government is primarily concerned with Defense, with Industry, Law & Order, and Education also on the agenda, while International Aid and Social Policy receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Athantinopolos. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 59.8%.

The frighteningly efficient Athantian economy, worth a remarkable 2,023 trillion Rodins a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Retail, and Door-to-door Insurance Sales. Black market activity is rampant. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 155,164 Rodins, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 672,601 per year while the poor average 22,729, a ratio of 29.6 to 1.

Commercials are consistently recorded in soft white rooms, five-year-olds who refuse to line up on command get gold stars, shivering secretaries type letters under torrential downpours in open-roof offices, and mysterious black helicopters menace farmers to ensure compliance with straitjacketing agricultural policies. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Athant's national animal is the Dolphin, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to heavy metals seepage into national waterways, and its national religion is Verdigrisism.

Athant is ranked 31,120^th in the world and 21^st in Aceon for Largest Information Technology Sector, scoring 16,204.22 on the Fann-Boi Productivity Index.