The Burnt World of Athas is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by Tithian of Mericles with an iron fist, and remarkable for its vat-grown people, compulsory military service, and absence of drug laws. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless population of 30.856 billion Athasians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The medium-sized, corrupt, well-organized government is primarily concerned with Defense, with Environment, Education, and Industry also on the agenda, while Welfare and Social Policy are ignored. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Tyr. The average income tax rate is 96.5%.

The frighteningly efficient Athasian economy, worth an astonishing 15,697 trillion gold pieces a year, is mostly comprised of black market activity, especially in Arms Manufacturing, Gambling, Retail, and Tourism. Average income is a breathtaking 508,735 gold pieces, with the richest citizens earning 8.3 times as much as the poorest.

Shelters struggle to keep up with the endless intake of stray animals, no cul-de-sac or trailer park is complete without a gambling parlor, foreign musicians that Tithian of Mericles dislikes are turned away at the border, and the ban on cars has been repealed. Crime, especially youth-related, is so common that it is unusual to encounter someone following the law, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Athas's national animal is the Thri-kreen, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Psionics.

Athas is ranked 121^st in the world and 1^st in Athas for Largest Black Market, with 24,701 trillion Standard Monetary Units.