The Incorporated States of Blackstellar is a huge, cultured nation, remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, keen interest in outer space, and public floggings. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 514 million Blackstellarians 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 relatively small, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Industry, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Astonia. The average income tax rate is 25.5%.

The frighteningly efficient Blackstellarian economy, worth 49.7 trillion Scripts a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Uranium Mining, and Automobile Manufacturing. Average income is 96,653 Scripts, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.5 times as much as the poorest.

No one believes anything until it has been strenuously tested and peer-reviewed, protestors are soaking piles of Scripts in blood to make a point about government incomes, the nation's only university is the School of Hard Knocks, and heartbroken parents are urged to "smile for the camera". Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Blackstellar's national animal is the Puppygirls, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Blackstellar is ranked 249,307^th in the world and 189^th in Lesbian for Most Eco-Friendly Governments, scoring 157.69 on the Dolphin Recycling Awareness Index.