The Directorate of Kronstein is a titanic, efficient nation, ruled by Edvard Zaharov with an even hand, and notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, daily referendums, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, humorless population of 20.534 billion Krons are either ruled by a sleek, efficient government or a conglomerate of multinational corporations; it's difficult to tell which.

The tiny, corrupt, pro-business government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Education, and Industry. Income tax is unheard of.

The frighteningly efficient Kron economy, worth a remarkable 9,260 trillion Syns a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Retail, and Book Publishing. Average income is an amazing 450,979 Syns, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 2,038,547 per year while the poor average 61,327, a ratio of 33.2 to 1.

CEOs can't hear the term 'Fire Sale' without bursting into tears, sharks are enjoying their deliveries of canned food, the country routinely whitewashes uncomfortable parts of its history, and high school band practice is often crashed by technicolor-clad ravers. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Kronstein's national animal is the Raven, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Kronstein is ranked 430^th in the world and 1^st in Shin Bet for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring 14,225.16 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.