The Unified Planet of Selios is a mammoth, cultured nation, ruled by Worldmind Selios with a fair hand, and notable for its state-planned economy, pith helmet sales, and absence of drug laws. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful, devout population of 5.711 billion Sebolds are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The tiny, liberal, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Industry, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Illumina. The average income tax rate is 3.8%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Selion economy, worth a remarkable 1,482 trillion Manas a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is broadly diversified, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Average income is an amazing 259,499 Manas, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Ceremonial zweihänders are used in holy rituals, the voyages of obsolete star-trekking satellites on deliberate escape orbits are only just beginning, at least 1% of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs budget goes to Worldmind Selios's wardrobe, and people accuse the government of being in bed with Big Safety. Crime is totally unknown. Selios's national animal is the Pseudodragon, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies, and its national religion is Orism.

Selios is ranked 4,780^th in the world and 5^th in The Galactics Union for Most Developed, scoring 94.88 on the Human Development Index.