The Beautiful and Historic Place of The Free City of Aalst is a colossal, orderly nation, renowned for its lack of airports, free-roaming dinosaurs, and enslaved workforce. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 5.322 billion Free City of Aalstians 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, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Administration, and Law & Order. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 35.6%.

The all-consuming Free City of Aalstian economy, worth 653 trillion Neo Euros a year, is fairly diversified and dominated by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Retail, Woodchip Exports, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Black market activity is rampant. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 122,727 Neo Euros, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 529,706 per year while the poor average 18,113, a ratio of 29.2 to 1.

A serf by any other name works just as hard, eminent domain has been abolished, the last thing Free City of Aalstian soldiers hear before charging into battle is a preacher trying to convert them, and the roundel of the Free City Of Aalstian Air Force has become an internationally recognized symbol of destruction. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Free City of Aalst's national animal is the Flemish Lion, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

The Free City of Aalst is ranked 279,845^th in the world and 100^th in Kowloon for Safest, scoring 6.65 on the Bubble-Rapp Safety Rating.