The Republic of Astropod is a colossal, efficient nation, remarkable for its enslaved workforce, infamous sell-swords, and suspicion of poets. The quiet, industrious population of 6.842 billion Astropodians are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Defense, and Law & Order. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 47.1%.

The all-consuming Astropodian economy, worth 592 trillion coins a year, is fairly diversified and dominated by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Woodchip Exports, and Furniture Restoration. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 86,574 coins, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 356,787 per year while the poor average 13,830, a ratio of 25.8 to 1.

Childish pranks are no laughing matter, cinemas play art-house movies to ever-shrinking audiences as film critics rule the industry, it is illegal to liberate slaves, and public loudspeakers constantly tell citizens they are "happy people". Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Astropod's national animal is the monster.

Astropod is ranked 131,508^th in the world and 450^th in Giovanniland for Most Corrupt Governments, with 5.56 kickbacks per hour.