The Republic of Hearne is a massive, efficient nation, renowned for its barren, inhospitable landscape, irreverence towards religion, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 2.923 billion Hearneans are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

The minute, pro-business government, or what there is of one, is primarily concerned with Defense, with Law & Order and Industry also on the agenda, while International Aid and Spirituality are ignored. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 5.3%.

The thriving Hearnean economy, worth 217 trillion pounds a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Gambling, Basket Weaving, and Retail. Average income is 74,340 pounds, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 263,142 per year while the poor average 15,164, a ratio of 17.4 to 1.

Crime is a problem, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Hearne's national animal is the dove, which can occasionally be seen dodging aircraft in the nation's cities.

Hearne is ranked 150,106^th in the world and 5,875^th in Osiris for Largest Populations, with 2.92 billion capita.