The United Commonwealths of Great Altera is a massive, genial nation, ruled by Keith Ryansan with an even hand, and notable for its vat-grown people, keen interest in outer space, and irreverence towards religion. The compassionate population of 2.37 billion Alterans 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 large government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Greyhelm. The average income tax rate is 62.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Great Alteran economy, worth 210 trillion Eingots a year, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Basket Weaving, and Arms Manufacturing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 88,774 Eingots, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The poor are often seen pale and dizzy after selling their blood to make ends meet, new arrivals are asked the location of the Minister of the Interior's birthmark, pandemics are over and done with by the time it takes to pass the nation's stringent border security, and the name of the "Butcher of Bigtopia" adorns shirts across Great Altera. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Great Altera's national animal is the Lion, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Great Altera is ranked 23,457^th in the world and 50^th in The Western Isles for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 255.63 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.