The Retired Delegate of Alsted is a gargantuan, socially progressive nation, ruled by a federal presidency with a fair hand, and notable for its public floggings, punitive income tax rates, and restrictive gun laws. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 20.93 billion Alstedians enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

The enormous government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Education, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of San Junipero. The average income tax rate is 70.8%.

The strong Alstedian economy, worth a remarkable 1,039 trillion Alstedian Dollars a year, is extremely specialized and solely comprised of the Book Publishing industry. Average income is 49,660 Alstedian Dollars, with the richest citizens earning 5.3 times as much as the poorest.

New safety regulations require all cars manufactured in Alsted to be bombproof, employers may fire workers without giving any reason, planespotters are emigrating in droves, and corporate lobbying has been outlawed. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Alsted's national animal is the Snowy Owl, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Alsted is ranked 156,764^th in the world and 871^st in Europe for Largest Mining Sector, scoring -12.88 on the Blue Sky Asbestos Index.