The Imperial Union of Aravea is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Arkhon Alexandra von Randgriz with a fair hand, and remarkable for its museums and concert halls, keen interest in outer space, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, democratic population of 20.178 billion Araveans 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 tiny, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Education, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Dal Riata. The average income tax rate is 6.9%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Aravean economy, worth a remarkable 1,717 trillion Thalers a year, is led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 85,122 Thalers, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.7 times as much as the poorest.

Whenever pilots have to bail out the government bails out their company, the nation's forests are full of treasure hunters in military-grade survival gear, the Grinder at Fat Sal's Deli and Recycling Center is a national institution, and the government is constantly producing new maps to accommodate the continual renaming of cities. Crime is relatively low, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Aravea's national animal is the Aravean Snow Lion, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Lutheranism.

Aravea is ranked 17,907^th in the world and 1^st in Heliste for Most Politically Free, scoring 86.29 on the Diebold Election Inking Scale.