The Kingdom of Ardelark is a huge, genial nation, ruled by King Tarek III with an even hand, and notable for its state-planned economy, prohibition of alcohol, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic population of 809 million Ardelarkians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The medium-sized, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Welfare, Education, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Mintakaville. The average income tax rate is 40.9%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but underdeveloped Ardelarkian economy, worth 29.8 trillion Kwarts a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Retail, Furniture Restoration, and Woodchip Exports. Average income is 36,774 Kwarts, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Organ donation rates have hit a new low, beaches are empty as the shark population multiplies exponentially, at least 1% of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs budget goes to King Tarek III's wardrobe, and soldiers with colourful mohawks make themselves perfect targets for snipers. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ardelark's national animal is the Sand Cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Ardelark is ranked 37,376^th in the world and 214^th in Forest for Largest Welfare Programs, scoring 2,242.32 on the Safety Net Mesh Density Rating.