The Federal Republic of Ardulac is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by Sieb Bishorst with a fair hand, and notable for its museums and concert halls, keen interest in outer space, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic population of 1.969 billion Ardulese 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 medium-sized, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Leytten. The average income tax rate is 65.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Ardulacian economy, worth 218 trillion Marks a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Retail. Average income is an impressive 111,215 Marks, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Bus ads propagandize causes ranging from sexual revolution to religious pogroms, it turns out that you actually can put a price on intangible cultural heritage, conspiracy theorists allege Leytten's new subway map resembles Satanic symbols, and all telephone traffic is monitored for 'national security reasons'. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ardulac's national animal is the Yequit, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Ardulac is ranked 21,898^th in the world and 993^rd in The North Pacific for Most Advanced Public Transport, scoring 2,142.64 on the Societal Mobility Rating.