The Federation of Arkmark is a large, safe nation, notable for its compulsory military service. The hard-nosed population of 148 million Arkmarkians have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The relatively small government juggles the competing demands of Education, Administration, and Law & Order. The average income tax rate is 13.6%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The Arkmarkian economy, worth 9.08 trillion Kols a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Furniture Restoration, Pizza Delivery, and Tourism. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 61,323 Kols, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.5 times as much as the poorest.

The government recently donated a surfboard to an impoverished family in a landlocked region, tourists soak their luggage in boiling water before unpacking, APCs on school runs disgorge kids via assault ramps, and many marriages go virtually unconsummated. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Arkmark's national animal is the tiger, which can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage in the nation's cities.

Arkmark is ranked 229,383^rd in the world and 93^rd in Estalcia for Most Cultured, scoring 64 on the Snufflebottom-Wiggendum Pentatonic Scale.