The Technocracy States of Azzarel is a massive, efficient nation, ruled by The Shepherd with an even hand, and renowned for its barren, inhospitable landscape, otherworldly petting zoo, and enslaved workforce. The hard-nosed, hard-working, humorless population of 2.693 billion Azzas are free to succeed or fail in life on their own merits; the successful tend to enjoy an opulent (but moralistic) lifestyle, while the failures can be seen crowding out most jails.

The medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Airstrip One. The average income tax rate is 72.3%.

The frighteningly efficient Azza economy, worth 665 trillion credits a year, is broadly diversified and dominated by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Retail, and Automobile Manufacturing. Black market activity is rampant. Average income is an amazing 247,124 credits, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.8 times as much as the poorest.

Broken suspension systems are giving auto repair shops plenty of business, plain-clothes police officers follow Dàguó tourists everywhere they go, graverobbers claim they're acting within the interest of 'scientific preservation', and tourists are duped into trimming hedges for the horsy-set. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Azzarel's national animal is the Meerkat, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Azzarel is ranked 133,784^th in the world and 6,759^th in The North Pacific for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 31.72 on the Bus Surprisal Index.