The Commonwealth of Bentus is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by President Hayes with an iron fist, and renowned for its smutty television, national health service, and restrictive gun laws. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless population of 14.283 billion Bentusis are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The tiny, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Industry, Law & Order, and Defense. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Bentus City. The average income tax rate is 4.5%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Bentusian economy, worth a remarkable 2,526 trillion Credits a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Woodchip Exports, and Uranium Mining. Black market activity is extensive. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 176,857 Credits, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.7 times as much as the poorest.

Lawyers turn down litigation cases and corporate work in order to focus on lucrative public defence work, the "temporary replacement bus service" is now a permanent fixture, East Lebatuckese astronauts' favorite game during downtime on the Multinational Space Station is 'I Spy', and antique comic book collectors are disappointed to hear that their treasures are worth exactly as little as their mothers said they were. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Bentus's national animal is the Trilobite, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Bentus is ranked 24,222^nd in the world and 10^th in The Local Cluster for Largest Basket Weaving Sector, scoring 5,151.57 on the Hickory Productivity Index.