The Ur-Quan Masters of Hesperonis is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by Lord 353 with an iron fist, and notable for its infamous sell-swords, ubiquitous missile silos, and sprawling nuclear power plants. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, cheerful population of 38.113 billion Ur-Quans are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

The minute, corrupt, well-organized government, or what there is of one, is solely concerned with Defense. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Delta Crateris V. Income tax is unheard of.

The frighteningly efficient Hesperonisian economy, worth an astonishing 23,335 trillion Sa-Matras a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Soda Sales industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Retail, and Gambling. Average income is a breathtaking 612,272 Sa-Matras, with the richest citizens earning 8.2 times as much as the poorest.

Five-year-olds who refuse to line up on command get gold stars, many former slaves are finding out there is such a thing as a free lunch, military equipment stores have a tendency to go up in flames, and immigrants who don't like the taste of Hesperonisian Turnip Chips are immediately deported. Crime, especially youth-related, is so common that it is unusual to encounter someone following the law, perhaps because of the country's complete lack of prisons. Hesperonis's national animal is the Dnyarri, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Path of Now and Forever.

Hesperonis is ranked 216,776^th in the world and 7,271^st in Lazarus for Longest Average Lifespans, with 17.94 years.