The Commonwealth of Station 8 is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by Hachiman with a fair hand, and renowned for its rum-swilling pirates, museums and concert halls, and daily referendums. The compassionate, democratic population of 6.273 billion Ocastrans are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The large, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Ticket Office. The average income tax rate is 67.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Ocastrian economy, worth 689 trillion rails a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector is led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Retail. Average income is an impressive 109,875 rails, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The government's foreign policy statements are less threatening than a World Assembly cease-and-desist letter, they who do not work shall not eat, wealthy pranksters dump refuse on unsuspecting citizens from up high, and artists are renowned for their ability to make art pieces out of thin air. Crime is totally unknown. Station 8's national animal is the octopus, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans, and its national religion is Gaia.

Station 8 is ranked 15,742^nd in the world and 105^th in Forest for Most Cultured, scoring 101 on the Snufflebottom-Wiggendum Pentatonic Scale.