The Democratic Republic of Ardok is a huge, safe nation, ruled by Anthony Lecter with a fair hand, and notable for its museums and concert halls, national health service, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic population of 755 million Ardokians hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The large, corrupt, liberal, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Industry, Defense, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Suhl. The average income tax rate is 77.4%.

The frighteningly efficient Ardokian economy, worth 82.8 trillion Ardokian leks a year, is quite specialized and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Arms Manufacturing, and Retail. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 109,672 Ardokian leks, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.6 times as much as the poorest.

Recognizing the Ardokian flag qualifies you for citizenship, Ardokians are fixin' ta comma any way they wanna, diplomats in Ardok are furious at constant police surveillance, and Anthony Lecter has just been declared ruler of Ardok in an international press conference. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ardok's national animal is the Tiger, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Ardok is ranked 35,133^rd in the world and 1,134^th in The North Pacific for Most Advanced Public Education, scoring 5,742.95 on the Edu-tellignce® Test Score.