The Empire of Abanse is a mammoth, socially progressive nation, notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape. The hard-working population of 6.95 billion Abanseans enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

The tiny government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Education, and Defense. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 7.7%.

The strong Abansean economy, worth 366 trillion florins a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is fairly diversified and led by the Gambling industry, with significant contributions from Pizza Delivery, Automobile Manufacturing, and Arms Manufacturing. Average income is 52,801 florins, with the richest citizens earning 7.8 times as much as the poorest.

Government employees cannot vote for the policies they have to implement, all major public areas are watched by police surveillance cameras, extreme political groups are outlawed, and the latest Harry Potter book is a bestseller. Crime is a problem, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Abanse's national animal is the cobra, which can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage in the nation's cities.

Abanse is ranked 76,846^th in the world and 6^th in Nova Alterra for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 38 on the Bus Surprisal Index.