The Allied States of Alba- is a colossal, environmentally stunning nation, renowned for its compulsory military service, public floggings, and punitive income tax rates. The democratic population of 3.407 billion Alba-ians love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The large, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Welfare. The average income tax rate is 53.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but sluggish Alba-ian economy, worth 84.4 trillion lire a year, is led by the Automobile Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Trout Farming. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 24,768 lire, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Aggravated apostrophe abusers are admonished and assaulted, meat-eating is frowned upon, a niche industry catering to S&M enthusiasts has sprung up, and a handful of megacorporations own every "craft brewery" in the nation. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Alba-'s national animal is the horse, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Alba- is ranked 221,907^th in the world and 1^st in The Cheesecake Factory for Largest Pizza Delivery Sector, scoring -3.82 on the Pepperoni Propulsion Productivity Index.