The Democratic Republic of Althean States is a huge, safe nation, notable for its museums and concert halls, smutty television, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic population of 207 million Altheans 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 enormous, liberal, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Welfare, Education, and Environment. The average income tax rate is 74.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but sluggish Althean economy, worth 5.62 trillion gemberries a year, is quite specialized and led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Basket Weaving, Book Publishing, and Soda Sales. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 27,138 gemberries, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Builders spend more time negotiating "tasteful architecture" than on actual construction, pulling weeds is seen as a threat to national security, citizens who plan overseas vacations are barred from running for political office, and attendance of fathers at PTA meetings is at an all-time high. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Althean States's national animal is the cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Althean States is ranked 28,054^th in the world and 600^th in The East Pacific for Safest, scoring 109.98 on the Bubble-Rapp Safety Rating.