The Colony of Ardenhurst is a titanic, pleasant nation, renowned for its burgeoning cardinal population. The hard-working, democratic, devout population of 24.779 billion Ardenhurstians enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

The relatively small government juggles the competing demands of Spirituality, Welfare, and Education. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 13.1%.

The strong Ardenhurstian economy, worth a remarkable 1,386 trillion lire a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Gambling industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Woodchip Exports, and Retail. Average income is 55,944 lire, with the richest citizens earning 7.1 times as much as the poorest.

Genetic researchers have been expelled, voting is voluntary, all tariffs have been abolished, and young children are regularly seen wagering pocket money at blackjack tables. Crime is moderate, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Ardenhurst's national animal is the cardinal, which can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage in the nation's cities.

Ardenhurst is ranked 159,150^th in the world and 27^th in Colonies for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 70.71 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.