The Kingdom of Asteran is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by Prime Minister Siiri Vaska with an even hand, and remarkable for its irreverence towards religion, devotion to social welfare, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate population of 29.89 billion Asteris enjoy extensive civil rights and enjoy a level of social equality free from the usual accompanying government corruption.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Social Policy. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Kirano. The average income tax rate is 91.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Asteri economy, worth a remarkable 3,685 trillion pounds a year, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Basket Weaving, and Cheese Exports. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 123,310 pounds, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Crowds of flag-burning protesters tend to accidentally become crowds of burning protesters, Kirano spends billions upgrading public transport, a faint smell of body odour can be detected at several miles' distance from the National Science Park, and homophobia is off the menu. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Asteran's national animal is the lion, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is the Church of Asteran.

Asteran is ranked 16,905^th in the world and 995^th in Balder for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 307.64 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.