The Armed Republic of Gustela is a massive, genial nation, ruled by Federal Council with an even hand, and remarkable for its ubiquitous missile silos, multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, and keen interest in outer space. The compassionate population of 1.848 billion Gustelans are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social and economic equality; they tend to view other countries as corrupted by the hollow pageantry of sham elections.

The medium-sized, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Administration, and Welfare. The average income tax rate is 53.2%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The strong Gustelan economy, worth 137 trillion Credits a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Uranium Mining industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Door-to-door Insurance Sales, and Basket Weaving. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 74,233 Credits, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Pollution is on the rise along with government approvals of fracking projects, this summer's chart-toppers sound almost the same as last year's, retirement homes are often fitted with luxurious suites, and invasive drug testing is now performed at elementary school sports days. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Gustela's national animal is the Axolotl, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to heavy metals seepage into national waterways, and its national religion is Atheist.

Gustela is ranked 24,020^th in the world and 266^th in the Rejected Realms for Largest Welfare Programs, scoring 2,961.43 on the Safety Net Mesh Density Rating.