The Republic of HMS Argus is a mammoth, genial nation, remarkable for its keen interest in outer space, prohibition of alcohol, and smutty television. The compassionate population of 7.754 billion HMS Argusians are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Healthcare, and Education. The average income tax rate is 39.3%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The strong HMS Argusian economy, worth 423 trillion dollars a year, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Door-to-door Insurance Sales, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Automobile Manufacturing. Black market activity is notable. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 54,608 dollars, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.7 times as much as the poorest.

On graduation day the hats thrown in the air fly high enough to stun passing pigeons, consumption of cat memes has skyrocketed, the sick and dying are locked in their homes with a red "X" painted on the front door, and a tax exemption has created a new hunger for octogenarian millionaires dating women 60 years their younger. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. HMS Argus's national animal is the beaver, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

HMS Argus is ranked 110,108^th in the world and 622^nd in Remembrance for Most Advanced Law Enforcement, scoring 2,329.27 on the Orwell Orderliness Index.