The Sovereign Commonwealth of Amstein is a colossal, genial nation, ruled by King James-Augustus with a fair hand, and notable for its keen interest in outer space, national health service, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful, devout population of 8.422 billion Amsteinians 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 medium-sized, liberal, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Kingsmouth. The average income tax rate is 73.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Amsteinian economy, worth a remarkable 1,751 trillion Commonwealth credits a year, is quite specialized and led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an amazing 207,998 Commonwealth credits, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Visiting dignitaries often end up cuddling in the hot tub with King James-Augustus, children are often observed making 'sand angels' in bunkers, sales of trenchcoats are on the rise, and a sledgehammer and a spray can are seen as the default tools of political debate. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Amstein's national animal is the Lynx, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Nicene Christianity.

Amstein is ranked 5,564^th in the world and 98^th in Europe for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 537.89 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.