The Imperial Vicariate of Arleat is a huge, socially progressive nation, renowned for its state-planned economy, national health service, and absence of drug laws. The compassionate, democratic population of 625 million Arleats love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The large, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Nancy. The average income tax rate is 77.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Arlesian economy, worth 65.9 trillion Guilders a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Automobile Manufacturing. Average income is an impressive 105,366 Guilders, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Scenic mountain valleys are flooded with water as damming projects get underway, crossword puzzles have been co-opted as a symbol of racial discrimination, people make a career out of medical voyeurism, and 50% of adverts on children's television are for clothes made of cotton wool. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Arleat's national animal is the lion, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Arleat is ranked 30,027^th in the world and 634^th in The East Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 219.56 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.