The Saurian Aliens of Arena of Gorn is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by Xrathis with an even hand, and renowned for its keen interest in outer space, multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, hard-working population of 11.323 billion Gorns 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, corrupt government is primarily concerned with Defense, although Education and Industry are also considered important, while International Aid and Spirituality receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Gornar. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 58.7%.

The frighteningly efficient Arena of Gornian economy, worth a remarkable 1,976 trillion kronor a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a large, well-organized, broadly diversified black market in Arms Manufacturing and Information Technology. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an impressive 174,558 kronor, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 816,639 per year while the poor average 22,290, a ratio of 36.6 to 1.

The entire entry for Arena of Gorn in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the World reads 'mostly harmless', families consisting of more than three people are forced to split up, over-inflated fears of a "Y1" bug have turned humble IT workers into millionaires (Arena of Gorn has found 6 easter eggs), and faking deafness is the only way to guarantee a holiday in the nation. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Arena of Gorn's national animal is the hatchlings, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its national religion is S'Yahazah.

Arena of Gorn is ranked 271,036^th in the world and 104^th in Federation of Martian Colonies for Most Beautiful Environments, with 48.78 pounds of wildlife per square mile.