The Burnt World of Athas is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by Tithian of Mericles with an iron fist, and remarkable for its smutty television, otherworldly petting zoo, and ubiquitous missile silos. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless population of 27.215 billion Athasians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The medium-sized, corrupt, well-organized government is primarily concerned with Defense, although Environment, Education, and Industry are also considered important, while Welfare and Social Policy aren't funded at all. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Tyr. The average income tax rate is 96.3%.

The frighteningly efficient Athasian economy, worth an astonishing 13,018 trillion gold pieces a year, is mostly comprised of black market activity, especially in Arms Manufacturing, Gambling, Retail, and Tourism. Average income is an amazing 478,368 gold pieces, with the richest citizens earning 7.0 times as much as the poorest.

The public health bureaucracy is wrapped in miles of red tape, male cubicle workers stand up every time a woman enters the room, kids looking for shark teeth have become ancient history, and the police force is rumoured to be made up of evil shadows with no souls. Crime, especially youth-related, is so common that it is unusual to encounter someone following the law, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Athas's national animal is the Thri-kreen, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Psionics.

Athas is ranked 140,122^nd in the world and 3^rd in Athas for Most Conservative, scoring 61.08 on the Bush-Santorum Dawning Terror Index.