The Republic of Hell on Astraea is a massive, orderly nation, notable for its state-planned economy, restrictive gun laws, and stringent health and safety legislation. The cynical population of 1.222 billion Hell on Astraeans are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The large, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Welfare. The average income tax rate is 41.9%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but stagnant Hell on Astraean economy, worth 12.0 trillion Rocks 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 slick, highly efficient, quite specialized black market in Trout Farming, Information Technology, Door-to-door Insurance Sales, and Beef-Based Agriculture. 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 9,830 Rocks, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Hell on Astraea's national animal is the Rock, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Hell on Astraea is ranked 226,153^rd in the world and 5^th in The universe of the cookie child for Most Primitive, scoring -90 on the Scary Big Number Scale.