The Eternal Republic of Ignatia is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by Ignatius VIII with an even hand, and notable for its keen interest in outer space, punitive income tax rates, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic, devout population of 8.56 billion Ignatians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked morass — prioritizes Healthcare, with Education, Welfare, and Spirituality also on the agenda. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Ignatia Aeternum. The average income tax rate is 82.9%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The strong Ignatian economy, worth 500 trillion Ignums a year, is extremely specialized and solely comprised of the Book Publishing industry. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 58,433 Ignums, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Politicians always seem to take two steps forward then three steps back, national park visitors are reporting a rash of poison ivy sightings, many aides in Ignatius VIII's office are known to be serial jaywalkers, and international collectors know that a grease-stain on a work of art probably means it's passed through Ignatia. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ignatia's national animal is the Pheonix, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Ignatian Catholicism.

Ignatia is ranked 35,598^th in the world and 1^st in Fire Tree Coalition for Lowest Crime Rates, with 79.68 law-abiding acts per hour.