The Republic of Ritake is a massive, safe nation, ruled by Keld Severin with a fair hand, and remarkable for its unlimited-speed roads, rampant corporate plagiarism, and national health service. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic, cheerful population of 1.432 billion Ritakeans hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, liberal government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Acostin. The average income tax rate is 46.7%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Ritakean economy, worth 148 trillion marks a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Basket Weaving industry, with major contributions from Book Publishing, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Information Technology. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 103,649 marks, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Pieces of iron pyrite are believed to be worth their weight in gold, corporate innovation has effectively ended since ideas can no longer be owned, the nation's industries are scrambling to switch to biodegradable plastics, and coffee-addicted citizens look forward to baristas getting their name wrong at local coffee shops. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ritake's national animal is the swan, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Ritake is ranked 45,206^th in the world and 1,457^th in The North Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 161.18 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.