The Technocracy States of Azzarel is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by The Shepherd with an iron fist, and notable for its smutty television, digital currency, and multi-spousal wedding ceremonies. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless population of 14.247 billion Azzas are ruled with an iron fist by the corrupt, dictatorship government, which oppresses anyone who isn't on the board of a Fortune 500 company. Large corporations tend to be above the law, and use their financial clout to gain ever-increasing government benefits at the expense of the poor and unemployed.

The relatively small, corrupt, pro-business, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Airstrip One. The average income tax rate is 31.6%.

The frighteningly efficient Azza economy, worth a remarkable 4,623 trillion credits a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Retail, and Uranium Mining. Black market activity is rampant. Average income is an amazing 324,539 credits, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.4 times as much as the poorest.

Naturists are jailed regularly for indecent exposure, police officers often conceal their identities to safeguard against public complaints, a National Academy regulates grammar and usage, and immigrants are told to pull themselves up by their worn-out budget bootstraps. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Azzarel's national animal is the Meerkat, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Azzarel is ranked 281,980^th in the world and 6,198^th in The North Pacific for Most Cheerful Citizens, with 24.58 Percentage Of Water Glasses Perceived Half-Full.