The Imperial Vicariate of Arleat is a huge, cultured nation, notable for its state-planned economy, punitive income tax rates, and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic population of 558 million Arleats are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The large, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Welfare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Nancy. The average income tax rate is 76.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Arlesian economy, worth 57.0 trillion Guilders a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is fairly diversified, is led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Automobile Manufacturing. Average income is an impressive 102,211 Guilders, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Married couples must call each other "darling" or risk a fine, worried-looking neonatal nurses are being deployed in place of SWAT teams during dangerous drug busts, political speeches always take place at sunset to a background of patriotic power ballads, and children are often observed making 'sand angels' in bunkers. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Arleat's national animal is the lion, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Arleat is ranked 7,966^th in the world and 226^th in The East Pacific for Safest, scoring 124.37 on the Bubble-Rapp Safety Rating.