The Commonwealth of Astra Prime is a colossal, socially progressive nation, ruled by Lance Hornsby with an iron fist, and remarkable for its sprawling nuclear power plants, ubiquitous missile silos, and national health service. The compassionate, cynical, cheerful population of 6.285 billion Astrans are proud of their wide-ranging civil freedoms, and those who aren't tend to be dragged off the streets by men in dark suits and hustled into cars with tinted windows.

The relatively small, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Industry, Administration, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Alexandria. The average income tax rate is 24.0%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Astra Primean economy, worth a remarkable 1,700 trillion gold coins a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Retail industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Soda Sales. Average income is an amazing 270,491 gold coins, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Employers are never quite sure if graduates' qualifications have any merit or meaning, adverts proclaim it has to be healthy if the Mornay uses hand-grated Gallopavian Gruyère, the carbon footprint falls along with the human footprint during war, and extraordinary tribunals try accused financial criminals. Crime is totally unknown. Astra Prime's national animal is the sea dragon, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Talos.

Astra Prime is ranked 131,723^rd in the world and 1,797^th in the West Pacific for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring 1,185.21 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.