The Commonwealth of The Starr of Betelgeuse is a huge, safe nation, ruled by Ezra Starr with an even hand, and renowned for its rum-swilling pirates, multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, and irreverence towards religion. The compassionate, hard-working population of 763 million Starr of Betelgeuseans enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

The medium-sized government prioritizes Education, with Healthcare, Administration, and Welfare also on the agenda, while Defense and Spirituality aren't funded at all. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Cairo Alexandria. The average income tax rate is 30.3%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Starr of Betelgeusean economy, worth 79.6 trillion Pecunias a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Tourism, Book Publishing, and Retail. Average income is an impressive 104,387 Pecunias, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.6 times as much as the poorest.

Coco the Clown has been elected to the nation's parliament, nobody looks each other in the eye at neighborhood block parties any more, women have a strange proclivity for dressing up as caped weasels, and anti-government web sites are springing up. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. The Starr of Betelgeuse's national animal is the Honey Badger, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

The Starr of Betelgeuse is ranked 277,583^rd in the world and 316^th in Refugia for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -10.49 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.