The State of Atafu is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by the Governor with a fair hand, and notable for its irreverence towards religion, complete lack of public education, and absence of drug laws. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 36.773 billion Atafuans live in a state of perpetual fear, as a complete breakdown of social order has led to the rise of order through biker gangs.

The minute, liberal, pro-business, outspoken government, or what there is of one, is dominated by the Department of Industry, with Environment also on the agenda, while Welfare and Spirituality are ignored. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Central Heights. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 6.5%.

The powerhouse Atafuan economy, worth a remarkable 1,438 trillion betales a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is quite specialized and led by the Gambling industry, with significant contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture, Automobile Manufacturing, and Pizza Delivery. Average income is 39,127 betales, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 138,187 per year while the poor average 8,009, a ratio of 17.3 to 1.

Innocent defendants often plead guilty for fear of receiving a much harsher sentence before jury, stores employing more than 100 employees are required to be at least twenty miles from any competitor, there's a shortage of swinging hot spots as land development grinds to a halt, and every product goes through extensive safety-testing by the government. Crime is a serious problem, probably because of the absence of a police force. Atafu's national animal is the deer, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Atafu is ranked 209,546^th in the world and 7^th in Atafu for Largest Publishing Industry, scoring -1.18 on the Bella Potter Productivity e-Index.