The Great ones of ash of Angels of Ash is a colossal, efficient nation, renowned for its public floggings, ubiquitous missile silos, and frequent executions. The hard-nosed, devout population of 6.456 billion Angels of Ashians are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Industry, Law & Order, and Defense. The average income tax rate is 40.2%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Angels of Ashian economy, worth 528 trillion francs a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a large, well-organized, broadly diversified black market in Arms Manufacturing, Automobile Manufacturing, Cheese Exports, and Furniture Restoration. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is 81,856 francs, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.1 times as much as the poorest.

Translators have been hired to deal with the varying regional accents during national political debates, wigged-out hunters report playing croquet with the Queen of Hearts, teenagers are told they're not thinking about sex enough, and devotion to God is only skin-deep. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Angels of Ash's national animal is the falcon, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Angels of Ash is ranked 229,838^th in the world and 4^th in Mechanix Monarchists for Most Cheerful Citizens, with 48.04 Percentage Of Water Glasses Perceived Half-Full.