The Cybernetic Utopia of Steampunk Ariel is a massive, genial nation, ruled by S'C'U'T'T'L'E with an even hand, and remarkable for its state-planned economy, restrictive gun laws, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful, devout population of 4.548 billion Cybernetic Mermaids enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

The large, liberal government juggles the competing demands of Education, Industry, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Atlantica. The average income tax rate is 73.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Cybernetic economy, worth 535 trillion seashells 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 slick, highly efficient, quite specialized black market in Tourism, Information Technology, Retail, and Book Publishing. 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 an impressive 117,833 seashells, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Politicians have to be granted day-release from prison to speak on bills, aeroplane cockpits no longer have altimeters or airspeed indicators, droves of former desperados are applying to join the border police, and students are known to arrive at school in their pyjamas. Crime is totally unknown. Steampunk Ariel's national animal is the clockwork crayon ponyfish, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans, and its national religion is Animism.

Steampunk Ariel is ranked 9,654^th in the world and 543^rd in The North Pacific for Most Beautiful Environments, with 1,647.89 Pounds Of Wildlife Per Square Mile.