The Riddle of 13 is a gargantuan, environmentally stunning nation, ruled by Jason Fly with an even hand, and remarkable for its punitive income tax rates. The hard-working population of 29.441 billion 13ians 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 enormous government juggles the competing demands of Spirituality, Environment, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Changelania. The average income tax rate is 58.2%.

The strong 13ian economy, worth 733 trillion Thirteens a year, is highly specialized and led by the Door-to-door Insurance Sales industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing, Tourism, and Retail. Average income is 24,904 Thirteens, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.8 times as much as the poorest.

Ethnic minorities are often refused admission to some of the nation's best schools, people reciting Shakespeare have become a common sight, graffiti graces every city's streets, and astronomers are flocking to 13 to take advantage of its clear night skies. Crime, especially youth-related, is a problem, possibly because it is difficult to make it through a day without breaking one of the country's many regulations. 13's national animal is the horse, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is XIII-ism.

13 is ranked 100,996^th in the world and 56^th in Anarchy for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 33.87 on the Bus Surprisal Index.