The Democratic Republic of Notilus is a huge, socially progressive nation, notable for its museums and concert halls and stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, democratic population of 599 million Notilans enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Spiral City. The average income tax rate is 44.6%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The strong Notilan economy, worth 47.2 trillion shells a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Trout Farming, and Arms Manufacturing. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 78,811 shells, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.1 times as much as the poorest.

Maxtopian tourists make expensive pilgrimages to Spiral City to enjoy their national art, families make most of their annual income from government benefits, flipping a coin to make a decision leads to a referral to Gambling Addiction Services, and there is a heavy social stigma attached to e-cigarettes. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Notilus's national animal is the chambered nautilus, which frolics freely in the nation's sparkling oceans.

Notilus is ranked 73,928^th in the world and 637^th in the West Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 130 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.