The Viltrumite Community of Number 48 is a mammoth, socially progressive nation, ruled by Max Barry with an iron fist, and notable for its frequent executions, complete lack of prisons, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, cynical, devout population of 5.773 billion Foreizians are ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, well-organized morass — juggles the competing demands of Defense, Industry, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Arle-Kazarri. The average income tax rate is 73.0%.

The all-consuming Forraxesh economy, worth 344 trillion bobuks a year, is highly specialized and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture and Uranium Mining. Black market activity is extensive. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 59,714 bobuks, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.2 times as much as the poorest.

The government seizes corporate assets it deems 'scary enough', international tensions are high as Number 48 threatens any government with the audacity to arrest its citizens, major cities are suffering under water rationing, and public footpaths are being slowly eroded by the burgeoning number of ramblers. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Number 48's national animal is the tiger, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Christianity.

Number 48 is ranked 281,692^nd in the world and 14,910^th in Osiris for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 25.05 on the Bus Surprisal Index.