The Burlesque Republic of The Centauri is a gargantuan, orderly nation, ruled by Emperor Jaffa with an iron fist, and notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, compulsory military service, and ritual sacrifices. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless, devout population of 34.731 billion Centauris are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

The minute, corrupt, pro-business government, or what there is of one, juggles the competing demands of Defense, Industry, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Centauri Prime. Income tax is unheard of.

The frighteningly efficient Centaurian economy, worth an astonishing 31,625 trillion duckets a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Gambling, and Automobile Manufacturing. Average income is a breathtaking 910,587 duckets, but there is an enormous disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 5,675,617 per year while the poor average 62,417, a ratio of 90.9 to 1.

Citizens complain about a burning sensation after bathing, the ongoing space elevator construction project has elevated the national debt to all new levels, cash-strapped junkies lick rabbits for a cheap high, and Centaurian farm salmon are known for being both horribly diseased and remarkably acrobatic. Crime, especially youth-related, is so common that it is unusual to encounter someone following the law, probably because of the absence of a police force. The Centauri's national animal is the Narn, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is the pantheon of fifty deities.

The Centauri is ranked 33^rd in the world and 6^th in Wysteria for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 1,366.72 on the Bus Surprisal Index.