The Burlesque Republic of The Centauri is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by Emperor Jaffa with an iron fist, and renowned for its pith helmet sales, digital currency, and keen interest in outer space. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless, devout population of 35.264 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 32,110 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 10,416^th in the world and 18^th in Wysteria for Most Advanced Defense Forces, scoring 8,895.93 on the Total War Preparedness Rating.