The Kingdom of Barnum is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by King Corrigan with an iron fist, and notable for its national health service, frequent executions, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, cynical, devout population of 6.053 billion Barnumians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The large, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Administration, and Spirituality. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of City of Barnum. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 51.3%.

The thriving Barnumian economy, worth 493 trillion Dollars a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Woodchip Exports industry, with major contributions from Cheese Exports, Tourism, and Arms Manufacturing. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 81,571 Dollars, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 232,838 per year while the poor average 22,777, a ratio of 10.2 to 1.

Concussed Deerball players cannot remember their lineup position, it is popularly believed that "cheese every day keeps disaster away", newspapers cannot report anything about politicians without their explicit consent, and King Corrigan's reputation is hard as nails. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Barnum's national animal is the Deer, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Western Christianity.

Barnum is ranked 52,009^th in the world and 677^th in the West Pacific for Most Cultured, scoring 71 on the Snufflebottom-Wiggendum Pentatonic Scale.