The Microcosm of Council of Feathers is a massive, efficient nation, ruled by The Finch Above All with a fair hand, and notable for its free-roaming dinosaurs, state-planned economy, and irreverence towards religion. The compassionate, democratic population of 4.676 billion Councillors love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Zeebie Council. The average income tax rate is 90.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Council of Feathersian economy, worth 437 trillion bits a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is highly specialized, is mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing. Average income is 93,485 bits, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Political satirists and late night comedians weep as the government begins cleaning up its act, the experimental sculpture "Overtures In Dried Zebra Finch Dung" has been declared a national treasure, many parents are becoming frustrated with their children's choices in spouses, and sections of the police receive paramilitary training. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Council of Feathers's national animal is the zebra finch, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Council of Feathers is ranked 169,242^nd in the world and 361^st in Concord for Most Authoritarian, with 620.7 milliStalins.