The Burlesque Republic of The Centauri is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by Emperor Jaffa with an iron fist, and notable for its public floggings, avant-garde cinema, and frequent executions. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless, devout population of 44.995 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 41,498 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 922,292 duckets, but there is a vast disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 8,639,909 per year while the poor average 8,281, a ratio of 1,043 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 30^th in the world and 1^st in Babylon 5 for Largest Furniture Restoration Industry, scoring 34,019.45 on the Spitz-Pollish Productivity Index.