The Republic of Charles 49 is a huge, orderly nation, remarkable for its daily referendums, suspicion of poets, and stringent health and safety legislation. The cynical, devout population of 532 million Charles 49ians are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The medium-sized, moralistic, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Industry. The average income tax rate is 39.0%.

The Charles 49ian economy, worth 28.3 trillion Coins a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a large, well-organized black market in Information Technology, Arms Manufacturing, Door-to-door Insurance Sales, and Trout Farming. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is 53,215 Coins, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.7 times as much as the poorest.

Hordes of faceless civil servants are running cities, many Charles 49ians twitch nervously at the sight of nuns, former stunt pilots are unable to pass the licence test to fly a drone, and foreign leaders are advising that Leader's letters must have gotten lost in the mail. Crime, especially youth-related, is well under control, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Charles 49's national animal is the Animal.

Charles 49 is ranked 274,766^th in the world and 230^th in Charleslandia for Nicest Citizens, with 5.59 average smiles per day.