The Republic of Number Five is a very large, safe nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service, ban on automobiles, and irreverence towards religion. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 160 million Number Fiveans have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The relatively small government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Welfare, and Education. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 12.1%.

The strong Number Fivean economy, worth 6.90 trillion 5555s a year, is led by the Retail industry, with major contributions from Uranium Mining, Information Technology, and Woodchip Exports. Average income is 43,124 5555s, with the richest citizens earning 9.9 times as much as the poorest.

Frightened witnesses and seriously ill jurors wear the same handcuffs as the defendant, the government mails weekly updates on the new anti-junk mail laws to every citizen, members of ethnic minorities are more often called "boy" or "girl" than by their actual names, and loading sixteen tons of laundry gets you another year older and deeper in debt. Crime is moderate, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Number Five's national animal is the 55555, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Number Five is ranked 88,781^st in the world and 2,070^th in the Rejected Realms for Most Beautiful Environments, with 581.55 pounds of wildlife per square mile.